I was an indie game developer for 1 year and I worked 17 hours a day. I know what goes into your games. This article is to help you how to succeed and get your “funds”. Additionally, indie developers must be vigilant against scam offers that could jeopardize their projects. We'll look why it is important to build a community, the risks, and how to keep your passion project safe and sound.

How much does indie dev make?

The average game developer salary ranges between $64,000 and $127,000 in the US. However, there are many cases where big developers don’t pay their employees fairly. Blizzard has released some of the most popular and legendary games. They are built by legendary game developers with poor pay. They grinded for 2 years of overtime for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Game devs are literally the most passionate masochists. 

As per VG Insights, just 15% of individual game developers earn an annual income exceeding $100,000. Furthermore, VG Insights' findings indicate that in each year, only the top 5% of indie games generate revenue surpassing half a million dollars, while the typical game achieves a modest $13,000 in earnings. Other than revenue from selling your game, on average, successful indie game developers make $9769 per month with a following of 4438 free members on membership platforms. 60% of your members are willinging to pay $3.72 USD per month. That is lower than game modders, who earn $5.62 per paid member. The data is concatenated with the 50 most successful developers and these metrics should be your goal.

You're probably asking, "How do I promote my game and encourage fans to support it financially?" It's a valid question, but before we tackle the 'how,' it's important to understand the 'why.' Why should you focus on getting financial backing from your fanbase and not alternative options, like signing with a game publisher?

Do you need a game publisher?

When considering partnering with a publisher for funding, always ask yourself: "Will the benefits they provide outweigh the revenue share they take?" Remember, you don't necessarily need a game publisher. If you have the means to release your game independently, that's often the best route. Publishers typically take a significant cut, up to 70% of your game's income. With platforms like Steam offering digital distribution, the necessity for publishers has diminished.

However, if you do find yourself needing a publisher, it's crucial to do thorough research. Look beyond the testimonials provided by the publisher. Instead, reach out to developers who have previously worked with them, whom you can find through your own research, such as on LinkedIn. This approach gives you a more honest insight into their operations.

Be cautious of small publishers targeting indie developers. Some engage in performance-based contracts, promising marketing and support but failing to deliver after receiving payment. They may cut off communication and disappear with your funds. Despite reports to law enforcement, these scammers often remain unaccountable, leaving developers without their investment and with no legal recourse. Always vet publishers carefully to avoid these pitfalls.

Here are the main risks of signing with a publisher in the gaming industry:

• Minimal Withdrawal Amounts and Expiring Accounts: Contracts often stipulate high minimum withdrawal amounts (ranging from $50 to $200) and may include clauses where accounts are closed due to inactivity, typically after a year, often in the publisher's favor.
• Manipulation of Ad Value and Visibility: Some publishers manipulate ad value and visibility to skew earnings in their favor. This includes shifting from third-party ad vendors to publisher-owned parties for greater control and profit.
• Publishers Withdrawing Expenses First: Contracts may allow publishers to deduct their expenses from revenue before paying the developers. These expenses are often inflated, especially when the publisher uses first-party services or third-party services with kickbacks.
• Unfavorable One-Time Payout Contracts: There are contracts offering a one-time payout but requiring indefinite support from the developer. However, it's less common for developers to agree to such terms.

Tips on making indie games

Reflecting on my experience, where I spent a year crafting three games, I've learned 2 crucial lessons: keep your ambitions realistically sized and build a community. The process of making a game is no different to starting a startup or bootstrap. Build a roadmap, set deadlines and make estimations. When we were starting out, we aimed to release one game per month. Rather than dreaming too big, focus on attainable goals. I also highly recommending getting free consolation from a marketing agency for growth advices.. Here are my reflections and learnings.

1. Build a Community

The heart of your success lies in your community. No matter how amazing your game is, without a community, your game won’t distribute! This applies regardless of your studio's size or budget. Strive for a balance between community building and game development. Start early. Regularly engage on social media, and if you're comfortable, consider streaming on platforms like Twitch. It's crucial to be visible and engage with your audience on Reddit and YouTube.

