Keep It Fresh

Games distributed through retail have notoriously short life spans. Consequently, many game companies release expansion packs and add-ons to keep their games fresh. Games distributed online tend to stick around longer than games on the shelf, but there's no reason why you shouldn't also use expansion packs to keep your game fresh and garner repeat business.

Most successful games distributed online have multiple expansions, sometimes called "episodes" or "installments." Usually, these expansions sell for around half the price of the full game, and most companies sell packages that include the original game plus all the expansions, so that newcomers can "catch up."

A big part of keeping a game fresh is fixing bugs. You need to release patches and bug fixes as if you were a large company. Sales for games distributed online usually start slow, then build up over time as word-of-mouth advertising kicks in, so you shoot yourself in the foot by not maintaining your software.