{"rewrite":{"id":"r_b5117b781ab67d8994c369b5","clusterId":"c_cd11ff6602078a0d68dda16c","slug":"shape-of-dreams-demo-updated-70-times-over-2-years-hit-1-million-sales","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Shape of Dreams Demo Updated 70 Times Over 2 Years, Hit 1 Million Sales","summary":"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.","whyItMatters":"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.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eAt NEXON Korea\u0026#39;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\u0026#39;s two engineers, said the team could not draw and therefore concentrated on gameplay, treating the demo as a marketing and validation tool.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver 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.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDifficulty 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\u0026#39;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.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"At NDC26, Lizard Smoothie's CEO shared how Shape of Dreams sold 1M copies on Steam by updating its demo 70 times over 2 years and using player data to fix controls and difficulty.","twitterPost":"At NDC26, Lizard Smoothie's CEO revealed Shape of Dreams sold 1M copies on Steam by updating its demo 70 times over 2 years and using player data to fix controls and difficulty.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Lizard Smoothie CEO Sim Eun-seop presented at NEXON's NDC26 how Shape of Dreams sold 1 million copies on Steam within three months by using a free demo updated roughly 70 times over 2 years and 9 months. Data collection tools tracked player behavior, leading to changes like adding WASD controls and nerfing early enemy attacks that caused high death rates.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/991/G999104/20260618011/\",\"title\":\"Running a Demo for 2 Years and Selling 1 Million Copies: A Report on How \\\"Shape of Dreams\\\" Carved Out \\\"Fun\\\" Through User Feedback and Data [NDC26]\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4253,"outputTokens":819,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1781757721,"createdAt":"2026-06-18T04:31:17.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-18T04:34:57.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-18T04:34:57.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_cd11ff6602078a0d68dda16c","canonicalTitle":"デモを2年回して100万本。「Shape of Dreams」が実践した，ユーザーフィードバックとデータによる“楽しさ”の削り出しをレポート［NDC26］","representativeArticleId":"a_6c59f6fce17472c4d9fc06bb","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Shape of Dreams\"],\"studios\":[\"NEXON Korea\",\"Lizard Smoothie\"],\"people\":[\"シム・ウンソプ\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-18T03:55:21.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-18T07:44:56.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-18T07:50:23.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/708/G070858/20260618043/","title":"Steamデータで潜在ユーザーと「本当の競合」を見つける。ローンチ前に勝率を上げるデータドリブン戦略をレポート［NDC26］"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Shape of Dreams"],"studios":["NEXON Korea","Lizard Smoothie"],"people":["シム・ウンソプ"],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Shape of Dreams sold 1 million copies on Steam within three months of its September 2024 launch.","The demo was updated roughly 70 times over 2 years and 9 months of development.","A focus group test of about 60 players led to the addition of WASD controls, which over half of players immediately switched to.","Difficulty data showed 45% of demo players died in the first stage and 50% in the Lava Zone, prompting a nerf to a spider enemy's ranged attack.","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."]}