Wow, it looks like the indie team working on WarriOrb have had a pretty awful start to May, with their new title apparently only selling 357 copies, despite the demo having been downloaded 80,000 times and receiving positive responses.

Having released a prequel demo to positive results, Reddit user El4th was expecting some brilliant sales figures when the title released on the 28th of April, but the game instead only shifted a meagre 357 copies, according to the figures he posted on Reddit here.

Speaking on the issue and eager to find out why the release was badly received in comparison to the demo, El4th suggested a mixture of reasons as to why he thought the release was less than ideal, mentioning that he thought that perhaps the “price was too high and the discount percentage too low” or that there is a “significant different between wishlist and wishlist”.

Many users chimed in with their responses, suggesting that the Steam wishlist is often used as a way to keep track of potentially interesting titles, rather than a shopping list, however, it’s hard not to feel for the team, especially considering the quality and passion that’s gone into the product.

It’s also interesting to see the wide range of developers that mention that demos are often a negative in regard to longterm sale, with Tavrox, one of the team behind the recent Legend of Keepers (which I reviewed here) suggesting that “direct reports” from Chinese gamers suggested that many thought a demo was enough and didn’t go on to purchase the title.

It’s a reminder that plans often go astray in the gaming industry and that, although some indie developers shoot to household fame, many talented creators struggle to get noticed amongst the wide range of offerings on digital marketplaces.

WarriOrb, a fun and pretty little platformer, is available now on Steam and you can check out the title here.