Why Indie Game Developers Succeed and Fail?

My tiny first indie game project

Recently, I’ve had something on my mind. I follow many game developers, learn from them, and find them inspiring. How many of them actually achieve success? Do they have the answers to my questions, or are they in the same situation as me?

I decided to research and answer this myself. I watched 14 documentaries and YouTube channels and read about 11 developers here on Medium, 25 games, plus my own experience.

Among the games I reviewed were Bastion, Papers Please, Will You Snail, ThroneFall, Once Upon a Coma, UnderTale, The First Tree, Tunic, Dewdrop Dynasty, PaperKlay, DownWell, and many more.

I often feel intimidated when I see their skills, as I don’t possess them. That’s why it’s important for me to study them to increase my chances of success. I’m looking to learn from their successes and failures.

I hope this post may be useful for you too :)

What Is Success for an Indie Game Developer?

I divide the success of an indie game developer into two parts: the first is completing the game, and the second is achieving commercial success.

I would like to consider a game successful if it’s good or fun, but those are very subjective definitions, so we’ll have to settle for evaluating whether it had commercial success or not.

Why Games Aren’t Completed?

I believe there are two major factors that lead to the failure of indie developers, and they are interconnected and manifest in various ways.

Lack of Planning:

It’s not just about planning the game development process, known as production. Companies don’t just have production departments; they also have marketing, finance, legal, human resources, and more. Even if we’re not making games for commercial success, it’s important to consider all aspects of development beyond production.

Lack of Experience:

How can you plan something when you have no knowledge of it? How can you estimate how long each task will take if you’ve never done it before? I think the lack of experience is the main cause of poor planning.

For example, I was prototyping my next project, I wanted to make a survival game. I listed the features I wanted to include, maybe an inventory system (something new for me). I looked for tutorials on the topic, and it seemed like the coding was at a level higher than my current skills, but everything can be learned, right?

I kept my initial plan until I saw a devlog about the bugs in an inventory system: errors when trying to drag an item too quickly, errors when dropping an item in an unplanned location, errors when trying to pick up more units than an item allows, and so on. Furthermore, an inventory system isn’t created for 2 or 3 items; it’s created for dozens. Each item includes its own logic, art, and juice.

I realized that including an inventory system in my next game would take months of development. There are thousands of excellent games without inventory systems. I can adapt to the tools I have and create an equally good game with a higher likelihood of completion without an inventory system.

Inadequate planning and/or lack of experience can manifest in the following ways:

1. Lack of Time: Creating a game takes a lot of time and effort, and many indie developers have full-time jobs and personal lives. I work more than 10 hours a day, and I just got married. In the best case, I dedicate 1 hour daily to my game development. This means that what would take others 1 month to develop would take me 8 months.
2. Lack of Financial Resources: We’re not EA or Nintendo. Our resources are extremely limited, and poor planning can make us realize how limited they are too late. Buying assets could save you months of development, and hiring a freelancer could improve your game’s quality or help you overcome a creative block. We all need some investment, even if it’s for taking a course or a vacation to avoid burnout.
3. Not Following Me on Medium: A shameless request for your support. It would serve and motivate me greatly if you follow me. I promise to maintain and improve the quality of my posts and share what can be useful from my game development experience. So don't be mad about this advertising trick ;)
4. Changes in the Game’s Vision: Sometimes, developers change their minds about the game’s direction as they progress, which can lead to restarting development or abandoning the project altogether. Spending more time on prototypes will help solidify the vision and reduce unnecessary efforts.
5. Lack of Long-term Motivation: Not understanding the project’s magnitude can lead to frustrations due to the lack of short-term positive reinforcement. Knowing how long a project will take and its scope will help maintain motivation until the end.
6. Unexpected technical problems: Publishing my game on Android took months. I thought setting up the store page would only take a weekend, but there was something wrong with the Gradle and my Unity version. I had to revert to a previous version of my game (thankfully, I had saved it), losing weeks of development to make everything work.
7. Health Problems: Mental or physical. Working for months on something with uncertain success can be harmful and draining. Ensuring that you rest, exercise, eat healthily, socialize, and have other hobbies is necessary if you’re going to work on a long-term project.

Why Games Don’t Achieve Commercial Success:

Lack of Visibility:

In a saturated market, it can be difficult for indie games to stand out without an effective marketing strategy. Insufficient advertising or an inability to reach blogs, streamers, and major gaming media can limit the game’s visibility. It’s a specific skill that needs to be developed.

Something I “discovered” during this research is the importance of having quality art from the beginning. Until recently, I thought spending time on art at the start of development was a negative thing. I spent a lot of time on my designs, which I later changed.

However, I’ve noticed that the most successful devlogs have eye-catching art from the beginning. A charismatic protagonist or an interesting world. The internet, first and foremost, is a visual medium.

Having something eye-catching to show during development will help with the project’s visibility.

Insufficient Quality:

We all know that the market is becoming increasingly crowded, not just with shovelware but also with more talented developers releasing their projects. Having excellent quality is a necessity. We shouldn’t focus on quantity; there’s enough of that in the market. Standing out today is all about quality and creativity.

The lack of visibility and low quality can manifest in different ways:

1. Negative Reviews and Feedback: Poor reviews or negative feedback can significantly impact the game’s reception and sales. The launch is critical: technical errors, performance issues, or lack of post-launch support can deter players and store page algorithms.
2. Incorrect Target Audience: Failing to understand who the game is intended for and not meeting the needs of that audience can lead to failure.
3. Inappropriate Monetization: A sensitive topic… It’s not just about being ethical when designing a monetization strategy. It must be compatible with the genre, platform, and our capabilities. A battle royale game on PS5 with ads would not be well-received, just as charging $60 for a mobile game would not have a good reception.
4. Unrealistic Expectations: Not clearly defining your game and not conveying the scope from the beginning can lead to dissatisfaction when expectations are not met.
5. Changing Trends: Players’ preferences and industry trends evolve constantly, which can make a game outdated or uninteresting.

Recommendations:

After watching documentaries, and tutorials, reading blogs, and listening to podcasts, I believe that one should focus on the following:

• Game Quality: The game should be fun, engaging, and high-quality in terms of graphics, gameplay, and content. It doesn’t need to have realistic graphics or complex mechanics, but it should stand out. Effort and dedication are things that can’t be faked. People can tell when something was made with care. In this world of AI, asset flips, and low-quality AAA games, knowing that the audience can still distinguish when someone put effort and heart into a project gives me hope.
• Quality Art from the Beginning: At least have the final protagonist. Having a compelling and well-designed character makes it easier to gain followers and build a connection with the project. This is something mentioned by Jonas Tyroller, Andrew Shouldice, and David Wehle.

A good example of how to make a short game

• Prototypes, Prototypes, and More Prototypes: Prototyping helps with planning, defining the scope, finding the fun, and more. Don’t create prototypes with different bases to save time. If you’re making top-down games, create top-down prototypes. Don’t prototype a 3D action game, a 2D platformer, and a card game, as it will take too much time. You can prototype adventure, action, or puzzle games — all in a top-down view.
• Follow a Routine: Establish a work schedule and stick to it. If you can’t dedicate a certain number of hours each day, that’s fine. Set goals by the week. But make sure you have steady progress.

Next Steps:

I will continue my research and incorporate it into the plan for my next game. Follow me so you don’t miss the next article.

Share your game in the comments. I would like to learn and connect with more developers like me.