Life’s hard for an indie developer these days. On the one hand, more games than ever are being released, on the other hand, that increased number of games means it’s harder to get your game in front of players and build an audience. But does that mean you’re really down and out?

At GDC this year, a group of indie developers, including Randy Smith, Rebekah Saltsman, Armin Ibrisagic, Jeff Vogel, and Jordan Thomas got together to analyze this problem and compare and contrast data showing how their various games are performing, and how life as an indie encompasses more than just making games, but caring for your family and personal life as well. 

If you’re a developer releasing a game in this environment, it’s a talk worth watching to get the rare opportunity to see some hard numbers from your fellow indie developers. Saltsman and Vogel in particular share some illuminating—if occasionally depressing—information that caught the attention of the crowd. 

And if you're interested in reading more about this (existentially questionable) economic force, be sure to read how other developers are responding to the indiepocalypse from earlier this year. 

It was a parcitularly relevant talk, so if you missed it in person don't miss your opportunity to now watch the entire talk for free over on the official GDC YouTube channel.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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