Mathias Tournier’s Post

Let's delve into the captivating world of indie games and the remarkable contributions of small indie studios in the gaming industry. Discover the vibrant landscape of indie games and the passionate developers behind these creative endeavors. Let's celebrate the hidden gems and innovative experiences crafted by indie studios, paving the way for a gaming renaissance! Join me as we explore the impact of supporting small businesses in the gaming ecosystem and the inspiring success stories of indie game developers. We'll delve into gaming diversity, the rise of indie game festivals, and the collaborative spirit driving this thriving industry. Whether you're a seasoned gamer, a game developer, or simply curious about the world of indie games, this article is for you! Let's come together as a gaming community to embrace and empower indie developers, championing their creative vision and hard work. Don't miss out on the magic of indie games! Click the link below to read the full article and share your thoughts in the comments. #Gaming #IndieGames #GameDevelopment #SupportIndieStudios #GamingCommunity #GamingRenaissance #IndieGameDevelopers #GamingDiversity #GamingPassion #SmallBusinesses #GameDiscoveries #Collaboration #Entrepreneurship #GameFestivals #GameInspiration #EmpoweringDevelopers #JoinTheFun #GamingCommunityLove #IndieGameSuccess #GamingTrends #GamingInsights #VideoGameIndustry #PlayIndieGames #GamingRecommendations #GamingAdventures #IndieGameSpotlight #GameJams #GamingCommunitySupport #GamingStartups #IndieGameRevolution #GameMarketing #GamingAchievements #IndependentCreators #GamingSuccessStories #NicheGaming #IndieGameShowcase #GameDesignCareer #GamingInspiration #IndieGameDevelopersUnion #GamingCollaboration #GamingforChange #GamingEntrepreneurship #IndieGameFestivals #EmpoweringIndieDevelopers #IndieGameHaven

Having trouble breaking into your first game industry job? Screw it. Start your own game studio instead. I'm serious. So here's the thing with capitalism. Or like, one of the things anyway. Business tends to trend towards a small handful of players that hold the majority of market share. Unity and Unreal. Coke and Pepsi. Mac and PC. But despite this tendency, there are always a vast number of smaller market owners who survive on the edges, because they are smaller, and therefore have smaller expenses, and therefore need smaller successes. And through my work I have met dozens of these people. I know somebody making six figures creating Fortnite games. I know another who supports themself by publishing small board games on Kickstarter. Heck, I know a 15 year old who makes more money than I do just selling Roblox mods. I feel all of your pain *so much.* I speak with 3-4 of you every week and so many of you struggle with the same things. Things I struggle with too. When I was laid off last year, it took me nearly 6 months to get back into the industry. So you know what? Screw it. Start your own damn game studio. There are roughly 6,000 magical game devs in our community. And I'll be honest, the chances of any one of you successfully starting an indie studio is relatively small. According to Steam sales in the past two years, about 85% of games make little enough money that they couldn't possibly support their creators. BUT. 14% of games make over $100k, and 1% make over $7 million. So that means if every single one of us, all 6,000, said "Screw it I'm going to start my own studio," roughly *840* of you would make enough money to survive. And *60* of you would be millionaires. But it doesn't stop there... Because that means that there are suddenly *900 indie studios* that need employees. Most indie studios do not exceed 10 team members, so let's be conservative and slap that number at just 3 team members each. That means with just our growing community here, we'd create seats for *2700 game developers* and collectively generate.... wait for it... $128 million... 😱 Now I'm of course simplifying. There are numerous expenses and complications I'm not mentioning here, and most of those million dollar games have a sizable team, a publisher and a bunch of marketing behind them. But many of them don't have those things either. Perhaps it is time to stop worrying about how the greater industry is doing. We are in a bit of a crap time, yes, but we've been here before, and we've recovered before too. So for now. Screw it. Start your own studio. What's the worst that could happen? 🚀 I will be releasing a guide on starting your own studio safely and effectively later this week, so follow for the guide! 🚀 #gamedev #entrepreneurship #indiestudio #indiegamedev #indiegames #gamedeveloper #gamedev #lookingforwork #GameDevAdvice #GameDevJourney #GameChangers #CreativeEntrepreneur

