Indie Game Movement – The podcast about the business and marketing of indie games.

Crafting an authentic brand is crucial for indie games, especially when trying to stand out in a competitive market, but despite the need, it can be a real struggle for developers to define their positioning and know exactly what will cut through the noise. In this episode, we're going to discuss valuable insights on effective branding strategies, drawing from indie studio and publisher examples, and even explore how branding can be paried with marketing and storytelling, to help carve your niche and resonate with your audience. Episode Shownotes Link:  

Standing out in a crowded market or busy industry is always a challenge, especially as an indie studio. But what if there was to stand out and create impact while shaping your studio's identity? Well, it's all possible as today we'll explore the power of content creation and how that can not only create awareness and engagement but help showcase your studio's brand too. By discussing effective and innovative approaches, we'll share ways that your studio can stand out, in compelling and meaningful ways that create impact. Episode Shownotes Link:

Any indie studio starting out has to overcome a variety of daunting tasks, but when your working with a micro team, the process can be overwhelming. But, it doesn't have to be.  So today, we're going to discover the key to turning small-scale efforts into big-time results, as we delve into  navigating the development process, crafting effective marketing strategies, and ways to build communities which can all lead to supporting any studio's long term goals.  Episode Shownotes Link:

In an industry where branding bridges diverse platforms and mediums, navigating its nuances presents a lot of different challenges. But overcoming them, can create lots of new opporutnities. Join us as we delve into different strategies and perspectives that can guide your brand seamlessly across different arenas, regardless of your stance, values or position. Discover how to leverage communication skills and forge authentic partnerships to propel your brand forward in the ever-evolving landscape of content creation in the game industry. Episode 254 Shownotes:  

Currently it's a struggle to determine what exactly is the right path to get a publisher for your project, especially knowing that publishers are more selective than ever, while the number of projects keep growing. That's why today we're going to discuss the challenges and opportunities, learning expert insights on how to identify publishers, perfecting your pitch, and what you should expect in this ever-changing climate so you can confidently navigate the publishing landscape. Episode Shownotes Link:

Typically when looking at marketing and development, many see these areas as being completely different, therefor becoming siloed. But in doing so, this can easily lead to lots of missed opportunities, creating more friction and challenges in creating visibility and momentum that projects need. So today, we're going to delve into insights and proven strategies that can align marketing with development seamlessly, from concept and prototypes to just before release, allowing indie studios and devs to be empowered and maixmize their game's full potential.   Episode Shownotes Link:

Having a clearly defined production and collaboration process can make all the difference in how a project progresses. However, it's not always easy to achieve, and sometimes can feel like a mystery that takes forever to solve. So today, we're going to delve into various obstacles related to this, and uncover strategies for overcoming them, discussing everything from effective team building to communication. Through that, we'll discover how teams can navigate the process effectively and foster creativity that has a positive impact for the project and everyone involved. Episode Shownotes Link:

When it comes to introducing a new world to players, sometimes the process can be difficult to grapple with, esepcially when trying to balance between necessary guidance while fostering organic discovery. Too far in either direction can create friction, potentially creating a lack-luster experience for the player. So today, we're going to discuss how to skillfully navigate this challenge by uncovering the strategies behind knowledge gates, invisible aid while also learning the art of crafting effective tutorials that supports and enhances the player experience. Episode Shownotes Link: 

In the fast-paced world of game development, mastering creativity is essential but often poses significant challenges. We'll explore how developers navigate the delicate balance between performance and aesthetics, drawing insights from classic games and comparing creative processes across industries. Join us as we uncover innovative solutions and future possibilities of how you can come up with creative solutions to master your game development process.   Episode Shownotes Link:

Retaining players for any game is a constant challenge. While it's an ongoing obstacle many of us face, sometimes, having a better understanding of players can go a long way. Join us today as we delve into the realm of user behavior, exploring strategies to captivate and maximize player retention. Discover how understanding player psychology and implementing effective engagement tactics can transform indie games into lasting experiences that keep players coming back for more. Episode Shownotes Link:

Trying to stand out as an indie game developer can sometimes be as daunting as flying without wings. Sometimes though, all it takes is a bird's eye view is to get the perspective you need to differentiate yourself and get noticed.  In today's episode, we're going to explore how one studio soars above the rest, crafting wildly memorable games centered around animals doing human things. From disccusing diverse portfolios with absurd themes to maintaining an audience, we'll discover how passion can fuel creativity, making some of the most egg-cellent adventures!  Episode Shownotes Link: 

If there is one thing a developer and teams strive for, it's to maintain quality while consistently hitting milestones. But sometimes it's a struggle finding that sweet spot where quality and efficiency align.  In today's epsiode, we're digging into the intricacies of optimizing production, from uncovering expert strategies for efficient solutions to streamlining the development process, so you're better equiped to acehive that fine balance between speed and quality, supercharging your game development process.  Episode Shownotes Link:

Acheiving commercial success from an initial release is always a challenge for small indie studios, but developing lasting sustainability in a constantly changing landscape is an entirely different feat. So today, we're going to explore strategies that promote sustainability by identifying key elements that can contribute to sustainability and how to strike a balance between creativity and commercial viability, so we can discover fulfilling ways that help us reach sustainability. Episode Shownotes Link: 

Within the game industry, underrepresented voices face formidable obstacles, hindering their progress and potential. Amidst these challenges, fostering empathy and embracing diversified approaches offer transformative solutions. Explore the power of mentorship, the impact of empathy, and the role of diversity in shaping a vibrant, inclusive gaming community. Episode Shownotes Link:    

In any game studio, managing the day-to-day and long term operations efficiently can be a challenge. And finding a balance that promotes flow and sustainability sometimes may feel out of reach. Today, we're going to discuss everything from techniques that cover the day-to-day tasks to overarching visions and goals, and how to strike that balance so your studio can be a fine-tuned optimized machine.   Episode Shownotes Link:

In any narrative-driven game, finding the delicate balance between a captivating story and engaging gameplay is essential. If either element falls short, players may struggle to connect with the game on a meaningful level, potentially providing an unfulfilling experience.  Today, we’re going to understand the complexities of narrative design, ways to incorporate storytelling in more impactful ways that further engage players, all while learning how to create experiences that truly connect with players. Episode Shownotes Link:  

Many game studio leaders aspire to build better companies, but navigating the complexities of vision, focus, and adaptability can pose significant challenges.  In this episode, we explore practical strategies for overcoming these hurdles and achieving clarity and growth in a competitive landscape.  From maintaining focus amidst competing priorities to mitigating potential problems, we’re going to be sharing actionable insights aimed at empowering developers and studio leaders to build stronger, more resilient companies. Ep 341 Shownotes:

A bit off the cuff, but got some great updates, news and a fun little challenge as a means to appreciate...you!  Want your free market analysis report? Then visit  

In the current indie game landscape, studios and developers often grapple with limited resources, and are always looking for ways they can stand out. But standing out isn’t always associated with creating awareness.    Today, we’re going to explore what it takes to really jump start your business, from how to acquire valuable resources to avoiding costly pitfalls, so you don’t just know how to survive, but can thrive in a competitive landscape.   Ep 340 Shownotes:

