Why great games sometimes flop

A conversation with "Game Discovery" expert Simon Carless

Oct 20, 2025

Image: Arco, A GAME YOU SHOULD BE PLAYING RIGHT NOW!

Last week, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier explained how the too many games problem came to be. This week, we hear how game creators are adapting to make sure the best games reach you – rather than get lost at the bottom of an ever-growing pile.

Today’s guest, Simon Carless, is an expert in helping game creators strike this balance between the artist’s vision and the audience’s interests. Carless is a pioneer in the exponentially important research of “game discoverability.”

Act 1: The art of Game Discovery
Act 2: Do endless sales help or hurt gaming?
Patreon bonus: The strangest tricks and “hacks” to get a game seen
Act 3: The news of the week

A young Masahiro Sakurai looks up from a computer while holding a GameCube controller — Image: Masahiro Sakurai: Making the World More Fun with Games

On the Patreon:

An extended conversation with Simon Carless about the strange tricks developers use to get their game seen
Early access to ad-free episodes
Four hour-long episodes of Video Game Journalism 101
Free game of the week
This week in video game links
What else I’m enjoying

Three kids point at a soccer ball stuck in a tree. One has a plan to throw a rock. — Image: Despelote

Act 1: How to save great games from obscurity

GameDiscoverCo (GameDiscoverCo)
The GameDiscoverCo newsletter (GameDiscoverCo)
The State of Video Gaming in 2025 (Matthew Ball)
The PC & Console Gaming Report 2025 (Newzoo)
Real data: how CloverPit hit 750k sales in 2 weeks (GameDiscoverCo)

Valve CEO Gabe Newell, photoshopped as Jesus, stands in front of a radiating beam of discounts like "-90%" and "-20%"

Act 2: Do endless sales help or hurt gaming?

Discounting your games: 7 clear rules! (GameDiscoverCo)
Sales bad for players and devs, says Jason Rohrer (GameInudstry.biz)
How Parcel Simulator stealthily racked up 50k+ sales... (GameDiscoverCo)

An empty classroom with yellow chairs and a white TV screen. — Image: The Hidden and the Unknown

Patreon bonus: The strangest tricks and “hacks” to get a game seen

Three pokemon smile in front of a city — Image: Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Act 3: News of the week

Pokémon Legends: Z-A review - a joyful proof of concept, but don’t call it a comeback yet (Eurogamer)
Pokemon Legends: Z-A review: “Fast fluid real-time fights and a world worth exploring make this finally feel like the anime come to life” (GamesRadar)
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Review in Progress (IGN)
Massive Pokemon leak purportedly covers gen 10 games, scrapped Z-A ideas (Polygon)