How Clear River Games Manages Growing Preorder Demand with Dibs

About Clear River Games

Clear River Games is a Sweden-based publisher with a passion for classic games and modern titles inspired by the retro era.

Founded in 2019 and part of THQ Nordic & Embracer Group, the company focuses on bringing classic game franchises, pixel-art titles, and indie games to players around the world.

The team works across both digital and physical releases, with games available on platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, and Steam. Physical editions are also sold through online and retail stores.

The Challenge

Clear River Games starts promoting new games months before their release, using preorders to build interest ahead of launch. At the same time, the store continues to process regular orders for games that are already available.

With both types of orders coming in, the team needed a way to keep preorder orders organized and handle large order volumes without disrupting regular sales.

The Solution

As preorder volumes grew, Clear River Games found it difficult to manage manually. That’s when they explored several preorder options and then found Dibs.

• Manage preorders alongside regular sales: Dibs gives Clear River Games a separate orders dashboard for preorders, with each order tagged by its preorder plan name. This makes it easier for the team to identify and manage preorder orders separately from regular sales.
• Handle large order volumes: When Terranigma opened for preorder, more than 3,100 orders came in within two days, and Dibs handled the surge smoothly.

Clear River Games also uses a few simple ways to encourage customers to preorder:

• Offer an early-order discount: Customers receive a 10% discount when they preorder.
• Include preorder bonuses: Selected titles come with a bonus gift for customers who order before release.
• Keep multiple items in one shipment: When customers order several preorder items, they are shipped together once everything is available, helping Clear River Games avoid unnecessary separate shipments and shipping costs.

Results

Make Preorders Easier to Manage

Clear River Games shows how preorders can help build demand before a game launches without getting in the way of regular sales.

If your store also sells upcoming products, manages large preorder volumes, or needs a simpler way to keep preorder orders organized, Dibs can help you manage the process from one place.