I've been trying to get into the gaming industry for the last 7-8 years and have gotten close a few times as I've made it to the final rounds and got so close to offers. I started learning Unity as I figured why wait around a gaming company to give me a job when I can start making my own games and give myself a gaming job. I still have a lot of game dev to learn before I can create my dream (horror) games. #gaming #gamingindustry #gamecompany #gamingcompany #indiegamedev #RobloxHitMeUp

Indie game developers face a monumental challenge, akin to a David vs. Goliath battle, as they strive to stand out against the behemoths of the industry. Despite the lowering barriers to entry, the stark reality is that the indie game market is fiercely competitive. A glimpse into indie game economics: 🎮 Over 50% of indie games on Steam have never earned more than $4,000. 🎮 More than two-thirds of indie titles don’t surpass $10,000 in lifetime revenue. 🎮 Yet, the elite top 1% of indie games boast over $7 million in lifetime sales. Despite these daunting statistics, the indie game scene has birthed some of the most iconic and top-selling games, proving that success is within reach for those who navigate the market wisely. 🧩 The profitability puzzle: Determining a game's profitability is complex, with many developers keeping their cards close to their chest. However, the evolution of revenue models has opened new doors for indie creators. 5 innovative revenue models for indie developers: ➡️ Free-to-play/freemium: A popular approach where games are free to download, supported by optional in-game purchases. ➡️ Subscriptions: Offering ongoing content or benefits for a regular fee. ➡️ Merchandise: Selling game-related products to fans. ➡️ In-game advertising: Integrating ads that don’t disrupt gameplay. ➡️ Promotional partnerships: Collaborating with brands for in-game content. The indie game journey is fraught with challenges, but with creativity, innovation, and strategic monetization, indie developers can carve out their niche and achieve remarkable success. #IndieGames #GameDevelopment #GamingIndustry

A rapid rise of Steam Wishlist. As my primary focus is on games made by tiny indie teams or solo developers who self-publish, I share some Insights regarding the highly-discussed “Wishlist”. I chose this moment after Summer Games Fest and Next Steam Fest 2024. Instead of just sharing news about the progress of Albert Wilde: Quantum P.I., I’d like to include the recent rapid rise in Steam wishlists of a few other unreleased indie games as well. About the Indie Games Market Size and the Numbers an Indie Can Envision Finding a market fit for an indie game is complicated. Utilizing big data can help narrow down the relevant parts of the market. According to Newzoo's PC & Consoles Market 2024, excluding 90% of the market and focusing on the remaining 10% offers a useful starting point. I estimate the “Indie Games Market” likely makes up 1-2% of the total game market. An indie game needs to find its niche within this range. Indie developers build fan bases differently from the traditional market fit approach. Market research involves identifying trends within indie game communities, finding common ground with existing projects, and observing in-development indie games. Gold year for Indies?  Let’s take a look. We are speechless at Tiny Glade's triumph! Made by two Indie developers, following the trend of Townscaper, the game’s unstoping thrive is exceptional! They just announced they have reached 1M wishlists on Steam, ranking at # 17. This is one of the few successful indie stories that have managed to stand alongside huge AAA productions. Pounce Light Made by two Indie developers, the wonderful SCHiM has also impressed us with its continuous rise. Combining unique mechanics with astonishing visuals and a strong narrative direction attracts players from many different niches. This unique platform game ranks at # 173 on the wishlist, and its potential shows no signs of stopping, with its launch set for July 18. Feels good when art meets commercial standards and becomes a success. Nils Slijkerman Ewoud van der Werf Below are a few games that have recently seen significant rises, each on its own scale. Dystopika -  Made by a solo developer the city-building sandbox for futuristic cities game following the steps of Summerhouse, ranks at # 583 on the wishlist and with its launch, June 21. UNIKAT Fruitbus - Made by an indie small team, this fresh and fun game associated with fruits and travelling, ranks at # 849 Oddada - Made by two Indie developers, this unique idea for making music, climbed to # 1676 already. Albert Wilde: Quantum P.I. - Made by an indie tiny team (us : ) this unusual combination of raw humour, in an old film noir setting with anthropomorphic characters reached rank # 1727. beyondthosehills Grunn - Made by a tiny team, this fresh gardening game climbed to rank # 1738. Both Tiny Glade and SCHiM games made indie communities proud.  I wish the best for the mentioned games and hope to see more success! **Steamdb, June 19th