Game studios heavily rely on video content to raise awareness about their games. However, there’s a good chance that most game creators are not tapping their full potential in this medium, limiting the extent of their game’s visibility or other goals.   In this episode, we'll delve into how other video content beyond gameplay clips and trailers can be an integral part of a game’s marketing strategy, maximizing its potential for creating awareness, player engagement and results. Ep 339 Shownotes:

Now, depending on your goals and resources, sometimes your best bet is getting a publisher.  And after initial talks, once you receive an offer it can be really exciting. However, there can be a lot of unknowns, especially when it comes to fully understanding how certain agreements can dictate your future.  That's why today we’re revisiting our conversation with Tim Bender of Hooded Horse Games to know what to look out for and how to approach negotiations so you can be prepared and get the most out of your publishing agreement Reasons why we’re revisiting episode 147 One of the most popular episodes of Indie Game Movement It’s an interesting reflection of the current landscape, as the insights still hold up today. We reached out to Tim to get his current thoughts and insights since we recorded this, and if you stick around to the end, I’ll share those with you!    Ep 338 Shownotes:

In the realm of PR in games, navigating remote collaboration for tasks like trailer production can present a labyrinth of challenges. Maintaining creative cohesion and project vision with a remote team can be a daunting puzzle to solve, but it doesn’t have to be. Today we’ll explore how one PR video lead tackles their team’s remote collaboration challenges by discussing adaptive strategies for creative flow and how they find balance between autonomy and collaboration, offering real-world insights to unlock creative synergy in a remote work environment. Ep 337 Shownotes:

When people think about serving a particular audience or niche, it can be easy to focus only on the market demand and opportunities it may present. However not properly executing on that demand may result in obstacles that can make it a challenge to achieve sustainability.  Today, we’re going to view a different perspective of what it means to niche down and how to serve an audience in a sustainable way, and believe it or not, it doesn’t start with knowing your audience.  Ep 336 Shownotes:    

With the year ending, we’ll be getting a little retrospective and reflecting on the past, however before that happens, we have some important updates and an announcement we’d like to share with our listeners.  Ep 335 Shownotes:

With any emerging global market, the transition always starts with hurdles and challenges. In a lot of cases, it can be even more frustrating for indie developers and studios. Fortunately, these can be overcome with determination and creativity.  Today we’re going to explore indie games from Southeast Asia that are breaking barriers and standing out in the global market and how they’re using creative solutions and leveraging new found market recognition to make an impact on the industry, and players alike.   Ep 334 Shownotes:  

Using TikTok to help create additional awareness for your game or studio isn’t anything new, but creating a sustainable growth strategy on this platform may be, and can definitely be a challenge. While that may be so, it doesn’t have to overwhelm you and can be fairly simple too.  Our conversation today discusses some valuable insights about how one studio effectively executes their TikTok strategy using processes that promote flow, community growth and results, all while accommodating a part time schedule. Ep 333 Shownotes:

Adapting to any kind of trend can be very challenging and sometimes impossible. But sometimes, having the right mindset, information and creative approach can go a long way in finding all sorts of opportunities in the constantly shifting games market. In today’s discussion, we’re going to explore a few current game market trends and topics and dig as deep as we can to reveal a ton of opportunities and how indie studios and developers can capitalize on them. Ep 332 Shownotes:  

Whenever we consider collaborating with influencers, usually top of mind is the bottom line. In other words, what kind of awareness and results can they get. More often than not though, this “transactional” way of thinking doesn’t lead to collaborations that deliver the results we’re looking for.  In todays episode, we explore exactly what makes an effective collaboration, discussing everything from mindset, creative freedom and how to avoid costly decisions while building mutually beneficial relationships that promote sustainability.    Ep 331 Shownotes:

Managing any game community entails a lot of work and focus, but managing a team of managers across multiple communities, each one vastly different from each other can be outright overwhelming, especially when thinking about how to be strategic and hit certain goals. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be.  In today’s discussion, we approach how to be strategic across multiple communities from a simple perspective, that not only caters to each community, but how that helps carry out objectives while supporting your team and even helping other departments within your studio.    Ep 330 Shownotes:

Starting an indie game studio can be difficult but growing a sustainable one can be a challenging experience faced with a variety of unknown obstacles where every decision can impact your growth.  Today, we’re going to explore the indie side of business development by breaking things down into simple concepts that can make all the difference in how you establish relationship, discover opportunities, and even avoid some potential hazards along the way, keeping you on a path to mastering your studio’s growth.   Ep 329 Shownotes:

Creating a brand is one of those things that we sometimes don’t put much stake in, and understandably so. Logos and sleek websites are nice to have, but they don’t necessarily contribute to goals and objectives…or do they? Well, today we’re going to dive deep into that concept and others, discovering how building a strong brand foundation doesn’t only provide clarity for your studio, but how it can influence your culture, attract the right audiences and partners, and whole lot of other things that can level up your game studio.  Ep 328 Shownotes:

When it comes to creating horror games, it can become quite a challenge to effectively deliver scares while keeping players fully immersed in the experience  In this special Halloween episode we dive into the horror genre, comparing effective (and not effective) ways both games and films have leveraged scares, pacing and a whole lot of other areas, unearthing and resurrecting creative ways to make horror games more immersive and frightening, while even sharing how some of these concepts can be applied to mes beyond the horror genre. Ep 327 hownotes: 

If there’s one thing indie studios and developers are always looking to do, it’s to increase the odds of their game’s success. However, trying to pinpoint exactly what that is, will always be a challenge to figure out. In today’s episode, we’re going to explore different concepts that can guide developers and studios to find their own solutions to this universal problem. By sharing objective-based processes and other approaches, we’ll reveal valuable insights and opportunities that can be leveraged to help increase your odds of success and do so within your means.  Ep 326 hownotes:  

We all know that key art for our games plays a critical role in setting expectations for players, but sometimes despite the best intentions, it can still fall flat, causing confusion and even friction for players.  Today we’re going to dig deep into what key art should consist of, the importance of knowing the market, and explore everything from concept, design, and distribution so you can get closer to mastering your game’s key art.   Ep 325 Shownotes:

Whether we want to admit or not, everything we do during the development to the release of games involves some level of marketing. From communicating and sharing information to making claims that “no marketing” was done, marketing is an intrinsic component of development and carries well beyond awareness and promotion.  In this episode, we’re going to uncover some of the general misconceptions people have about marketing, how positioning and representation are just as important as creating awareness, and explore how some strategies can be counter-intuitive, in both positive and negative ways.    Ep 324 Shownotes:

Learning how to adapt to the ever-changing game industry is a challenge that all studios and developers face. From understanding evolving market conditions to determining how to align projects with those demands, it can be a tough climate to navigate.  Today we’ll explore strategies that help set and maintain your project's course while learning how to adapt to market and other conditions, so your project and studio can sustain it’s course.     Ep 323 Shownotes:

If there’s one thing developers generally have a strong supply of, it’s passion. While this is a great driving force that sparks motivation and creativity, it doesn’t always lend itself well when looking at projects from a marketing and business perspective, but it is possible.  So today we’re going to explore how one developer made some interesting revelations over the course of a couple of projects that allowed them to focus on their passion while taking a more pragmatic approach to the market, striking a functional balance between the two.   Ep 322 Shownotes:

