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.
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