Thinking about founding your own Indie Game Studio? Here are 4 wonderful founders to follow and learn from! Each with a slightly different approach. 💜 (Leave your fav others to follow in the comments!) 1: George Cochrane - Founder of Juggernaut Games George got his start in traditional software engineering. Back in 2011 he started Juggernaut games, which at the time was mostly a contracting firm. He'd make content for PlayStation Home & Nebula Realms, and even put up some assets on the Unity play store for cash. This was his primary means of income for himself and the business for years, before he launched his first IP, Starcrawlers. Listen to his IGLH interview here: https://lnkd.in/ehsBFcYa 2: Renee Gittins - Founder of Stumbling Cat Renee is a well known indie founder, recently going viral when EA bumped her game, Potions: A Curious Tale, off of Steam's front page. Renee began as an engineer before moving into project management, and founded Stumbling Cat in 2014. Keeping herself afloat via contracting, consulting, and full time work for other companies, Renee has consistently built her game up on the side. Listen to her IGLH interview here: https://lnkd.in/eRsp4g4e 3: Joe Cassavaugh - Founder of Puzzles By Joe A really fascinating one, Joe founded Puzzles By Joe back in 2010, and is the only one on this list who has been a solo-dev the entire time, and has financially supported himself and his family only though revenue from his games. Joe managed this by starting a franchise, and has now released about a dozen of his "Clutter" games, each holding the same base mechanics, but varying enough to keep his audience alive. Listen to is IGLH interview here: https://lnkd.in/eytzQPdn 4: Shalin Shodhan - Founder of Masala Games Currently on an absolutely vicious trend upwards, Shalin is actually one of my very first mentors from my days at Lumos Labs (Lumosity). Shalin got his start at EA and then Pixar, before founding Masala Games in 2012. Sustaining himself mostly through contracting work, Shalin built Masala into a firm that delivered quality games and services for other developers. He is now working on his first IP called Detective Dotson. Listen to his IGLH interview here: https://lnkd.in/ejmvAKEe And there you have it! Four incredible indie founders who have each sustained their own income for over a decade, and all did it a slightly different way. Who are we missing from this list? Who else could we learn from? Repost to spread the love! 💜 #gamedev #gamedevelopment #gamedevelopers #indiestudio #indiefounders #founders #indiedev #gaming #videogames #gameindustry #gamefounders #selfemployed #IndieGames #GameDevCommunity #IndieGameStudio #GamingIndustry #GameDesign

