How a game gets published
How publishing a game with Nuntius Games works, from the pitch review to launch day and the support that follows it.
Once a pitch is accepted, the publishing process itself begins: the part that takes a game from "let's work together" to the store. This guide describes the typical stages of that path, so a studio knows what to expect at each phase.
Stage 1: Assessment and negotiation
Before any contract there is a stage of conversation and alignment: what the studio needs (porting, publishing, marketing, QA, or a combination), what Nuntius Games can offer, and how both sides see the game in the market. This stage commonly involves a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), since material that is not yet public is usually shared at this point.
Once that alignment is settled, the formal terms are negotiated: revenue split, scope of work, timelines and each side's responsibilities.
Terms are agreed case by case, and that is why this page carries no percentage and no table: the shape of the partnership changes with what the game needs (publishing only, porting alongside it, heavy marketing), and a number published here would become the wrong promise for half the projects. Studios that reach this stage receive the terms directly, in writing, before deciding anything.
Stage 2: Production and development support
With the contract signed, the game enters supported production. That usually includes periodic build reviews, QA testing in regular cycles and, when the game is also headed for consoles, the start of the porting work described in its own guide. The goal of this stage is to reach launch with as few surprises as possible, technical and scope alike.
Stage 3: Preparing the store page
A game's Steam page is, for most titles, the first real contact with the public, and also the main driver of wishlists before launch. This stage covers cover art, capsule art, trailer, screenshots, description, correct tags and, whenever possible, a wishlist campaign started well in advance.
On the Nuntius Games site, each game's page is generated automatically from its Steam profile: name, synopsis, screenshots, trailers, requirements and price stay in sync without repeated manual work. That means keeping the Steam page current and well cared for reflects directly on the game's page on the publisher's site too.
Stage 4: Marketing and public relations
Alongside production comes the outreach work: press kit, contact with press and content creators, presence at festivals and showcases, and campaigns aimed at growing the wishlist before launch, today one of the indicators Steam itself watches most closely when deciding whether to feature a game at release.
Stage 5: Console certification (where applicable)
If the game is also launching on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation or Xbox, each manufacturer requires a technical certification process of its own before approving the release: Nintendo calls the process Lotcheck, Sony uses the TRC (Technical Requirements Checklist) and Microsoft uses the Xbox Requirements (XR). The porting guide and the guides for each console cover how each of those processes works.
Stage 6: Launch and post-launch
On launch day, attention usually sits on three fronts: technical stability (a day-one patch is common, in case problems surface after the final build was frozen), tracking sales and feedback, and pushing outreach during the game's period of highest visibility on the store.
After launch the work does not stop: updates, fixes and new content continue to be supported. Updates the studio publishes on Steam appear automatically on the game's page on the Nuntius Games site, so the history of news stays visible to followers without the extra effort of republishing the same content in two places.
How long the whole process takes
There is no single timeline: it depends on the stage the game arrives at, how many platforms are involved and how complex the launch preparation is. A game already well advanced on PC that is only looking for publishing and marketing usually follows a shorter path than a project that also needs porting to one or more consoles, since each external certification (Lotcheck, TRC, XR) adds a review cycle of its own.
That is why this page does not pin down an average. Between a game ready for PC and a project that still needs porting to three consoles, the difference is too wide for a single range to mean anything, and a timeline published for the sake of publishing one is the kind of number that charges you later. Your game's real timeline comes out of the initial alignment, together with the scope.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How does publishing a game on Steam work?
Broadly, it goes through assessment and negotiation, supported production, store page preparation (cover art, trailer, description, tags), a marketing campaign before launch and, finally, the launch itself with post-launch support. Each stage is described in detail throughout this page.
How is revenue split between the studio and the publisher?
Case by case, settled in negotiation. This page does not publish a percentage, on purpose. What can be said in advance is the shape of the conversation: revenue and each side's scope of work are agreed together, in writing, before anything is signed.
Does the publisher take part in the game's design decisions?
That varies with the agreement reached with each studio. In general, creative decisions remain with the development studio; the publisher's role tends to concentrate on porting, launch, marketing and QA.
Who is responsible for the game's Steam (Steamworks) account?
On the store page, the developer remains the studio: the credit is yours, there and in the promotional material. The publisher shown is Nuntius Games and, for the Asian market, Vsoo Games, our partner that launches, localises and looks after the titles over there; that second part only happens if the studio agrees to the partnership.
Day-to-day store operations (build, page, pricing, keys, certification deadlines) stay with Nuntius, along with receiving the sales revenue. The details of ownership and access go into the contract and are discussed before signing.
What happens if the game is delayed during production?
Delays are part of the reality of game development. The regular review cycles during production exist precisely to spot schedule risk early and adjust the launch plan (whether by moving the date or recalibrating scope) rather than discovering the problem close to release.
Do post-launch updates appear automatically on the site?
Yes. Update notes the studio publishes on Steam are synced automatically with the game's page on the Nuntius Games site, with no need to publish the same content twice.
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