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brionholland2000's avatar
brionholland2000
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10 months ago

Still Not Visible! Some Indie Games Being Dropped

NOTE III: I've started a reddit thread in indiedev if anyone wants to add or comment on it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1g8yzc4/warning_the_meta_quest_store_may_not_be_indie/

NOTE II: Meta Quest Store has no intention of helping indie developers if there is something wrong. Please see the ticket thread I have had with the team and then the response I recieved today, at or near the bottom of the comments.

NOTE: If any other developers are having this issue, reply in here, it seems there are more of us than I thought. Let's try to get one big item going.

Hey Meta Quest Team,

Yes, I did a post last week about how our game has been approved and is not visible in the store and I'm doing another one.  

I appreciate that you responded, we sent an email to the support email you gave us, but it just went to the same team that we have had an open ticket with for the past two weeks.  

Two weeks!!! Our game is only visible if people type in its name exactly. It never appeared in new releases. It doesn't show up in any categories or search terms we gave it. Two weeks of the same response from the team with the ticket, "we have escalated it". How in the world does it take two weeks to determine what the issue is and fix it.

Thousands of dollars went into our release strategy that we vetted at GDC with the meta employees working the space there. Thousands!! We are a small studio, everything we do we vet and determine the best course of action. 

I asked if there was any way they could act like it was new so we could get on the front page under new release like we planned to be and were told that we could always delist the game and then go through the submission process again. How in the world is that an answer!

Do you know how many people can see and download your game if it isn't visible or at the very least semi-searchable. No one.  The only reason a few people have seen our game is because streamers have had to say you need to type in the name of the game directly, or people click on a sidequest link. Freaking sidequest can see it and categorize it from your store but you can't seem to do it.

Everything was geared towards this release. We did not expect it to be big, we were hopeing for luke-warm at best, we are realists. But this is insane! We have already had to tell everyone to find another place to go work because as far as we can tell, Meta is incapable of doing simple tasks like listing a game where they say they will and the last of the funds was used on a now-useless release campaign.

Another great response we got was a list of articles on how to submit and publish a game on Meta. Thanks! We read those a long time ago and then again when you started merging the stores, we talked to you, we did everything that was asked and it didn't matter.

Long winded way of asking a simple question. Why can't meta fix what is happening to our game? Can we get the email or a phone number of someone who can actually make something happen? We have asked the developer support and we just get the same response.  

In the email where they said to delist the game and resubmit they said they did not recommend it. So, what, are we just supposed be like ohh well, meta said your screwed so were screwed. At this point it seems like the only viable option because I'm starting to think you don't have control of your own system.

Just in case anyone thinks I'm making something up i'm going to post the support thread in the comments

 
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57 Replies

  • brionholland2000's avatar
    brionholland2000
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    10 months ago
    brionholland2000
    • 14 days ago
    Joshua,
     
    Awesome, it looks like the game is live in the store, but I don't see it under "new releases". Does that only update every once in a while or is there something we need to do?
     
    Thanks,
    Brion
    •  

       

      Joshua
      • 14 days ago
      Hello Brion,
       
      Thank you for reaching back out with your question!
       
      I am going to forward this question to our internal teams.
       
      Once I hear back from them, I will let you know.
       
      Thank you,

      Joshua
      Meta Platform Operations and Developer Support Team

    •  

       

      brionholland2000
      • 14 days ago
      Joshua,
       
      Thanks!  I really appreciate it!
       
      Brion
    •  

       

      brionholland2000
      • 13 days ago
      Joshua,
       
      I'm just following up on the previous email as to why we are not appearing in "New Releases". We are starting to get people contacting us cause they can't find us on the meta store. None of the categories that we listed in our submission bring up the game or the search terms. Unless someone types in our name specifically we are not findable. We are entering our release weekend and this is killing us.

      On top of this, quite a few of the "game keys" that we sent to people are not working. 
       
      If there is a number I could call or anything I can do to try and get the game just basic visibility I would be grateful.
       
      Thanks,
      Brion

      On Thu, Sep 26, 2024 at 2:31 PM Brion Holland <brion.holland@gamesbyrook.com> wrote:
      Joshua,
       
      Thanks!  I really appreciate it!
       
