Together you can create a work of art that can pull gamers in, connect with them, and help the game to become mainstream. Luckily with the rise of game engines, we no longer need to worry about porting games or building our own engines.Īnd if you aren’t a solo developer you can find like-minded individuals. His titles have been pretty successful, and I’m a big fan of Democracy 3, which I didn’t even know was developed by Cliffski.īeing a solo developer can be very challenging. But it can be done.”Ĭliffski’s colorful and helpful view on being a solo developer is an unconventional, albeit encouraging message to hopeful game developers.Ĭoming from Cliffski, it’s nothing to shake a stick at. and it helps to have a LOT of experience, no kids and be a workaholic. I made more than 100k from gratuitous space battles, from democracy 3, from gratuitous tank battles and from production line (still in early access). On r/gamdev, a subreddit dedicated to making your own games, Cliffski posted in a thread questioning if solo game developers can make money. I stumbled upon the blog of game developer Cliffski, who regularly posts tips, stories, and helpful advice for game developers. That’s exactly how Stardew keeps people like my partner and I come back for the charming, aesthetically pleasing retro-inspired title. I can’t tell you how many times she’s given in-game gifts to her favorite characters to increase their relationships, getting special heart events that build on the game’s narrative. My girlfriend stumbled upon Stardew and it has become a part of her life. I notice its reduced price often for Steam sales, attracting new players.Īnd the many ports to other systems keep it always relevant, always on the dashboard, literally and figuratively, of gamers every day. The tricky part of this is making your indie title sustainable, scalable, and ever-present like Stardew Valley is. Stardew may have sold 1.5 million more copies than Mafia III. Steam Spy thinks that it earned $9.2 million in March after it released on February 26. “Stardew Valley probably earned about $24 million last year. In 2016, it was reported that Stardew Valley had earned more revenue on Steam than Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare: This should motivate game developers with a vision and a dream to bring an indie game to life and perhaps launch it on Steam to critical and commercial acclaim. The most recent release on iOS in October 2018, and Androids at a later date. This is somewhat an anomaly in the gaming world, as Stardew Valley exploded, being ported to nearly every platform. In Eric Barone’s experience, he worked diligently for four years on the beloved Stardew Valley by himself.Īll while holding down another job and living off of more meager savings. It’s possible to make money off of indie games.

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