Valve says Steam Next Fest games saw more wishlists and sales during 2020

Developers participating in Steam Next Fest received a substantial bump in daily wishlists and sales, according to Valve.

The company divulged a number of stats ahead of the October edition of Steam Next Fest, which first launched in the summer of 2020 as a way for developers to offer playable demos to fans in the absence of physical events like E3. 

Valve has since run three more editions of Steam Next Fest, and has now revealed the median jump in wishlists was up over 400 percent among participating games throughout 2020.

"Among 2020 Next Fest participants, the median game saw daily wishlist additions jump 421 percent during the fest, compared to the two weeks leading up to the event," explained the company.

"Wishlisting rates were higher than 421 percent for half of participating games, while 45 percent saw a smaller increase, and 5 percent experienced a decrease in their rate of wishlist additions."

It added that the rate of wishlisting remained elevated for the majority of titles, even after Next Fest had ended, with the median game seeing a 15 percent increase in daily wishlist additions during the three weeks after Next Fest compared with the two weeks prior to the event. 

Valve also noted that Next Fest participation seemed to have a direct impact on sales, with those Next Fest wishlist additions being more likely convert into sales. "The median released game saw an increase of 292 percent in 'converting wishlists' made during Next Fest compared to converting wishlist additions made in the two weeks leading to Next Fest," it explained.

Developers eager to participate in Steam Next Fest October have until August 15 to register their interest.