      Brion
    •  

       

      Joshua
      • 13 days ago
      Hello Brion,
       
      Thank you for reaching back out with your concerns!
       
      I have requested an update from our internal team.
       
      Once I hear back, I will provide you with that information.
       
      While waiting on hearing back, please look over the following documentation for possible solutions on redeeming keys:
       
      Thank you,

      Joshua
      Meta Platform Operations and Developer Support Team

    •  

       

      brionholland2000
      • 9 days ago
      Joshua,
       
      It has been a couple of days and we have seen other games show up on the new releases section but we are still not listed. we don't show up under any of the submitted search terms or categories.  Is there something we are missing?
       
      Thanks,
      Brion
    •  

       

      Joshua
      • 9 days ago
      Hello, Brion,
       
      Thank you for your patience.
       
      I have not received an update yet.
       
      I am going to reach back out and let them know the urgency of your concern.
       
      I will let you know when I hear back.
       
      Thank you,

      Joshua
      Meta Platform Operations and Developer Support Team

    •  

       

      brionholland2000
      • 8 days ago
      Joshua,
       
      Sorry, I know you are probably getting sick of hearing from me, but this is the only avenue we have.  We have tried in the forums but the meta team that responds there won't engage, and i have to keep trying. One thing I would also like to add is that as we approach thursday and the probably release of a few more new games we will have missed our chance to be on the front page. Is there anything that can be done for that?
       
      Thanks,
      Brion
  • brionholland2000's avatar
    brionholland2000
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    10 months ago
    • Joshua
      • 8 days ago
      Hello Brian,
       
      Thank you for reaching back out!
       
      We are always happy to hear from you and assist in any way we can.
       
      I understand your frustration in regards to this issue.
       
      Rest assured that I am doing everything within my power to find an answer for you.
       
      I am going to ping our internal teams about this matter and will let you know when I hear back.
       
       
      In the mean time, we may have some tips/best practices on ways to market or promote your app.
       
      We have shared a number of marketing best practices and examples to help you market your apps and build and engage your target audience:
      1. VR App Marketing Best Practices, Tips, and Examples
        This includes information on marketing efforts, community engagement, examples and tactics
      2. VR App Marketing - Channel Marketing Overview
        This includes social media, email, and partnership marketing examples
      3. Understanding the VR Gaming Market (Meta Blog)
        We know developers want insights into the Meta Quest customer-base, many of whom we know are gamers. Many of these questions are answered by our Marketing Research team in an extensive ‘Gamer Segmentation’ study.
      4. Add Events to Meta Horizon Home
        You can use Events to host time-specific gatherings for your users to attend, like a viewing party, social mixer, or game tournament. Events may be shown in Horizon Feed if the post matches a user’s interests.
      5. Build and Engage Your Community with Developer Posts
        Users will be able to see these posts on the Home Feed both in-headset and within the Mobile App.
      6. Update your store assets frequently.
        This will show current users that you are actively improving your game and you can appeal to new users by having new assets that feature differing aspects of your game.
       
      You may also be interested in applying to the Start Program. Whether you need technical support to achieve your unique vision or have already launched a VR/MR app and are ready to develop your next idea, Start can help you see it through from inception to distribution.
       
      Hope these help you in some way while we wait to hear back.
       
      Thank you,

      Joshua
      Meta Platform Operations and Developer Support Team

    •  

       

      brionholland2000
      • 7 days ago
      Joshua,
       
      We are doing all of those things. We are doing all the things we were told to do by meta both online and when we visited your booth at GDC where we were told if we built for the Meta Quest we would get some time in the New Releases section. Last week it looks like some were posted, some were not, we were not. This week, those other ones are now visible, the new ones from this week are now visible and we are still not. We don't show up in the "September" area, none of our search terms work show us, nor do we show up under any of the categories we listed.
       
      Are we purposefully being kept off of all pages? Is there some problem that we can fix that is doing this that we are not aware of?
       
      We geared months of development based on talks to Meta representatives and now, unless someone types in our name specifically, we don't show up. What is going on? I know it's not your fault, but for goodness sake, is there someone we can talk to who can help us fix this! No one can find us, we have streamers playing our game and people contacting them asking why they don't see us. 
       
