22 minutes ago, Yesindiedee said:

I have seriously considered releasing android versions for this reason. Out of interest would you trust a native Linux version more than Windows?

Anecdotally yes, based on the very little I know about the security model. Providing you don't desire the latest graphics, and can live with optimizing for lower power machines then Android (and iOS) make a lot of sense imo. Far easier to deploy. One of my testers is an expert at installing / uninstalling, and he's 5 years old.

4 hours ago, Yesindiedee said:

So, what would be a good way to release closed source software which inspires trust in people?

Signing your installer with a certificate will make Windows behave in a more friendly way.

As other pointed out, does it have to be an .exe? Perhaps just .zip is enough for your game?

If you absolutely need an installer try to look into .msi installers - these tend to look more legit than some random .exe.

I'm from china.
Here's my homepage: www.rlzl.net , indie game developers.
I have no ftp-server, all data from other download site.
I will provide a hash and readme file write in:
"Use your antivirus software to do my application scan for virus infections"

@dream rz I am not sure how helpful your reply is to the whole conversation.

What @Hodgman suggested is something I would do, I would probably also invest in some time/money into a code signing certificate which is trusted by the usual suspects. Everything else is up to the user.

If I end up downloading stuff, executables, I also just upload them to virustotal.com and see for myself.

8 hours ago, rlyeh said:

@dream rz I am not sure how helpful your reply is to the whole conversation.

I had always thought You are all trust "antivirus software". McAfee, Avira Free Antivirus, Kaspersky, ESET NOD32...
Anti-virus software is a necessary part of any security implementation, why do you use “code signing”?
I suppose there must be some discrepancies between us in comprehension.
In our country........sorry, piracy software is everywhere. what is a trusted publisher?
Use more "antivirus software".

Aside from code signing which is absolutely the best way to gain trust, no way around it, because it actually ties the piece of software to you / your company and protects it from manipulation, the small things like zipping it along with some documentation / license text / whatever and setting a proper file icon can help a bit. Everything else is building trust over time.

To tell your users to "use more antivirus software" is certainly not the solution, because most antivirus tools do not play well with others (and some like McAfee behave more like malware themselves...).