Dear Screw Drivers Community,
Allow me to briefly introduce myself: Dieter here, CEO and founder of Headup. I rarely get involved with communications, so reaching out to you, the players, is somewhat new to me - hoping to strike the right tone. 😊
The reason I’m writing today is to share some happy news and give you some insight into our - well, actually, your - numbers for the game. I know it’s not common practice to do this, but I feel it might be interesting for some of you.
First, I’m thrilled to share that Screw Drivers has hit an outstanding milestone this week, thanks to all of you. The game has shattered expectations, with over half a million (yes, 500,000+) Steam users claiming it, leaving us absolutely speechless.
Here’s a breakdown of some key numbers as of this moment:
- 500,000 free licenses claimed (meaning players have added it to their library)
- Over 315,000 unique users have played the game so far
- It currently has an 87% positive user rating from about 2,500 reviews
- And what makes us most proud: The community has created and shared almost 13,000 (!) Workshop items for the game, ranging from cars and planes to really unique machinery. This is what we always dreamed of when we started the project - giving you the tools and watching the players go wild and create amazing things!
On behalf of both the studio and the publishing team, I want to express our deepest gratitude for joining us on this journey and dedicating your time and love to the game. We know you have countless other entertainment options competing for your time, so believe me when I say how much we appreciate the time you’ve spent with us.
On the flip side, I’d also like to share some information about the game’s financials. So far, we’ve prefunded all development and marketing efforts, by offering only a supporter pack. To be transparent, about 3,000 players have supported us with a purchase, translating to roughly 1% of all players (or 0.6% of all licenses claimed). While we’re incredibly thankful for every supporter (sending our biggest hugs), as you can see, this is not a sustainable level of income to support ongoing development in the long term. We consciously chose this route in the beginning, and the numbers and feedback have validated the relevance of the game to you and to us.
Our vision is to establish Screw Drivers as a growing and free sandbox for all engineers, drivers, and creators in the future. We don’t want to rely on FOMO-driven purchases or artificial paywalls. What I’m trying to say is: We’re on a quest to find the fairest and most honest free-to-play monetization model that will allow the game’s development to thrive without taking away the fun or opportunities from the community.
So what’s the plan? We will keep the game free. Period. Quality-of-life improvements, bug fixes, more localizations, game modes, you name it. Instead of creating barriers, we want to offer more sophisticated experiences to players who want to dive deeper. While I can’t (and don’t want to 😊) reveal the exact roadmap yet, we’ll be introducing theme-based DLC packs at reasonable prices, allowing for the creation of more advanced or themed vehicles. This way, you will still be able to enjoy the game for free, but there will be an optional, additional layer for the most dedicated creators.
We’re committed to being as transparent, honest, and approachable as possible and look forward to continuing this journey with our most valuable asset - you, the players, and the time you invest in the game!
Sincerely,
Dieter
CEO/Founder, Headup
TL;DR: HALF A MILLION O_O! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1279510/Screw_Drivers/