2. Adopt a Lean Approach

Embrace the principles from 'The Lean Startup.' Recognize that as a small team, you don't need to match market giants. Many tech startups falter by assuming they know best. Instead of spending years packing your game with features, focus on incremental development and savor the journey. Remember, aesthetics are important, but they're not everything.

3. Seek Feedback Constantly

Feedback is invaluable at all stages of development. Whether it's the concept or design phase, solicit opinions from friends, colleagues, fan or developer communities. This early input can help you pivot and refine your game effectively. Even industry leaders like Elon Musk value friends' feedback highly.

4. Don't Fall in Love with Your Idea

Don't fall in love with your idea, fall in love with the problem you're solving. After you have some feedback, its time to make decisions, pivot your idea or keep on going? No one knows the answer what is "fun". Try to test your idea fast before moving on to full development.

5. Resilience is Key

Expect ups and downs. Being an indie developer is a learning curve that includes programming, art, marketing, and business management. Don't expect instant success post-launch. Consistently produce marketing content to gradually ascend the social media algorithm ladder. Having one fan is enough to be a mental support for your journey.

6. Manage Burnout

Game development is notoriously demanding, and burnout is common. Depression can be dangerous and will ruin your game if you are too obsessed and narrowminded. Regular breaks and a balanced lifestyle are essential.

7. Participate in Conventions

Engaging in conventions is beneficial, but be mindful of expenses. Travel, food, and time can add up. However, it is definitely worth it to meet up with people in similar situations and a chance to showcase your product.

8. Be Cautious with Paid Promotion

As an indie developer, budget constraints are a reality. Competing with large companies for online visibility is impossible. My own experience with proposals from Google ads, suggesting $10K CAD per week, highlights the costliness. Players acquired through ads may not provide the sustained engagement or valuable feedback you need. Once again, rely on your community for feedbacks!

How to get funding for your game?

Now that you are somewhat experienced with game development and have a small fanbase, you are ready for crowdfunding. 

Kickstarter

Kickstarter can be an effective platform for raising funds, but it's best to approach it with a solid community backing and a functioning demo already in hand. Jumping into Kickstarter prematurely, is not something I recommend as you won’t be visible to anyone. Additionally, it's important to recognize that Kickstarter shouldn't be viewed as a complete financial solution for your game's development. In our experience, we utilized Kickstarter primarily as a tool for marketing and securing initial capital for essentials like hardware, software, and audio samples. Timing is critical – launch your Kickstarter campaign only when you're confident of its success. Relying on luck isn't advisable, especially since Kickstarter operates on an all-or-nothing funding model. If you don't meet your goal, you get nothing, as backers aren't charged. And remember, if you do succeed, Kickstarter takes a 5% fee from the total funds, plus there are payment processing fees ranging from 3% to 5%.

Unifans

Unifans offers a platform similar to Patreon but with distinct advantages, particularly for smaller projects that aim to grow a community iteratively through content creation and development updates. It's an excellent way for people to follow your journey and support your progress. The key benefit of Unifans is its transparent fee structure – there are no hidden charges. It provides all the functionalities of Patreon and charges only 5% of your revenue. Another advantage is the immediate payment feature for tiered support. This eliminates the issue of delayed or missed payments, ensuring creators don't face the frustration of unreceived funds or unauthorized access to their content due to declined payments at month's end.

One last tip. If you are looking for a veteran indie game developer to follow, I highly recommend following Pirate Software. A great personality, a supporter and a great developer. He gives out very useful tips on indie game development.

In the next article, I will be looking into how to sell and market your game. Where to launch your game? What game should you release?

Unifans is a membership sponsorship platform operated by an international team with an audience spanning the Chinese and English-speaking worlds. The platform welcomes creators of all kinds to join, and web novels are an important category within the content matrix.

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