Launch padding is basically using specific games with high 3rd party embedding traffic to gain higher directory placement in new or more popular games.
What are some games that are good for launch padding?
As of 8/30/2018 the day of this post, the following games in my opinion have the best launch padding potential.
- Terraria
- Ark
- Minecraft
Or they stream game #1 until they grab the embedding traffic spike, then switch to game #2. A good example would be some people streaming Terraria, grabbing the embedding traffic and then switching to other games that have 'Twitch Drop' enabled like Warframe which further boosts numbers depending on directory placement.
If you have a big enough community, you can leverage this to possibly help with getting more exposure on the platform. But always keep in mind, 3rd party traffic is not something you control, it can end at any given moment.