      Meta is watching the forums where we have asked, but won't answer. 
       
      It has been a week and nothing has changed.
       
      Brion
       
       
    •  

       

      Joshua
      • 7 days ago
      Hello Brion,
       
      I appreciate honesty and voicing your concerns.
       
      I am doing what I can to get answers and help for you and your team.
       
      When I have more information from our internal team, I will update you here.
       
      Thank you,

      Joshua
      Meta Platform Operations and Developer Support Team

    •  

       

      brionholland2000
      • 3 days ago

      Hey Joshua,

      Any word when we could actually be visable. Is there a way we could "delist" then be put back in?

      Brion

    •  

       

      Joshua
      • 3 days ago
      Hello Brion,
       
      Thank you for reaching out with that question!
       
      You certainly are able to delist your app if that is something you choose to do. However, it is not something we recommend as you would not be able to re-list it at a later date.
       
      You would need to create an entirely new application, including App Name and App ID, and then submit that app for approval.
       
      If this is the route you would like to proceed with, we can certainly facilitate the process for you. We would just need to provide some information beforehand.
       
      Please let us know how you would like to move forward.
       
      Thank you,

      Joshua
      Meta Platform Operations and Developer Support Team

    •  

       

      brionholland2000
      • 2 days ago

      No, we would not like to do this. What we would like is for our game to be visible in new releases and the other categories it belongs in.

      Is this something that is just impossible to do?

      All we are asking for is the standard that is supposed to happen. Or at the very least, an explanation as to why our game isn't on anything or a set of steps we could do to help get it to where it needs to be.

      We are nearing two weeks and the game is still basically invisible in the store. You mention de-listing it. Meta basically did that for us. It's never really been listed.

      Could we please get in touch with someone who can help us solve this? 

    •  

       

      brionholland2000
      • 2 days ago

      Also, I'm trying to utilize the start program, but it won't allow a release date to be placed so I can't apply. 

    •  

       

      brionholland2000
      • 2 days ago

      Never mind about start. I refershed the page a few times then it worked.

    •  

       

      Joshua
      • 2 days ago
      Hello Brion,
       
      Thank you for your continued correspondence!
       
      I am happy to hear that the issue with the Start page resolved itself.
       
      I am requesting an update on your app, but have not heard back.
       
      Thank you,

      Joshua
      Meta Platform Operations and Developer Support Team

      •  

         

        brionholland2000
        • 20 minutes ago

        Joshua,

        We are now at two weeks of our app being on the meta store and it is still not under any search terms categories. It still has never shown up in new releases or September releases. It is still only findable if someone searches for it directly.  

        Our release channel is Production (Store) and it is listed as being in the Quest (Store). 

        Why are we still not visible?

        Brion

  • kevinagnes's avatar
    kevinagnes
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    9 months ago

    Hi brionholland2000, I had the same issue with my app! Let's connect! Maybe by gathering more developers/studios with the same situation we can potentially cause enough attention to someone at Meta that could actually make something about it. By the way here is my post about the same issue. 
    My app is called: Moviola - Video Editor and the only way to find it is by searching for the exact name which obviously makes it invisible for everyone!

    They keep marking it as "Solved" which is even more frustrating. 

    In my opinion, I think they are blocking some specific apps...

    • kevinagnes's avatar
      kevinagnes
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      9 months ago

      Dear Meta Support Team,

      I recently released an update to my app with Metadata v5, and I've encountered a

      critical issue: the search keywords for my app are not functioning as expected. Users

      are unable to find my app using relevant search terms, which is severely impacting its

      discoverability.

      Specific issues:

      1. No search terms, other than the exact app name, are returning my app in results.

      2. This problem began immediately after the Metadata v5 update was published.

      I've double-checked that:

      - All keywords are properly entered in the appropriate fields

      - Keywords comply with the guidelines (no trademark infringement, appropriate

      content, etc.)

      - The app's metadata is fully up to date

      I have attached a video showing the issue.

      Could you please investigate why the search keywords are not being indexed or

      recognized? I would greatly appreciate any guidance on resolving this issue or

      information on any known bugs related to search keywords in Metadata v5.Thank you for your assistance in this matter. It's crucial for my app's success that

      users can find it through relevant search terms.