Getting wishlists is probably one of the main goals, bottom-line result we strive to acquire when getting games ready for release, and understandably so.  But often, we get so caught up in this key metric that we don’t stop to think about the importance quality plays in our wishlist acquisition, and just focus on hitting a total number before release. So today, we’re going to look at wishlists in general from the “bottom-up”, reviewing and thinking about the processes involved in acquiring wishlists, while also exploring the concept of how to “maintain” your wishlists, so you can do everything possible to increase your wishlist quality.   Ep 321 Shownotes:  

If there is one thing most of us strive to do as game creators, it’s to stand out. And standing out doesn’t get much better when people talk about your game and share it with others. But understanding exactly what the reasons or moments are that compel players to share games with their community can be a mystery. So in today’s conversation, we’re going to explore what “share-worthy” really means and break that down into specific categories so you can better identify your games’ share-worthy moments and hone in on them to create experiences that your players will want to talk about. Ep 320 Shownotes:

Fully understanding the market demand for a commercial game is essential. Leading with a genre that is in high demand is a great start, but many don’t think to dig deeper and find the gold nuggets that additional market research can reveal.  In today’s episode, we’ll discuss where most people go wrong with their research, how to further validate your game, and identify tips and tricks that will give your game an edge over the competition.  Ep 319 Shownotes:

Diversity takes many shapes. In addition to differences in identity, diversity should encompass a difference in thought, background, experiences, skills. The games industry is experiencing a movement toward expanding and deepening our understanding of diversity and it’s an important conversation we need to have. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing the value of diversity, how to avoid making mistakes with the best intentions, the benefits it has for all devs and studios, and how having an open mind can create all sorts of opportunities.  Ep 318 Shownotes:   

This is Part 2 of the interview with Konstantin Suvorov. As an indie studio, comparing and despairing can be demoralizing, especially when comparing yourself to a AAA studio. However, changing your mindset can make all the difference in how your game studio can outplay and one-up even the biggest AAA brands.  Today we’re going to uncover huge advantages indies have over AAA studios, valuable lessons each side can learn from the other, and unveil how you can combine these strategies and processes, turning your studio into an indie game powerhouse. Ep 317 Shownotes:

As an indie studio, comparing and despairing can be demoralizing, especially when comparing yourself to a AAA studio. However, changing your mindset can make all the difference in how your game studio can outplay and one-up even the biggest AAA brands.  Today we’re going to uncover huge advantages indies have over AAA studios, valuable lessons each side can learn from the other, and unveil how you can combine these strategies and processes, turning your studio into an indie game powerhouse. Ep 316 Shownotes:

The journey to success is different for all of us, regardless of our beginnings. Overcoming challenges, and learning how to pivot are all valuable experiences, but sometimes it’s the humble beginnings that can really pave the way to reaching your destination. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing one company’s rise to prominence and how their evolution, resourcefulness, and the lessons they learned helped them go from an indie dev underdog to a prominent publisher. Ep 315 Shownotes:

Maintaining productivity for any indie studio is absolutely essential, but studios that transitioned over to a remote setup over the past few years now face new challenges in keeping teams productive and healthy. In today’s episode, we discuss some of these challenges, interesting benefits that come from a remote setup and how the core solution to addressing growing pains of going-full remote is closer than you think. Ep 314 Shownotes:

Collaborating with content creators is one of the most impactful ways to amplify awareness and grow your game’s community. However, structuring programs sometimes can be a struggle when ensuring they support and benefit content creators too.  Today we explore practical strategies your studio can use to amplify your marketing, engage your community and hit goals while simultaneously supporting creators. From discussing crucial aspects of the program’s design to empowering and nurturing creators,  you’ll have all the insights you need to build a killer creator program.  Ep 313 Shownotes:

Exploring ideas and concepts for a new project is always fun, especially when you’re ready to develop a prototype. But sometimes passion, drive, and even opportunity can be a distraction that could easily send you off course.  Today we’re going to dive deep with our guest and discuss their process of exploring concepts, implementing prototypes, and how to keep things on track, even if it means completely trashing some of your work. Ep 312 Shownotes:

We all understand the importance and value an IP has and rightfully so. However, sometimes studios don’t see beyond this, finding it difficult to visualize and unlock their IPs true potential.  Today we’re going to explore creative approaches, simple yet powerful mindsets and other monetization strategies that can unleash your IPs full revenue potential while working towards sustainability. Ep 311 Shownotes:

We all have a tendency to get close to our projects and sometimes miss the forest for the trees, especially when it comes to player feedback.  But even if we don’t, the playtesting process can be cumbersome and even overwhelming, making it a challenge to navigate and understand what actions need to be prioritized to improve the quality of your game.  In this episode, we’ll be discussing how you can crush your playtesting with a ton of valuable insights that not only provide you with clarity but can save you a lot of time, money and frustration.  Ep 310 Shownotes:

Validating any game concept can be a huge challenge for game creators. And if you’re not hitting the target dead on, it can cost valuable time and resources. But just validating a product in a demanding market doesn’t mean it’s enough to stand out.  Usually, this comes down to looking at the whole picture from a different lens. Sometimes, that means distancing yourself from the crowd and taking a roguelike approach to really differentiate yourself. Ep 309 Shownotes:

The world of game marketing is a shifting landscape. Recent years have shown a trend toward short-form content for advertising, communicating and selling video games.   Today we’ll be discussing some of those trends, effective ways to employ them in your projects and other concepts to keep in mind when tackling your marketing.  Ep 308 Shownotes:

Creating effective PR campaigns is a very tedious process. On top of that, executing campaigns doesn’t guarantee results. However, developing a better understanding and streamlining the process can create lots of opportunities to communicate your story and maximize your game’s awareness. We’ll be discussing how using data insights can help make decisions on how and when to execute effective PR campaigns. But also how this information can be leveraged to support all marketing efforts, giving you more confidence and control. Ep 307 Shownotes:

By now, most of you should know that this podcast is about the marketing and business of indie games. But another core theme carried throughout the show is empathy.  We’ve talked about this in numerous ways in how it pertains to your audience, but never really defined the different types of empathy and explore the impact it can have across the industry. That’s why I’m really excited about this episode because our guest gives us a full breakdown of what empathy is, how it relates to different cultures and how taking an empathetic approach can vastly level up your studio and even yourself. Ep 306 Shownotes:

Anytime you’re looking for opportunities in the game market, understanding your game’s audience is a great place to start. Unfortunately, the process isn’t usually defined well, making it hard to understand audiences, let alone how to apply their needs to your product design.  Today we’re taking a deeper dive with our guest into exploring this concept of “knowing your audience” further, discovering key ingredients that you can use to create the right product design.  

Animation has been connecting people to characters across the world for generations. With animated game trailers rising to prevalence in the indie game community, we’re taking a look at the role they play, as well as some of the outcomes they encourage.

The gaming industry is a global industry that continues to grow at a rapid rate and being interconnected virtually is a main contributor to this. Despite being connected, there are still segregated areas and communities that face multiple challenges when creating a presence and establishing recognition in the industry. Thankfully, our guest today shares how to overcome these challenges, question limiting beliefs and implement strategies that empower game dev communities and promote growth for the industry as whole.

When it comes to finding your game’s fit, identifying opportunities and creating value for players is something we all like to lead with. While important, there are a lot of other essential and core concepts that usually go unchecked, making it a challenge to stand out even if there is market demand.  Thankfully our guest today shares how implementing these concepts can better define your path while learning from insights along the way, helping ensure your game’s fit is in line with the market and your studio.

