Marketing matters more than the game if you're an indie, and I don't say that in a cynical way.
Unfortunately I've seen so many people pour their hearts and souls into a game thinking they can just start marketing it when it's ready: You should be engaging with your future audience well before then.
You don't have to take money from them, you don't have to make empty promises, but in the current landscape you need people to be waiting for your game, not you waiting for players, because odds are they won't come.
For every lucky game that gets the right streamer there's 10 more that are truly great games that just never get traction and die.
Unfortunately I've seen so many people pour their hearts and souls into a game thinking they can just start marketing it when it's ready: You should be engaging with your future audience well before then.
You don't have to take money from them, you don't have to make empty promises, but in the current landscape you need people to be waiting for your game, not you waiting for players, because odds are they won't come.
For every lucky game that gets the right streamer there's 10 more that are truly great games that just never get traction and die.