Blog

Notes on the services Puffchip Studio builds, and the stories behind them.

• In-App Review Prompts: Timing and Limits Google Play's In-App Review API quota and testing methods, the Unity package, iOS's request review API, Apple Guidelines 5.6.1/5.6.3, the ban on incentivized reviews, and good timing for the prompt. 2026-09-28
• Mobile Game Soft Launch: Country Targeting and Phased Release What soft launch means in practice — Google Play track-level country targeting, App Store country selection and phased release scheduling, and definitions of D1/D7 retention, CPI and ARPDAU. 2026-09-28
• Play App Signing vs Upload Key: What Happens If You Lose One The difference between Google Play's app signing key and upload key, why AABs require Play App Signing, how to reset a lost or compromised upload key, and what to do if you forget your Unity keystore password. 2026-09-28
• Replying to Store Reviews: Google Play and the App Store Google Play's 350-character reply limit and API quotas, App Store response editing and deletion, rating reset conditions, and example replies for common situations, based on official help docs. 2026-09-28
• Launching on Web Game Portals: Poki and CrazyGames What it takes to publish a Unity or Godot web build on Poki and CrazyGames — submission flow, technical requirements, ad SDK calls, revenue share structure, and exclusivity terms, based on official docs. 2026-09-28
• Uploading Screenshots in App Store Connect: A Practical Walkthrough The upload order in App Store Connect, requirements by device class, common error messages and how to fix them, and a final checklist before submitting for review. 2026-08-27
• Setting Up Your itch.io Game Page What the cover image actually does on itch.io, how to use screenshots and GIFs, and a sensible order for customizing the page. 2026-08-27
• A Guide to Social Promo Images for Games How to keep game promo images from getting cropped weird on X, Instagram, and Threads — safe-margin instincts and aspect ratios over exact pixel values, plus how tone differs by platform. 2026-08-27
• The Final Steam Launch Checklist A pre-launch Steam checklist covering assets, page details, build settings, and the first week after release, organized in tables. 2026-08-27
• Steam Trailer Guide: What to Show, Specs, and Upload Steps How to make a Steam trailer: Valve's gameplay-first advice, current export specs (1080p, 5,000+ kbps, H.264), trailer order rules, and the upload workflow. 2026-08-27
• How to Grow Your Steam Wishlist: A Practical Guide Why Steam wishlists matter, how page timing, capsules, and trailers affect conversion, and how Next Fest and demos fit into the picture. 2026-08-27
• Getting Started on Steam: Your First Steps in Steamworks How to register as a Steamworks partner, what the app fee covers, submitting tax info, and what you get once your app is created. 2026-08-27
• Designing YouTube Thumbnails for Game Channels How to build a game YouTube thumbnail around 1280×720 that still reads clearly at feed size — face and text placement, and what actually drives click-through. 2026-08-27
• How to Build a Press Kit for Your Indie Game What an indie game press kit should include — logo, screenshots, trailer, fact sheet, contact info — plus a folder structure and distribution approach that actually gets used. 2026-08-26
• How to Prepare for Steam Next Fest How to prepare a demo build and store page for Steam Next Fest — asset checklist, timeline, and what to do once the event ends. 2026-08-26
• How to Build a Steam Store Page: A Step-by-Step Guide Everything a Steam store page needs — capsules, trailer, screenshots, short description, tags, system requirements — and the order to do it in. 2026-08-26
• Steam Tags and Genres: How to Choose the Right Ones How Steam tags affect discovery and recommendations, how to choose them well, and the mistakes developers make most often. 2026-08-26
• Common Screenshot Mistakes to Watch For Screenshot mistakes that pass review but still hurt conversion — safe areas, text size, resolution, and locale issues teams often miss. 2026-08-23
• App & Game Launch Checklist: Google Play & App Store (2026) A pre-launch checklist for apps and games covering build, store listing, privacy and age ratings, testing and post-launch, each item tied to official docs. 2026-08-22