With the stigma around mental health discussion slowly starting to go away, more and more industries are being tasked with examining their own mental health implications and ways to overcome these challenges.  With games being a high stress environment, we’re taking a look at some ways to manage mental health while working in the industry.

Your systems and processes as a developer or studio can dictate everything about your project. From how you source your funding to implementing your game’s vision and communicating that to players through marketing, it’s all done by having systems in place.   The challenge with this is we may not always be aware of how each of these areas can be more defined in terms of how it relates to time, resources, quality and even communication.   Today our guest shares his insights on how clearly defined processes across your entire business can attribute to having a solid product, a great team and a sustainable studio.

Whenever we think about what makes a great game, generally speaking it boils down to the positive experience players have. However, when making games, the focus shouldn’t be making a great game, but making the right game for a particular audience and delivering more value than what’s currently available. But even with this shift in mindset, studios and developers can still struggle with how to communicate their game’s experience to prospective players. Thankfully, our guest shares UX design concepts and frameworks that can be translated into marketing efforts that clearly communicate a game’s vision and experience to prospective players, making this a cohesive and holistic approach that fully caters to the player’s journey and aligns marketing with UX. 

Making any game has its challenges, but making one that caters to a niche audience can be an extremely daunting task. Between discovering a limited market and having few games to compare yours to, what you thought was an opportunity could quickly look like a big risk. Thankfully our guest today shares how a little market research and an understanding of your audience allows you to be more authentic with players while tackling other challenges around awareness efforts on platforms like Reddit and beyond.

Information can be a valuable and powerful tool for anyone. Whether you’re providing or receiving information, it can make all the difference in helping others reach their goals and your own.  However, the context and intent of how information is created and received can impact our decisions, and direction and influence others. That’s why we’ll be discussing the importance of how to navigate and use information with proper context so we’re being mindful and efficient in how we apply it to ourselves and everything else we do.

The path to success as a game studio is full of obstacles and opportunities. Reflection and outlook are a common theme here on the show, as well as the theme of fostering a healthy culture and mindset. And that of course, starts with having a strong foundation and doing things a little differently. Today we’re meeting with the co-founders of Astral Clocktower Studios to explore how they took a three-pronged approach to build their studio by leveraging their different perspectives and skillsets to create a foundation that promotes growth and opportunity.

Whenever we consider how to beat the odds and stand out with our games, lots of times we tend to only focus on the product itself. This manifests itself in various ways but it often boils down to focusing on a lot of different things that don’t always lead to solving big problems you or your studio face.  So in this special masterclass-thought experiment episode, we’re going to discuss and contemplate how you can be more focused, understand what being mindful of your time really means for you and your studio and how to leverage that information to scale and become a leader. 

There are a number of reasons to start an independent game studio, but the practical side of the process can be quite daunting especially when you don’t have any kind of a track record.  Today we’ll be discussing some aspects of starting a new studio and how you can leverage past experiences to build traction with your game while receiving support from partnerships.

Working in the games industry has become more and more coveted as the medium has evolved over recent decades. With this boom of up-and-coming devs, more and more misinformation pervades the conversation. Today we’ll be debunking some myths about what it means to join the game industry while sharing ideas on how we can improve it…and even yourself.

The marketing of games is a delicate balance and requires a lot of careful thought. Between hitting your development milestones and determining how those can align with your marketing, there’s not always a straightforward answer to what you should be doing and when.  However, our guest today discusses ways to approach this and how to implement events and other beats into your marketing strategy so you’re not only prepared to adapt, but are able to maximize your campaign results as well. 

There are lots of different ways to create awareness for your games, from events to marketing beats, but none quite get the blood flowing and momentum going than having a committed and loyal fanbase.  Today, we talk with Alx Preston and Yiyi Zhang of Heart Machine and take a look at their past and upcoming titles to discuss how their fanbase influenced important decisions and drove them to build impactful experiences.

Andrew and Mustapha have a lot of exciting updates we're happy to share with you in this update, and you might say that one of them is a "game" changer.   

A quick update regarding the show. 

This is Part 2 of our end-of-the-year holiday special episode filled with fun and cheer AND an important message about the podcast. This year we invite a bunch of past guests where we ask them some random holiday questions while we discuss and reflect on the past year and how what we learned will shape our outlook for the new year! 

It's the end of the year, so we wanted to put together a special holiday episode filled with fun and cheer. In fact, this episode was so big, we had to make it into two parts. This year we invite a bunch of past guests where we ask them some random holiday questions while we discuss and reflect on the past year and how what we learned will shape our outlook for the new year! 

When it comes to running a studio or creating a game, it’s essential to be focused on your core mission. However, sometimes we get too caught up in the details of making that happen we end up missing out on life-changing experiences and valuable opportunities.  Today our guest shares her experiences of how taking on side quests not only helped drive her studio’s goals but created numerous opportunities, successes, and personal growth that likely wouldn’t have been possible if she only focused on her main mission.

No matter what platform you use, it’s always a challenge to create any kind of growth with your community. But sometimes, being resourceful, having the right mindset and keeping some information handy can be all that you need to create growth for your community. Thankfully, Jared Tan shares his experiences, processes and how he goes about making the most out of helpful information to find opportunities that can lead to exponential growth.

Whenever we’re looking to serve audiences, lots of times we find ourselves looking in the same places, just with a different lens. However, sometimes it's worth looking at different places with a much different lens, especially when thinking about the global market.  Thankfully, Yousif Almouri joins us to share his experiences and insights on how to find new and hungry audiences in global markets, even if those markets have limited industry presence and little to no government support in their region.

As a studio, having processes for how you communicate with your audience is always important. However, sometimes how we communicate with players can come off as unauthentic or at a frequency that is just isn’t humanly possible and can set unrealistic expectations.  That’s why Astrid Rosemarin of New World Interactive joins us today to share her thoughts on how her team approaches the concept of “humanizing” the studio and how doing so can help realign player expectations for your games…and possibly the industry as a whole. 

This is PART 2 of Keeping Control of Your Community: Maintaining a Mental Healthy Community Lots of time when we talk about the health of our community, we think about this in a very general sense.  However, looking at your community from the perspective of your, your team’s and even your fan's mental health can make all the difference in how you’re able to maintain and control your community.  Thankfully, in the second part of our Keeping Control of your Community miniseries, Sarah Makdad shares ways to cope, understand and manage your mental health and others to help ensure your community stays healthy.

This is PART 1 of Keeping Control of Your Community: Approaching and Adapting to Communities. Whether you’re marketing your first or fiftieth game, it can be a challenge knowing how to approach and adapt your community to any kind of shift or direction your studio takes with future titles. And depending on how drastic that shift may be, it can get pretty scary.  Thankfully, Sarah Makdad of Triband is here to share with us the challenges studios can face when taking their brand and future games in a new direction and how to make sure your existing community doesn’t get left behind or outright revolt.

When we think of creating opportunities for our games, we often don’t realize or consider how time is actually a key factor in how opportunities present themselves. So when processes aren’t established or adapted to maximize time efficiency, it can be very difficult to identify opportunities or ways to avoid costly risks. Thankfully, Tim Beaudet of Tyre Bytes shares how his mindset and processes help him avoid risks and take advantage of opportunities just by being mindful of his time costs.

