The Thomas Brush Show Ep. 019 - How To Make Money As A Game Dev
5 snips
Sep 13, 2024 Eli Brewer, an indie game developer and founder of Treefall Studios, discusses his journey to making a full-time income from small games. He reveals how to turn criticism into opportunity, shares insights on effective YouTube content, and explains the importance of niche franchises. Eli emphasizes adapting to market changes with low-risk projects and offers strategies for successful game releases on console versus Steam. His insights on pricing experiments and building franchises provide valuable tips for aspiring game developers.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Trust Sellers Who Also Ship Games
- Only take business advice from creators who actually make full-time income from shipping games.
- Avoid gurus who teach monetization without real studio revenue experience.
Small Games, Regular Releases Build Stability
- Small, frequent releases plus a back catalog create predictable baseline income.
- Releasing two to four modest games a year can sustain a solo studio financially.
Reuse Engines, Add New Hooks
- Build franchises and reuse code/art to speed future releases and grow IP value.
- Implement meaningful mechanical changes or hooks rather than making identical sequels.