Naavik Gaming Podcast · March 3, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
How Sub-$200K Games Win Discovery and the Steam Algorithm
A new breed of “micro-indie” publisher is emerging: teams that fund sub-$200K games, ship fast, and treat releases like a portfolio. In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , VP at Medal , sits down with Kirill Akimkin , founder of Polden Publishing , to unpack the world of micro indies and discovery. In 2025, they shipped almost 8 games with $800K and plan to ship 20 titles in 2026. Kirill explains that much of their developer pipeline is inbound: a Telegram-led media presence brings developers to them, and that they are more “researchers” than experts, with strict KPIs for a game's release. We discuss their genre strategy, developer strategy, and more. The conversation then turns to discovery, both outside Steam and building towards the Steam algorithm for wishlists. Kirill frames marketing as a repeatable machine: short-form content, creators, and community spikes are used to drive consistent wishlist velocity, which then feeds Steam’s surfaces (Discovery Queue, Popular Upcoming, demo visibility, and post-launch recommendations) and the duo discuss case studies of Fish Hunters , Totally Secure Airport (which got 75K+ wishlists in on day), and Final Sentance . They close with questions on where discovery happens, what today’s games in micro indies indicate about modern-day gamers’ tastes, and the perception of AI in low-budget titles. If you are shipping a PC game on Steam this year, this is a must-listen. We’d like to thank Medal.tv for making this episode possible. If you're a PC gamer and want to clip your moments or a studio, publisher, or marketer looking to reach a high-quality gaming audience and get your game in front of the right players, check out all Medal has to offer at https://grow.medal.tv . If you like the episode, please help others find us by leaving a 5-star rating or review! And if you have any comments, requests, or feedback shoot us a note at [email protected]. Watch the episode: YouTube Channel For more episodes and details: Podcast Website Free newsletter: Naavik Digest Follow us: Twitter | LinkedIn | Website Sound design by Gavin Mc Cabe . ]]>