Tactics and knowing what steps are needed to market your game are essential for any effective strategy, however, lots of times as game creators we can get lost in the details making it a challenge to pull ourselves away to get a clearer perspective on how to reach our destination and goals.  That’s why Patrick Seibert of Too Indie to Fail is with us today to share why tactics aren’t everything and how thinking about bigger-picture strategies and being adaptable can help you get results while avoiding the tactic trap. 

We all know the importance of developing a marketing strategy for your game and the idea of leveraging strategies that worked for other successful games can be tempting. However, doing this can potentially limit how you stand out, making it even more of a challenge to market your game.  Thankfully, Joe Henson of Indie Game Joe joins us today to share how his journey and processes help him look at things differently so he can think outside of any shape and come up with creative strategies that stand out.  

There are tons of resources and tools out there that can help us do everything from create processes, reduce friction and better understand our marketing efforts.  Despite this, we can still get caught focusing on too many details these resources provide, making it a challenge to know how to best leverage them.  Thankfully Ashley Gwinnel of impress.games shares his game dev and tool creation experience to provide great insight on how to get impressive results with your marketing campaigns.

We all know the importance influencers play in creating awareness for games, but despite this many people don’t always know exactly what information can be helpful to better tailor their campaigns or even help with other marketing efforts.  That’s why we’re talking with Xavier Constantin of Streamforge to discuss the importance data play in influencer campaigns and how that information can be applied to have a greater impact on your results. 

There are lots of ways developers and studios can get their audiences excited for the game their developing, however, there are few methods that can really get the player completely engaged and ingrained with the game well before they play.  That's why our guest today, Joanna Keler of Klabater is going to share her experience with fan fiction and how the impact it creates for audiences is beneficial for the developers and players.  

The idea of providing players with a more immersive in-game experience and beyond is always enticing for players and studios. One way that this can be accomplished is with blockchain games.  Today, Luke Willis, a blockchain game consultant calls out the bad reputation blockchain games have and shares his take on how a shift in thinking can provide new ethical opportunities for players and studios. However, these new gains aren’t without their challenges.

While a lot of us in the dev and gaming community might not like the idea of being competitive with each other. The reality of it is, that we’re still in a competitive market.  Knowing this, I thought it would be worth sharing some of my thoughts as to why having a mindset of being competitive can help you think in different ways to stand out more, while still improving yourself and being creative in finding ways to improve results for you and others.

Discoverability is a huge factor when trying to get players to know more about your game and most of us know Steam events can be a big factor in this.  However, the number of events you’re generally able to attend can be limiting thus reducing your exposure.  Thankfully, we have Janek of Frogsong Studios to explain how you can create your own opportunities and set up your own Steam-themed events to help maximize your discoverability on Steam. 

Lots of times when we start thinking about the marketability of a game, we can get caught up in so many details that we often forget one of the main elements that require the most attention. And that’s the core mechanic.  Today Mustapha and I discuss how the core mechanics of the game not only help build the foundation of the game but help define the player’s experience while making it into a marketable product and address the challenges you may face if this doesn’t happen.  

When you’re marketing your game, there’s lots of information you’ll need to process and understand in order to make the right decisions. However, sometimes it can be a challenge to know what information will help you achieve your main objectives. Thankfully, Oscar Horgervorst of Steam Data Suite shares the importance of how understanding insights and properly attributing the information to results can lead you to make the right decisions for your game’s sales and marketing efforts.

Whenever there is a relatively new and different platform that game studios aren’t familiar with, it can be a very daunting task to create a presence, let alone one that will generate results. And for many, that’s TikTok. But despite its differences, TikTok is proving to be an effective platform for creating awareness and results. Thankfully Eylul of Sarepta Studio is here to share her experience with the platform and help navigate its nuances so you have a better idea of how to tackle TikTok.

In light of getting back from GDC recently, I figured I would take a moment to share my experience of the conference and the main takeaways I gathered from being a speaker at the event and the common theme I found that seems on top of devs and other businesses minds.

As I prepared for GDC, there was a reddit post that I wanted to call out to about a developer that made $700,000 within the first 4 months of launching their game. I found this interesting so I just wanted to share my own thoughts on what they did, how their game marketing contributed to their and how can this be applied to your own games. 

We all understand the importance a community can have for studios and devs, however, it can still be challenging to maintain and the idea of reaching a point where a community is self-sustaining may seem unlikely. Thankfully, Sam Greszes of Vicarious PR shares his expertise and experience managing all aspects of social media while focusing on sustainable community growth.

While a majority of us know the importance of , sometimes how fast you can learn from your marketing efforts is just as if not more important than doing the marketing itself.   In today’s discussion, I share the importance of why you should take a fast approach with your marketing and ways to go about doing it so you can learn quickly and save yourself from potentially costly mistakes down the road.

Let’s face it, we all have our pain points especially when it comes to indie game marketing. Often times identifying these pain points can be a challenge and working through them can quickly become overwhelming. Thankfully, our guest Mike Gamble of Talenthouse Media Foundry shares his thoughts on these important topics to better identify what areas need attention and determine the right solutions to take action with.

Out of all the content game devs create for their indie game marketing, making a trailer is one of the best ways to tell a story and communicate their game. While effective, making game trailers can be challenging especially when finding ways to create impact for players.   Luckily, we’re discussing this with Derek Lieu, an industry game trailer veteran about his experiences on how game trailers can not only set expectations but resonate and create impact for players.

Here's Part 2, a continuation of the last episode that talks about indie game marketing. In this part, we focus on other marketing strategies that can help amplify the top methods discussed in part one.  For some, this will serve as a great reference you can pull lots of value from, and for others, it will be a thorough, high-level helpful guide as you embark on your indie game marketing journey. Regardless of your level or where you are on this journey, the strategies discussed here are sure to have you stand out for this year, and many to come! 

I wanted to take a different approach with this episode by sharing a recently published guide of mine covering the key areas of indie game marketing.  For some, this will serve as a great reference you can pull lots of value from, and for others, it will be a thorough, high-level helpful guide as you embark on your indie game marketing journey. Regardless of your level or where you are on this journey, the strategies discussed here are sure to have you stand out for this year, and many to come! 

We decided it would be great to look back and reflect on our past episodes of 2021 and showcase the moments that resonated with us the most. While all episodes of 2021 are great, we thought these moments would be some of the most impactful ones to apply to the new year! A special thanks to Mustapha for putting this together! 

While it was a bit challenging to make this decision, Mustapha and I are taking a short hiatus to focus our efforts on other projects we have going on for the end of the year. In light of that, we briefly discuss the importance of taking time for yourself to tackle your own projects and even to unplug a bit, plans we have for the other year, and when you can expect us to be back in full force again!   

When it comes to building a team for your indie game studio, people usually focus on the work needed to finish the project. While that’s important, knowing and understanding how to build a healthy team from the beginning is essential to greater productivity and a healthy work culture.  Thankfully Nicolas Hafner of ShinMera shares his experience and methods he uses to build an effective team that promotes active communication and a clear vision so they can work seamlessly together. 

