Steam Bundle Matchmaking for Indie Devs: How Mad Octopus Bundles Works
A bundle is the cheapest visibility you can get on Steam - your game on someone else's store page, permanently, in front of the exact right buyers. The hard part was always finding the right partner and doing the setup. So we built a tool that does both. It's live now, and this is how it works.
Founder, Mad Octopus
Why bundles are the cheapest visibility on Steam
I've spent years watching good indie games launch to silence. Steam ships thousands of new titles a month, ads are expensive, and the algorithm is a lottery. But there's one lever most indies skip, and it's almost free: bundling with another game.
Here's why a bundle is such good value. You don't pay for it - you trade with another developer. When your game is bundled with someone else's, three things happen at once:
- You live on your partner's store page, permanently. Every visitor to their game sees yours in the "Complete the set" box. No ad spend, no algorithm luck.
- You borrow each other's audience. Their wishlisters and owners already buy games like yours. A bundle puts you in front of them at the exact buying moment.
- You get a launch beat for free. A new bundle is news - a reason to post, ping a Discord, mail a curator - for both studios at once.
The only reason more indies don't do it is the friction: finding the right partner is hard, and the Steamworks setup - art in six formats, store copy, discount maths, launch timing - is tedious. That friction is exactly what we removed.
What we built
Mad Octopus Bundles is matchmaking for Steam bundles. Think of it as a dating app, but for pairing indie games that would sell well next to each other. You add your game, swipe through a curated deck of potential partners, and when two developers both like each other's games, it's a match - and the hub hands you everything you need to launch the bundle together.
We built it because we run bundles for our own games and wanted this exact tool to exist. So we opened it to everyone.
How it works, step by step
Join and add your game
Sign in with just your email and paste your Steam store link. We pull your name, artwork, genres, price and review score straight from Steam. If your account email matches the contact on your Steam page, your game is verified and in the pool instantly.
Swipe for partners
You get a curated deck of games that could sell next to yours, each with a Fit score based on genre, price and audience overlap. Like the ones you'd bundle with, pass on the rest. Nobody sees your choices unless it's mutual. Filter by genre, price and reviews, and undo a swipe any time.
Match & chat
When two developers like each other's games, it's a match. You both get each other's contact details, the partner studio's profile, and a built-in chat - no hunting for emails. Pick up the conversation whenever you like.
Get your bundle kit & ship it
Every match comes with a ready-made kit (more on that below). Agree the discount in chat, create the bundle in Steamworks, upload the assets, pick a date - and both studios announce on the same day. That's a launch beat for two games at once.
Inside the bundle kit
This is the part that normally eats a whole day - done for you the moment you match:
- Asset pack - the bundle art in all six Steamworks formats (header, main capsule, small capsule, vertical, page background), composed automatically from both games' official artwork.
- Suggested discount - a recommended bundle discount with the reasoning spelled out, so you're not guessing.
- Store description draft - copy you can paste straight into Steamworks.
- Launch-window suggestions - concrete two-week slots that dodge Next Fests and seasonal sales, so your bundle doesn't drown in Steam's own noise.
- Shared launch checklist - both sides tick off the same steps, so nothing slips between two studios.
A curated, verified pool
A matchmaking pool is only as good as who's in it. Every game is verified before it enters the deck - instantly when the developer's email matches the game's Steam contact, otherwise by a quick manual check from our team. No shovelware, no asset flips, no bots. Just developers who actually ship.
What it costs
Free
Join for free. In exchange, Mad Octopus may place one bundle in one of the top-3 bundle slots on your game's Steam page when needed. Revenue from your own game always stays yours - Steam settles each product separately.
$9.99 one-time
Lifetime access with no slot deal - every bundle slot on your games stays yours. One payment, no subscription.
Get started
If you make indie games on Steam and you want cheap, durable visibility, a bundle is one of the best moves available. Add your game, swipe for a partner, and let the hub build the bundle with you. It takes about two minutes to get into the pool.
Watch the overview
Prefer to see it in action? Here's the short walkthrough of how Mad Octopus Bundles works:
Find your bundle partner
Swipe curated Steam games, match with a developer who wants to bundle with you, and get the assets, discount and launch plan done for you. Free to join.
Open Mad Octopus Bundles