• 40 Ready-to-Use Game Screenshot Caption Examples Ready-to-use screenshot captions for puzzle, action, simulation, and casual genres, organized by command, benefit, and exclamation styles. 2026-08-22
• How to Capture Great Game Screenshots From cleaning up your UI to capturing highlight moments and shooting high-res captures in Unity — the essentials of great game screenshots. 2026-08-22
• Do You Really Need Separate iPad Screenshots? iPad screenshot submission requirements, the problems with reusing iPhone screenshots as-is, and how to choose between portrait and landscape. 2026-08-22
• Validating Screenshot Conversion with Google Play Store Listing Experiments How to run A/B tests on your screenshots using Google Play Console's store listing experiments feature. 2026-08-22
• Steam Capsule Sizes and Store Graphics: 2026 Reference Steam capsule sizes and required store assets: header 920×430, small 462×174, main 1232×706, vertical 748×896, plus library assets, icons, and text rules. 2026-08-22
• App Icon Sizes for iOS and Android (2026) iOS 1024x1024, Google Play 512x512 and the Android adaptive icon 108dp/66dp safe zone, summarized from Apple's and Google's official docs. 2026-08-21
• A Guide to Making App Preview Videos Length, orientation, poster frames, and the real-footage rules to get right before you upload an App Store preview video. 2026-08-21
• Why Your App Gets Rejected Over Screenshots (And How to Avoid It) Common screenshot-related app review rejections — size mismatches, screens that don't match the app, placeholder text — and how to avoid them. 2026-08-21
• Localizing Store Pages by Country: Where to Start Why the screenshot tone that works varies by market, and how to pick which countries to localize for first. 2026-08-21
• Google Play Screenshot Sizes: The Complete Guide From the 1080×1920 phone screenshot minimum to the 1024×500 feature graphic, everything you need for a Google Play Console listing. 2026-08-21
• How to Design a Hypercasual Game Icon Core hypercasual icon design principles — one object, high contrast, no text — plus how to test legibility at small size. 2026-08-21
• The Hypercasual Game Store Page Checklist A pre-launch checklist covering icon, screenshots, description, and feature graphic for hypercasual games. 2026-08-20
• Optimizing iOS App Name, Subtitle, and Keyword Fields How the 30-character name, 30-character subtitle, and 100-character keyword field actually work, plus how to use commas and avoid wasting space on duplicate keywords. 2026-08-20
• How to Write a Store Description That Actually Drives Installs What the fold really means for your description, why benefit-first structure wins, how to place keywords naturally, and how to use Google Play's short description field. 2026-08-20
• An ASO Starter Guide for Indie Developers Where to start with App Store Optimization when you don't have time to work on everything at once — a priority order for title, screenshots, keywords, and ratings. 2026-08-18
• Mobile Game UA Video Basics: The First 3 Seconds and Vertical Format Why the first 3 seconds matter most in mobile game UA video, why vertical format is the default, and practical tips for capturing gameplay footage. 2026-08-15
• How Screenshot Localization Affects Downloads Why localizing your screenshots matters and the practical workflow for swapping caption text across languages. 2026-08-12
• 6 App Screenshot Styles Compared From centered device mockups to connected panorama backgrounds, six screenshot styles you'll see across the app stores and when each one fits. 2026-08-10
• Google Play Feature Graphic Guide: 1024x500 Specs and Design Google Play feature graphic size and format, the placements Google actually documents, a center-focal layout and banned wording. Verified Sept 2026. 2026-08-07
• How to Write Screenshot Captions That Actually Convert Why benefit-driven captions outperform feature labels, plus ready-to-use copy patterns for your app store screenshots. 2026-08-05
• App Store & Google Play Screenshot Sizes (2026) iPhone 6.9-inch, iPad 13-inch, Google Play screenshot and feature graphic specs from Apple's and Google's official docs. Verified Sept 2026. 2026-08-03