      Best regards,

      Kevin

      queststoreissue.mp4 2 MB

      Vance

      1 month ago

      Hi Kevin,

      Thank you for reaching out and bringing this to our attention.

      I will be reaching out to our internal team to further look into why your application is

      not popping up when searching those key words.

      In the meantime, feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.

      Kind regards,

      Vance

      Oculus Platform Operations and Developer Support

      kevinagnes

      1 month ago

      Thanks Vance. I will be waiting for your reply from the team.

      kevinagnes

      7 days ago

      Dear Developer Support Team, I hope this message finds you well. It’s been about a

      month since my app went live, but unfortunately, it’s still not appearing in searches for

      users. I would greatly appreciate your assistance in resolving this issue. Thank you for

      your support, and I look forward to your guidance. Kind regards, Kevinkevinagnes

      5 days ago

      It is very frustrating to see that my app that was selling very well on the first month is

      now for the past two months barely had any sales due to users unable to find my app

      via simple search.

      The only way to find my app is searching for the exact name, which is ridiculous!

      Please help me out here! Am I doing something wrong?

      I attached some examples:

      App metadata:

      IMG_0252.PNG 1 MB

      IMG_0249.PNG 2 MB

      IMG_0250.PNG 900 KB

      IMG_0251.PNG 1 MBVance

      5 days ago

      Hello Kevin,

      Thank you for the Store Feedback and your patience throughout this matter!

      We are currently in the process of working on refining our search and discoverability

      processes in the Store, in fact you may have recently received an email on the topic of

      upcoming changes to Categories and Genres. We do appriciate all feedback and

      feature suggestions from both our developers and users. I will be relaying this request

      to the appropriate team internally on your behalf.

      Thank you once more and I hope our upcoming changes ensure an improved

      experience!

      Best regards,

      Vance

      Meta Platform Operations and Developer Support

      kevinagnes

      5 days ago

      Dear Vance and Developer Support Team,

      I hope this message finds you well. First, I want to express my appreciation for your

      continued support and communication regarding the searchability issues affecting my

      app. As an indie developer, every aspect of visibility is critical to the success of my

      work, and I genuinely value the efforts you’ve made so far.

      However, I must admit that the current situation has put my small company under a

      great deal of financial pressure. Since the Metadata v5 update, my app’s search

      performance has significantly declined. It’s now virtually unfindable for users unless

      they search for the exact app name. This issue has directly impacted our sales over the

      past two months, and we’ve been struggling to recover.

      I understand that the team is working on refining search and discoverability

      processes, and I greatly appreciate the upcoming changes. However, I kindly request a

      more immediate solution or workaround for my case. For instance, could removing the

      app from Early Access help resolve this issue? Or is there another short-term solution

      that could improve its discoverability until the larger updates take effect?Additionally, I’ve noticed the post marked as “Solved,” and while I trust that the team

      is addressing this internally, the problem persists for my app. From my perspective,

      marking the issue as solved doesn’t seem fully accurate at this time. I’d deeply

      appreciate it if we could keep this open until the app is discoverable again and the

      issue is resolved for good.

      I completely understand the challenges your team faces and am grateful for your time.

      I hope there’s a way forward that can help restore my app’s visibility and get my

      business back on track.

      Thank you so much for your understanding and support. I’m confident that with your

      assistance, we can find a resolution that benefits both parties.

      Kind regards,

      Kevin

      Vance

      5 days ago

      Hi Kevin,

      Thank you for providing more details about this issue. I understand the importance of

      resolving this matter and I will share your concerns with the information provided to

      our internal team. I will keep you updated as soon as possible once we have more

      information.

      Thank you for your patience and understanding.

      Kind regards,

      Vance

      Meta Platform Operations and Developer Support

      kevinagnes

      4 days ago

      Dear Vance,

      I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to express my appreciation once again for your

      attention to the ongoing issue with my app’s discoverability. However, as time

      progresses without resolution, I’m sure you can understand my growing concern. Thisseems to be more than just an isolated issue, potentially affecting not only my app but

      other developers facing similar discoverability challenges.

      Given the critical role searchability plays in a developer's success on the platform, I’m

      reaching out to request a clearer timeline or update on any concrete steps being taken

      to address this. Understanding when and how this issue will be tackled would be

      immensely helpful—not just for me, but likely for others in the community who may be

      experiencing similar difficulties.