Gamifying your marketing is one of many ways to increase engagement for your audience, but people usually don’t think about how this can be done using different products. That’s why today we have Shawn French of HyperKinetic Studios to discuss how he took their game and adapted it to a comic, providing two stand alone products that organically cross-promote each other, creating a super value packed experience for both players and readers. 

Knowing the right actions to take can be a little daunting when it comes to promoting your game on Steam prior to launch. There’s a lot of different paths to take, and not all are created equal making this a challenge for any dev.  Thankfully, Bruno Laverny of Ishtar Games shows how his team navigated these questions through coming up with a simple plan and breaking things down so they could meet their goals and crush their steam marketing. 

Quitting your job to go full-time dev can be a well...frightening thought. There’s a lot to consider but most importantly, is it the right move to make, and what’s the best way to go about making that commitment? Thankfully our guest Bruno Bonbardi has gone through this process twice and shares his reasons, how prepared he was and other considerations to be mindful of when you’re ready to quit your job and go full-time dev!

When you start sharing your game with the world, everything you do from then on deals with messaging. While you may have a good idea of what your studio and game are, sometimes how you convey that to others isn’t in the clearest or concise way. That’s why Mustapha and I are here to help discuss how important it is to clarify your messaging and some tips on ways you can do that, so when you start promoting your game, people have a clear idea of exactly what to expect from you.

We have discussed numerous times on the show that understanding player behavior and your audience is so important when it comes to marketing your game, but one thing we don’t think about much is how people react when money is involved.  Understanding how price can change how people act can be a very daunting challenge, but knowing a little bit more about how it plays in someone’s decision to purchase your game can make a huge difference.

Finding a musician to compose your game music can be a task in itself, but understanding the process and communicating your vision can be more challenging than any dev would expect. That’s why we have Dakota Suave with us today, to share his insights to help us navigate the music composition process so you can have something you love and your audience wants!

Making any type of investment in your indie game is a big decision, especially when considering paid advertising. While there can be some risk involved with ads, there’s also a lot that can be gained, even outside of the results you get from running your campaign. That’s why today I’m going to discuss the right way to approach ads and how doing so will help you with all of your marketing efforts.

Out of all the different ways that games can get attention, the method that has stood the longest has been events. While major events like E3 started with different intentions compared to today, it’s a telling sign how the event landscape has shifted for numerous reasons, but one being the continued growth of indie games. Discussing everything from changing times, format, and delivery of these events, Mustapha and I talk about the impact major events have had but more importantly ways to view and approach them as an opportunity to stand out.

If there is one common dream that most indie devs share, it’s probably to be able to make indie games full time. But with such a goal there lies great challenges and what may seem like a daunting objective.  Thankfully, Thomas Brush of Atmos games shares his journey and experience on how he achieved this very goal while providing insight and tips on how to gain the confidence and freedom that every indie dev is looking for.

Some people may think that marketing to cultural audiences only involves partnerships and localizing your game. But to really cater and serve that audience, it starts with having a core understanding and how to best represent those people.  That’s why today Osama Dorias shares his experiences and understanding of global gaming culture and how applying empathy and taking certain approaches can create numerous opportunities while better serving your audience.

Since the show’s inception, Indie Game Movement has come a long way. What started out as a means to offer clear insight around topics that needed further attention has developed into a platform that supports and educates a thriving community. In today’s episode, we share our experience so far, what the progress was like and how we have decided to take that and make things more fun and helpful in a special announcement!

So I can’t think of how many times we have discussed or at least mentioned the importance of knowing your audience, but never took the time to really dig deep and explain what exactly that entails or how to really know what is going on in your ideal player’s head.  So that’s why Mustapha and I wanted to dive deep in this conversation to explain the reasoning behind this, what the process entails, and ultimately determine where exactly you can find your ideal player.

Creating a funnel isn’t necessarily a huge challenge, but creating one that isn’t mindful of your player’s journey will likely not provide you the results or the community you’re looking for. There are lots of ways to do this, but one of the best ways to develop and maintain a relationship with your fans is to understand their needs, provide value and engage with them through email marketing. That’s why today we have Ziv Raviv of Daily Cookie to share his expertise on how to build an email list and develop effective email marketing strategies designed to have players take action and stay engaged, wherever you are in the development process.  

Depending on your goals and resources, sometimes your best bet is getting a publisher. After initial talks, once you receive an offer there can be a lot of unknowns especially when it comes to fully understanding how certain agreements can dictate your future. That's why today we have Tim Bender of Hooded Horse Games to share what to look out for and how to approach negotiations so you can be prepared and get the most out of your publishing agreement.

Trying to create awareness for your game is always an uphill battle for indie devs, especially when it comes to identifying your audience and how to approach them. But even when you figure those steps out, it’s a challenge to determine the best ways to build upon and improve those efforts.   That’s why we’ve invited Joe Winters, creator of Song of Iron to share his insights on how he found the right audience while taking a genuine approach to his marketing, creating an amazing impact for the community and his game.

Supergiant Games has been praised for having a consistent and quality signature across their vast array of games. From the initial concept to communication and gameplay, we want to discuss their standard of quality, and how the ideas behind some of these games grow to become a completely immersive experience.

In a previous episode, Mustapha and I shared our own insight into the importance of future planning but we wanted to dive further into this theme from the perspective of an established developer. So in future planning part two, Chevy Ray of Happy Ray Games, the developer of Ikenfelll shares what it’s like being a smaller dev, the importance of maintaining a clear vision and how having the right collaborative team can make an impact on your project’s final result.

We’ve finally made it to 2021 and I thought it would be fun to switch things up for this episode to share some resources and strategies we’ve used that have really helped us see things in a different light and help us with projects and all facets of life. The goal of this episode is to share some examples, experiences, and resources that can help motivate you and provide a newfound source of energy to help you grow and gain better results with your projects and beyond.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but knowing how to look at things and apply your learnings is more important than just acknowledging them, especially when it comes to crowdfunding campaigns. That’s why in today’s episode we meet again with Mikhail of Mythallica Incorporated in part 2 of episode 137 - How to Execute a “Killah” Crowdfunding Campaign to get further insight on how to approach and apply learnings, maximize their impact, and that you should always expect….the unexpected.

Not going to lie, it’s been a difficult year, but despite the turbulence and uncertainty that has impacted the industry, Mustapha and I can confidently say that Indie Games as a whole has taken this as an opportunity to shine brighter and be a beacon of hope in our creative medium. With that said, we wanted to celebrate this by putting together an end of the year special by having a relaxed structure compared to previous episodes where we put together a small panel of past guests to reflect on this year’s events and how they bring us closer as an industry and community.

When it comes to devs supporting the indie dev community, sometimes people can feel that doing so can be counter-intuitive and be viewed as a way to support your competition. In today’s episode, our guest Chris Zukowski of Howtomarketyourgame gives their reasons why this couldn’t be further from the truth by providing great examples of how devs have leveraged their community to gain valuable insight and create powerful opportunities that they wouldn’t have been able to do alone.

You’ve finally made it! You worked long and hard, your game is hitting the market at last and you’re getting ready for all of that public reception. But just because your game is out and the end of this journey is in sight doesn’t mean you should stop your marketing efforts. Thankfully, Tanya X Short of Kitfox Games has been in this scenario multiple times with their own titles in addition to titles they’ve published, providing valuable insight not only why you should continue to market your released games but also ways to maintain that marketing momentum.