With the current state of the games industry, we are about to enter a boon in self-driven indie games.  There will shortly be a huge influx of AAA level talent, many disenfranchised with giant teams and looking to work on smaller projects, as well as looking to move some of the volatility they have experienced over the past few years into an aspect they control:  Indie Games. Many of these devs will initially just be looking to flesh out their portfolio or keep their skills sharp with the latest in commercial game engines, while some will actively seek to form smaller dev teams with like-minded individuals to create smaller scale commercial products or even passion-art games.  Many will partner with newly found friends in discords, meetups, or on Artstation with the current indie game community who understand shipping titles on a small budget. There will certainly be some passionate and inventive games created, and possibly even some new business models.  Most will not be very financially successful.  But some will be.  And a very few will be wildly so. How exactly the “Post-Great-Layoff” wave of indies games crests in the months and years ahead will be interesting to observe.  A lot will be dependent on how poised investors are to snap up indie projects, and whether they will fall into the trap of investing in names of past big projects vs having the ability to critically evaluate those up-and-coming genre defining breakouts. Technology, including AI, will impact how this next stage of indie games are concepted and pitched, as I’ve already been seeing happening with projects I’ve recently reviewed.  A small gameplay-engineering team, or solo individual can use various stages of AI for idea concepting or art direction.  Basic content and framework packs are available on various engine marketplaces, but consumers are VERY wary about “asset flips,” so proper care and customization must be budgeted and planned for. The platforms, game engines, content pipelines, devices, and storefronts who are best aligned with those nimble indie development teams who will form and execute over the next few months will be the ones who are best able to benefit from this trend.  And the investors with a keen eye and experienced game development professionals advising them will be the ones to recognize those projects worth jumping into to bring to the next level for all parties involved. These pipelines MUST minimize the barriers of entry for developers to get into them with as least amount of friction as possible, or the devs will choose a competitor.  The faster they can get up and iterating, the better for them.  And they must have confidence that the platform or storefront they plan on being their primary SKU supports them, and that they can be discoverable, and thus profitable. The results of this next wave will start to be evident by next spring, but will take a few years to fully be realized. (AI Image Attribution: https://lnkd.in/gtCyJ74c)

A little update on the new gaming studio I am building and my vision of creating sustainability in a video games business. I realise since February I may seem a bit quiet on the subject but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been mega busy behind the scenes in its set up. It’s still not fully ready for us to shout about yet either. This is simply a post to say that vision is still the most forefront thought in my mind and is well and truly alive. In the meantime, I am working very hard on both development, business models and a full time job, got to keep those lights on! Most importantly, I am working on how I priotise my well-being and what it means for me when I’m super busy week on week and managing my creative work-flow, because that thing can derail my well-being so fast, even though my creative endeavours make me feel great! It’s also an important part of the creative culture I want to foster in my new studio. Feeling good first and then allowing your creativity to flow, but never letting it damage your health in the pursuit of progression. It’s key to sustainable success and as I’m learning is a habit that must be trained. Along with the ability to turn on the creative energy when you need it, but always from a place of feeling great first! So my mode at the moment is well-being + creativity and finding ways to demonstrate this upon starting a new company and leading from there. In the meantime, I don’t seem to be sharing enough of the work we’re doing as I’m also in ‘making’ mode too. And a lot of my progress shots are done on phone recording the screen which isn’t ideal, but hey, it’s real. So here’s a model I completed yesterday, rigged and coloured, ready for placing in game. I have one more model to finish before I start coding and bug fixing later today. Quirk! Is coming to life! If you want to support me as an indie game developer, please consider buying a copy of Quirk! from Gibsons: https://lnkd.in/dueJfAm Or more directly supporting us, you can download the Quirk! Digital app for free on iOS. An in-app purchase is also a way to help us fund our video game studio, little by little https://lnkd.in/eH9si7fm It’s a fantastic game for children and families! 18,000+ people are already unleashing their inner child 😜 and the support means the world! Thanks for reading! Have an awesome week and see you at Barclay’s Games Frenzy on Thursday!