      Additionally, I believe it would be beneficial for Meta to make issues like this more

      transparent for developers. If this is a known issue, sharing it more openly would

      enable others facing similar problems to feel informed and supported. It would also

      help set clearer expectations around app visibility and discoverability moving forward.

      Your support is truly appreciated, and I trust that with clearer insight into the next

      steps, we can work towards a solution that benefits the entire developer ecosystem.

      Lastly, I would kindly request that this post remains open until the issue is fully

      resolved. In my humble opinion, this would be the fairest approach for all parties

      involved.

      Thank you once again for your time and dedication. I look forward to hearing more on

      this matter.

      Kind regards,

      Kevin

      Vance

      4 days ago

      Hello,

      Your feedback on the Store is greatly appreciated. Our internal team is constantly

      working to improve our search and discoverability processes, and we take all feedback

      and suggestions seriously.

      Although, I do not have a specific timeframe or steps to share with you at this time,

      please be assured that we take all concerns seriously and will provide updates as soon

      as more information becomes available. Thank you once again for your understanding

      and patience.

      Kind regards,Vance

      Meta Platform Operations and Developer Support

      kevinagnes

      2 days ago

      Hi,

      I updated the search keywords and my app is still not visible when searching for them.

      What is the purpose of the keywords?

      Vance

      2 days ago

      Hello Kevin,

      I understand updating your application keywords did not resolve the issue. I have

      shared your questions to our internal team and will provide you with an update as

      soon as we receive a response.

      Thank you for your patience and understanding.

      Kind regards,

      Vance

      Meta Platform Operations and Developer Support

  • brionholland2000's avatar
    brionholland2000
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    9 months ago

    kevinagnes I think we might be, it is very frustrating that they don't seem to be able to figure out the issue. Out of curiousity, when did you submit your update and notice that the problem started?

     

  • kevinagnes's avatar
    kevinagnes
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    9 months ago

    brionholland2000 It is! My app was selling really well and then it just stopped selling! Very very frustrating!

    On Aug 27, 2024 I updated my v5 metadata (very close to the date of the merging of App Lab and main store)) , added the search keywords and rendered my app invisible by any keywords... So yeah, it has been a long time. Honestly, at this point I think they can not be incompetent they are probably blocking the app...

    • brionholland2000's avatar
      brionholland2000
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      9 months ago

      kevinagnes We were later in september, but still in the store merging timeframe and possibly during some changes for the 3S. I agree that it can't be incompetence. But it if they are blocking the app I wish they would tell me and why so I can make any changes they need.  At this point we are considering re-releasing the app as they have basically delisted it.

      • kevinagnes's avatar
        kevinagnes
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        9 months ago

        Of course I agree, they should tell us or at least flag the app so we understand what needs to change.
        But at this point I am already very disappointed at them and how slow things move with them! One small error on their side can impact your company in such a big way, it is very unsettling.

        Thinking about your case, if you have only a few sales it might be a good option to delist it. I can't do that anymore, as I don't want to impact current active users.

      • kevinagnes's avatar
        kevinagnes
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        9 months ago

        I did searched for your app and I found it quite easily!

        Searched for:
        - mother: second on the list
        - bunker: second on the list
        - mother bunker: first on the list

  • brionholland2000's avatar
    brionholland2000
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    9 months ago

    kevinagnes maybe if we give each other's reps our ticket numbers they can increase the importance by combining them.  Our ticket number is 57308

  • brionholland2000's avatar
    brionholland2000
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    9 months ago

    Out of curiosity, what was your "reach" as reported by the "funnel' in the analytics section before you saw the sharp decline. Don't answer if you don't want to.

  • brionholland2000's avatar
    brionholland2000
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    9 months ago

    If any other indie devs are having the same issue, feel free to put it here, maybe we can get some kind of super ticket going.

    • Incurian's avatar
      Incurian
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      9 months ago

      Yup, ticket open over a month. They don't care.

      • brionholland2000's avatar
        brionholland2000
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        9 months ago

        Incurian, if you don't mind sharing, what was your ticket number, I'll add it to mine as well. What was your game or application?