For most indie devs working on a game, it’s probably safe to say that their number one priority is focusing on the game. But while it’s good to be driven to complete tasks it’s also important to dedicate some of that time to reflect and plan ahead. That’s why today Mustapha and I discuss the importance of evaluation, projection and execution so you can be better positioned to not only hit your goals but potentially exceed them and be ready for anything that gets thrown in your way.

Preparation and execution are everything when it comes to running an effective crowdfunding campaign, but very rarely do we ever get the opportunity to have a first-hand account from someone who is right in the heat of the moment. Thankfully, Mikhail Sebastian of Mythallica Inc is willing to share everything with us in a two-part episode, starting with their process of planning a non-conventional crowdfunding campaign right to the moment during the middle of it all. Between sharing their experiences to date and the emotions that come with it, our guest is able to provide a fresh take on what it takes to execute a “killa” crowdfunding campaign.

We often discuss the balance of business and creativity in the indie games space, and one area that can sometimes be overlooked is the business development side of the industry. Building and maintaining relationships is essential but sometimes it can be a challenge to really know and understand how to do that, while also being comfortable with it. That’s why in today’s episode David Logan of Akupara Games shares not only the importance of building and maintaining those relationships but also methods on how to be impactful and stand out to others, giving you a great advantage.

When making your game, sometimes it can be difficult to focus on anything else. But if your plan is to release your game, then you also need to focus on your business values and how those can carry over to the gaming community and beyond. That’s why our guests today, brother team Khalil and Ahmed from Decoy Games talk about how their focus of developing core values and serving others was a means that led to the success of their first game and able to lead various communities.

When indie devs decide that they want to make games, in most cases when thinking about publishing, it’s along the lines of partnering with one. However, there’s a trend going on where many developers are becoming publishers. For some that may consider this, transitioning into this role can seem daunting despite the opportunities it can provide. That’s why IGM podcast veteran Neal Lorenza, shares his history, process, and reasoning for making this transition and why for some, the benefits can be rewarding on various levels.

Since the pandemic has forced many to rely on digital events and other online formats and means of communication, in a lot of ways the indie game industry was already there. While some new trends have emerged, it still goes to show that knowing how to stand out in this digital landscape is extremely important. That’s why Chris Wulf of Those Awesome Guys is going to share his experience and insight on how to navigate this landscape, what to expect and what you always need to do to stand out to others, regardless of what the future has in store. Want to get more out of IGM? Support us on

Finding ways to provide value to communities can be a challenge, especially when your attention and focus is more around the development of your game or studio. While this is important, looking outward and providing value to other communities can provide valuable insight and opportunities you never thought possible. Today, Mustapha and I will be discussing different types of communities that devs can help enrich while building the integrity and authority of their brand. Love the content? Want to get more out of it? Then support us on

Whenever you market or promote your game, it can become a little weird. Putting yourself out there and calling attention to your game can come off self-serving. Feeling this way is normal, but you should never let it hinder you from getting the word out about your game. Today, Mustapha and I will be discussing the problems that a lot of devs face in addressing these issues by changing your mindset and understanding what you’re doing is really serving your audience. Love the content? Want to get more out of it? Then support us on

Eventually, the game you’re making will be released. But before you get there, you need to make some important decisions to help clarify your vision, understand what you need and areas you should focus on regardless if you plan to self-publish or partner with a publisher.  That’s why our guest today is going to share how to navigate the publishing landscape so you can be on top of your game as you get ready to launch.

When it comes to reaching out to the media, forming relationships is absolutely essential. Whether or not you’re able to hire a PR firm, not building relationships and understanding how your public image can impact others can make getting media coverage a greater challenge. Thankfully, Chris Compendio shares how they have established relationships with indie devs and relation figures, providing an insider’s perspective on the best ways to build relationships with the media. Want to get more out of IGM? Support us on

Creating a strong marketing and business foundation can always be difficult to navigate. With so many moving parts, it’s easy to let things fall through the cracks which in turn can leave you under-prepared and overwhelmed, In this episode, Mustapha and Andrew discuss some of the mistakes that people can make when developing their games and what solutions can be used to help you establish a strong foundation and be completely prepared when you’re ready to self-publish or work with a publisher.

Given current events or any future events, we know that there’s always a boiling point when conversations of diversity in all spaces are left unchecked. In games in particular, there tends to be a lot of confusion around the correct approach to building an inclusive environment within your game, your communities, and your approach to marketing. This is really important because what you do and how you say things can impact others without even realizing it. With our guest Victoria Tran of Kitfox Games, we’re going to dig in and approach the challenging topic of inclusion as it pertains to games-related spaces and beyond.

Mustapha and Andrew share some new and exciting changes we have in store for the podcast and our listeners! You can now support IGM on our Patreon page!  Share your marketing and business stories with us and the community! As always, thanks for being such great listeners and taking action!    

At some point, indie devs are going to need to take action with their PR but it can often be a challenge. Writing only press releases isn’t enough to get the attention of the press, and simply asking for coverage isn’t going to work either. Thankfully Yohann Miniere shares his expertise and experiences on how indie devs can be creative in their approach so their next PR campaign can create awareness and strengthen their brand.

The steps to creating a community can be a challenge in itself, but community management can be something completely different. While there are some great perks that come with a community, there can also be some potential pitfalls that can lead to disgruntled community members.   Thankfully Jenny Windom of Rose City Games is able to shed some light on how to address situations that may arise and ways to circumvent or resolve conflict surrounding difficult community members.

Creating awareness for your game and building a community will always be a challenge for indie devs. There are lots of ways to do this, but one that a lot of devs seem to gravitate to is Twitter. While organic reach on Twitter is strong, it can still be a challenge to develop effective awareness strategies that convert into a community while still working on your game. That’s why Niclas Marie is going to share his methods and tips on how you can ramp up your Twitter presence and still be able to focus on development.

Kickstarter has become a household name for the up and comers and those who support them. But with everything that Kickstarter has to offer for game creators, it can still be a challenge to navigate the crowdfunding landscape, trying to raise funds and build a community. Thankfully we're going to speak with Anya Combs who is the director of games outreach from Kickstarter to get a better perspective of how Kickstarter works while discussing some great tips and tricks to make a game stand out, and some things to avoid. Shownotes: https://www.rengenmarketing.com/122

During the pre-dev and early stages of development, there is a lot that indie devs need to focus on and be aware of outside of making their game. That also means a lot of distractions can arise, making it a challenge to keep a pulse on the market and build their brand. That’s why our guest Mike Mony of Cathar games will be sharing how indie devs can identify objectives, create goals and establish a strong foundation in the early stages of their business, so they have the right mindset and course to follow. The Q-Box Round Answers! Star Wars or Star Trek?Star Trek Early Bird or Night Owl? Night Owl What motivates you every day? Family What country have you always wanted to travel to? England What’s been one of your greatest learning experiences? Game jams Key Takeaways Think creatively in how you can leverage resources (other than just money) Consider bartering with other creators in how you both can contribute to each other's projects. Don't focus so much on the gameplay story, focus on the feelings the game will provide. Focus on how people should feel about the game and their interactive experience. Resources and Links Website: www.cathargames.com Email: michel.mony AT gmail.com

Whether you’re a cosplayer, a developer, or simply attending for fun, conventions like PAX can provide huge networking opportunities for all attendees. Despite this, the thought of networking for personal or professional purposes can deter people from making the most out of their experience. We’ll discuss what it means to market yourself, how to get out of your comfort zone and provide actionable tips that can be used immediately to maximize your experience at PAX and beyond! RESOURCES Want the presentation deck that goes with this discussion? Sign up for it by clicking !  PANELISTS Andrew Pappas - Founder, RenGen Marketing Mustapha Price-Producer,Indie Game Movement Neal Laurenza - Managing Director, Skymap Games  Victoria Tran - Communications Director, Kitfox Games StarLightSkyes - Game Community Manager  

There’s a lot of things that indie devs need to focus on during development, but sometimes there can be so much that it can often be difficult to determine what needs attention and what doesn’t.  Thankfully, our guest today provides us with some helpful concepts, ideas and strategies on how to better implement production management regardless if you’re a solo dev or working at a small studio.

