The Future of Cook or Be Cooked: Challenges, Strategy, and What Comes Next

It’s been a while since I last wrote a long-form update, so I think it’s time to bring everyone up to speed. Well, at least the few people following me 😊

In the world of startups, there’s a saying: fail fast. The idea behind it is that the sooner you recognize something isn’t working, the better! It saves you time, effort, and money before sinking too many resources into it. And I think this applies to Cook or Be Cooked. Let me explain.

My target audience for this game is female under 25, something I confirmed last year during AthensCon, a pop culture festival in Greece. Everyone in that target group who played it was excited about it and wishlisted it. Having that direct feedback loop is invaluable since it helps you understand whether your game has potential.

The biggest challenge, though, is actually reaching that audience. For various reasons, I think it’s going to be extremely difficult for Cook or Be Cooked to gain traction without proper marketing. And honestly, I have no idea how to effectively reach potential players on my own compared to my other game: Parallel Pulse.

That’s why I’ve decided to take a different approach: rather than investing too much more time, I’ll reach out to publishers and see if there’s any interest in the game. As you all know, securing a publishing deal in today’s market is tough, and I don’t think my chances are very high. That’s why I’m also considering running a Kickstarter campaign to gauge interest and see where the project stands.

Now, I know what you're thinking: Kickstarter requires an established audience to succeed. And that’s the paradox: if you already have a dedicated audience, you probably don’t need a Kickstarter unless you're looking for initial funding. In my case, I don’t have a large following, nor do I have the financial capacity to run a big marketing campaign to attract backers for my Kickstarter Campaign. And honestly, spending a bunch of money just to fundraise for the game feels a bit absurd.

That being said, I’m not planning to abandon the game. Cook or Be Cooked is designed in a way that allows for a self-contained one-hour experience, that’s what the initial plan was anyway. So, worst-case scenario, I’ll release it as a shorter game, similar to my previous title, Spellbound Hearts. I’ve already invested significant time and resources into it, and it would be a disservice to both myself and my team if we didn’t ship it. Since the game was made to support a shorter playtime, I’m going to move forward with that approach. At the very least, it will serve as a solid portfolio piece where all of us will be proud of while still appealing to our target audience.

In my next post, I’ll go into more detail about my overall strategy moving forward.


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