Shape of Dreams Demo Updated 70 Times Over 2 Years, Hit 1 Million Sales
The talk offers a rare, data-backed blueprint for indie developers on how to use a long-running demo and player analytics to drive sales on Steam, rather than relying on traditional marketing.
Reporting from 1 sources: 4Gamer.net.
Sim Eun-seop, CEO and lead programmer of Lizard Smoothie, presented a case study at NEXON's NDC26 on how the indie game Shape of Dreams sold 1 million copies within three months of its September 2024 Steam release. The team, two engineers with no art background, focused on gameplay and used a free demo as a primary marketing tool, updating it roughly 70 times over 2 years and 9 months. Data collection tools were built in to track player behavior, leading to key changes like adding WASD controls after a focus group test showed demand, and nerfing early enemy attacks that caused 45-50% death rates in the first stages.
At NEXON Korea's NDC26 conference, Lizard Smoothie CEO Sim Eun-seop detailed how the cooperative action game Shape of Dreams, which blends MOBA and roguelike elements, sold 1 million copies on Steam within three months of its September 2024 launch. Sim, one of the studio's two engineers, said the team could not draw and therefore concentrated on gameplay, treating the demo as a marketing and validation tool.
Over 2 years and 9 months of development, the demo was updated roughly 70 times. The team built data collection tools using Unity Gaming Services and the open-source Supabase, despite the game being a packaged title. During a focus group test of about 60 people, players demanded WASD controls alongside the original MOBA-style QWER setup. Usage metrics showed over half immediately switched to WASD, while RPG-style controls were barely used and dropped.
Difficulty data revealed that 45% of demo players died in the first stage, Turbulent Forest, and 50% in the Lava Zone. The top cause in the forest was a spider enemy's ranged attack with too-fast projectile speed and too-short pre-attack delay. Nerfing that attack normalized the death rate. Sim noted that at the February 2025 Steam Next Fest, 8 of the top 10 games were online co-op titles, which benefit from word-of-mouth and chain influx, helping maintain high concurrent users.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.