The marketing of indie games must always be consumer-focused, ensuring that your product fulfills a need and relevant place in a gamer’s collection. However, it can be difficult to determine what a customer really wants. Thankfully, we have Chris Zukowski with us today to share a recent study he’s finished about user behavior and provides insights on how indie devs can better influence that behavior which ultimately leads to sales.

It's another year and Andrew, Mustapha and Justin have a relaxed conversation and review the past 12 months. Discussing everything from how indie devs are standing out more to the new platforms we have seen introduced, overall it was a good year and great things to look forward to. 

Andrew Pappas serves as your guest as he is interviewed by Simon Bailey, one of the team members of The Business of Indie Games, a virtual summit that happens annually and is scheduled for Dec 9 - 13, 2019.  In this episode, we debunk some of the myths of paid advertising, dive deep into strategies and how data collected can be applied to other marketing efforts used to promote your indie game. 

The Game Bakers have an incredibly diverse catalog of games, and they do a really good job of marketing them while avoiding giving too much away. In doing so, they show how it has become a pretty interesting artform.  We’re going to dive in further with how this works for them, what type of promotional materials they reveal prior to and after launch and understand their process better right here on Indie Game Movement.

It’s a big question we all face at one point or another. When does an indie dev get to the point where they should seriously consider taking it to the next step and form their own company. Starting any kind of side venture, it may be a big step but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take things seriously. At the very least, having some idea of what you want to do is important.  In this episode, Mustapha and I share our own personal experiences with forming our own companies, what the procedure was like for us and what we learned from it so you don’t have to sweat the small stuff when deciding if forming a company is right for you! 

There are a lot of big events game industry events out there that indie devs are involved in, whether it’s PAX, E3, MAGFest, GDC or any other event. Regardless, with all of the events out there we understand that there are a lot of things people can be doing to make the most out of those events. In this episode, Mustapha and Andrew discuss how to make the most out of big events and offer some quick tips regardless if you’re an attendee, exhibitor or just following the event.

Out of the gate, indie devs are faced with a bunch of challenges from coming up with the concept of their game to...well frankly everything else. Of course, it’s hard to be on top of everything, but there are just some areas devs really can’t afford to skip. Specifically, that’s legal matters.  It might not seem like it matters much, but there is nothing worse than stepping into a legal mess that could have been avoided. Thankfully, Zachary Rich of Press Start Legal is here to talk with us about when is the right time to consider legal assistance, in what scenarios you would need help and how you can take action now so you don’t get caught off guard later when you least expect it.

If there’s one thing that indie devs should know they need, it’s having a thriving community. But building a community and supportive fan base is no simple task and not knowing what steps to take can easily make the challenge of building one overwhelming. Thankfully, Rami Ismail of Vlambeer is willing to offer his experience with creating communities and how they not only play a role to Vlambeer’s success but how his process and mission has had a positive impact on the gaming community as a whole.

In this episode, Mustapha and I decide to change things up a bit by rounding up several indie devs that were exhibiting their games at PAX East. Our mission was to find out what marketing challenges they faced and what they were doing to overcome them.   

With so many games and other businesses resorting to crowdfunding as a means to finish their project, it’s always difficult for games to stand out among so many distractions. While it’s always a challenge to figure out ways to have your Kickstarter Campaign stand out,  Neal Laurenza of Skymap Games shares how their campaign was able to deliver a greasy punch through the clutter and reach their funding goal.

This episode we're going to do things a little differently and change things up a bit. In light of the holiday season, we thought it would be great to get the team back together share what they have been doing but more importantly discuss whether or not indie devs should discount their game. Andrew, Dicky, Justin and Mustapha are your hosts, and while they all bring up some interesting points...we really only just scratch the surface. We hope you enjoy!

This episode we're going to do things a little differently and change things up a bit. In light of the holiday season, we thought it would be great to get the team back together share what they have been doing but more importantly discuss whether or not indie devs should discount their game. Andrew, Dicky, Justin and Mustapha are your hosts, and while they all bring up some interesting points...we really only just scratch the surface. We hope you enjoy!

Whenever indie devs are making a game, style and design usually plays a huge role from inception to launch. With so much focus on appeal, often times indie devs forget how they can leverage this key element with their marketing efforts. Keeping this concept in mind, Tanya X Short of Kitfox Games shares how essential a game’s style is to marketing and what to consider when dealing with very diverse style types.

If there is at least one thing that any indie dev wants, it's probably to grow fast. However, growing fast still comes with many risks and challenges. Knowing what to do (and not to do) can save time, money and frustration, but sometimes you just got to plow through the obstacles ahead to learn what you need to get the game completed. This is nothing new for Dave Oshry of New Blood Interactive, as he shares the risks he took and the experiences he learned from to get his games to market in a reasonable time frame.

No matter what indie devs do to try and stand out, it’s always going to be a struggle. Whether you need funding, are trying to break through the advertising clutter or simply just want a sustainable living, it’s always going to be an uphill battle. Thankfully, Meredith Hall of Ultimerse can relate to a lot of this and shares what strategies and tricks she has learned to make great strides and stand out as a slightly bigger, colorful fish….in a big pond.  

As much as we wish marketing didn’t demand a lot of time and effort, that still doesn’t mean it should be neglected.  Logan Williams of IndieWolverine shares several marketing tips that any indie or solo dev should start with and be able to implement in small, actionable steps and see results.

Crowdfunding is one avenue that indie devs and many others always look to in hopes of getting the funds they need which will take their project to the next level. But one thing that always looms over projects is the possibility of failure. We’re here with Kunal of SWDTech Games to talk about how their first Kickstarter campaign for their game Pixel Noir failed and how they made the ultimate comeback the second time around and fund their game. That discussion and more as Indie Game Movement talks about the marketing and business of indie games.

Indie devs may know the ins and outs of their game, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they know how their messaging is being interpreted by players. Bill Gardner of The Deep End Games shares his journey and the lessons learned from his first game Perception and how important it is to really know your messaging when it comes to marketing your game.

Being a hobby or indie dev is hard, but having a simplified, easy to follow process in place can make the world of a difference. Corey Selover and Jeremie Duval of Happy Rock Studios share their story as hobby devs working through a six year stretch to finish first game and the valuable processes they learned along the way. 

Andrew, Dicky and Justin briefly introduce themselves while going over why they started the podcast and what topics they look forward to discussing in future episodes of Indie Game Movement.