https://lnkd.in/gTMMXQra Australian game developers have been quietly forging a revolution in the gaming world, perhaps without you even noticing. It's a narrative not unfamiliar to me; as someone who witnessed firsthand the ravages of the Global Financial Crisis on the burgeoning industry, leaving bright-eyed creators like myself grappling with an uncertain future. Undeterred, we adapted and evolved, plunging ourselves into the vibrant, interesting, and weird world of mobile gaming, a frontier that saw Australian innovators flexing their imaginative prowess in unprecedented ways. Yet, as time unfolded, it seemed that nascent blossoming of the industry would be stifled, struggling once again against dwindling support from governing bodies and watching golden opportunities seemingly ebb away. But I've found resilience has always been a hallmark of the industry. Even in those challenging moments. Each setback, a step towards honing skills and fostering a determination that I've seen evolve into something awesome to see. Over a journey spanning nearly two decades, I've found the industry transformed, with Australian developers emerging as formidable players on the global stage. These teams have faced adversity with grit, resilience, and creativity, showcasing to the world that we're always equipped to dazzle - only awaiting the right moment to shine. What I'm seeing is that the Australian gaming industry isn't merely surviving; it's flourishing, with a renewed energy that is both magnetic and infectious. At the epicentre of this renaissance are local devs - the talents proving, that Australia's gaming chops have always been capable of exceeding expectations, needing only the spark of opportunity to unveil the brilliance, and the rest of the world seems to agree, if the sales numbers of games like Cult of the Lamb, Hollow Knight, Untitled Goose Game and many more are anything to go by. Today, Australia doesn't just participate in the indie gaming narrative; it leads, shapes, and inspires, showcasing an indomitable spirit that has always punched above its weight, now unfettered and ready to create worlds beyond our wildest imaginations. It's a really exciting time to be an Australian game dev. #gamedev

Apparently 'Indie Games' now means "mimicking artisanal flavor, created by some of the largest companies in the world." That is according to some industry peers who have never made indie games. Engadget knows more about what is indie than a bunch of folks in our industry who I thought understood the games business. Below is what Nexon says about Dave the Diver, Nexon's game that is fully funded by a corporation worth $19 billion and developed by permanent fulltime staff of Nexon. People are now saying that $19 billion Nexon makes 'indie' games. Nexon doesn't agree with them. I look forward to game industry folks talking about 'Indie Games' made by Nexon, Tencent, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Apple, and Google. That's a fine crop of indie companies. I hope that all of you can enjoy the indie efforts from some of the largest companies in the world. Apparently 'indie' now means artisanal games by large corporations. If so we need a new term for what is ACTUALLY Indie. ----- [Interview]: ‘Nexon’s original intention’ contained in Dave the Diver Q. What do you think about Director Jae-ho Hwang's bio? It looks like he will continue to release games with an indie feel. A. [Vice President Kim Dae-hwon] It may look like an indie, but it’s not necessarily so. I do not believe that innovation occurs through hunger, and I hope that bold challenges will be achieved within the large and solid framework of Nexon. The company's goal is to allow developers to focus on their creativity as much as possible in an environment that is more advantageous than time-sensitive indie games. Q. Recently, many game companies are conducting indie incubation projects targeting indie developers or students who show up at indie events. How does Nexon plan to supply and demand manpower? [Vice President Kim Dae-hwon] The priority goal is to find people who are willing to take on new challenges within the company, but the ultimate goal is to have people who want to take on new challenges come to Nexon. Nexon has many talented people with that kind of DNA. I wanted to create a system to support such people at the company level. I dream of collaborating with and developing with capable external developers. GameToc (Korean): https://lnkd.in/gYJV5rcb ----- Engdaget: "The Game Awards raises an old question: What does indie mean? Here are 1,729 words in search of an answer." "The Game Awards got it wrong this year. One of the titles nominated for Best Independent Game, Dave the Diver, was produced by Nexon, one of the largest video game studios in South Korea. No matter how hard you squint, it is not indie. Dave the Diver is an excellent pixel-art game about deep-sea fishing and restaurant management, but it was commissioned and bankrolled by Nexon subsidiary Mintrocket, with billions of dollars and decades of experience at its back." Engadget: https://lnkd.in/gw92j6UQ #gameindustry #vidoegames #gamedev #indiegames #fakeindie #touristing #davethediver #nexon #mintrocket #tga