00:00 - 00:04

I was lucky enough to ask the creator of

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the Kingdom series um about his number

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one piece of advice for people like you

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dreaming of making indie games and by

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the way he sold over a million copies in

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total of his indie games so I was all

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ears um basically what he said was

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Strangely I don't know relieving to me

00:19 - 00:23

um I think this is going to help quell

00:21 - 00:25

some fears for you as well um as you

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continue on your indie game Journey in

00:25 - 00:31

2025 so uh let's jump into the

00:27 - 00:33

conversation like so there's one like in

00:31 - 00:34

general advice is always hard but there

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is one thing that I am fairly convinced

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of that I feel like confident saying

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like Okay like simple like keeping that

00:38 - 00:42

in

00:39 - 00:44

mind if you if you build a game by

00:42 - 00:46

yourself if you have the skills at all

00:44 - 00:50

even remotely to build a game by

00:46 - 00:52

yourself doing that is so cheap in a way

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that makes the risk so low that I think

00:52 - 00:56

sticking with that is often smart you

00:55 - 00:57

know if you see somebody building

00:56 - 00:59

something and the question is like

00:57 - 01:00

should I take it bigger should I accept

00:59 - 01:03

money from a publisher and hire five

01:00 - 01:04

people then you you have to think like

01:03 - 01:08

is there a way where I could just build

01:04 - 01:10

this thing by myself and release that

01:08 - 01:12

and I think then usually that I that

01:10 - 01:15

would be my advice to take that

01:12 - 01:17

Avenue because then your risk is low

01:15 - 01:19

you're making something extremely

01:17 - 01:21

personal there's no saying that that the

01:19 - 01:22

risk reward ratio goes up as you accept

01:21 - 01:24

more money from a publisher or as you

01:22 - 01:25

hire people or as you invest more time

01:24 - 01:27

in it you know like if you make

01:25 - 01:28

something great and honest and beautiful

01:27 - 01:31

in two

01:28 - 01:32

months whatever that does

01:31 - 01:34

you know divided by the time you invest

01:32 - 01:36

in it the ratio could still be good and

01:34 - 01:38

I think that would kind of be my advice

01:36 - 01:40

like keep it simple and and small I mean

01:38 - 01:42

that's also kind of a cliche because

01:40 - 01:44

everybody says that like keep it small I

01:42 - 01:45

don't know I mean this is what's funny

01:44 - 01:50

is like for me I've been making games

01:45 - 01:53

for half my life and keep it small is

01:50 - 01:55

not something I ever told myself and it

01:53 - 01:57

I don't know where like I never heard

01:55 - 02:00

that and I never told myself that and so

01:57 - 02:01

I'm on my third commercial game and this

02:00 - 02:03

thing is

02:01 - 02:07

ballooned like opening levels takes like

02:03 - 02:09

4 minutes in unity uh it's just and it I

02:07 - 02:11

think it's going to be a good game but

02:09 - 02:13

like I've been kind of living in hell

02:11 - 02:18

for the last two years I was going if

02:13 - 02:20

you can handle the ballooning sure what

02:18 - 02:23

what is one way that is a path to

02:20 - 02:25

success I think for many people is find

02:23 - 02:27

something that has that spark just

02:25 - 02:29

experiment learn some new skills make

02:27 - 02:31

something that you find fun and then if

02:29 - 02:33

you make something that has a little

02:31 - 02:34

spark where you're like hey I animated

02:33 - 02:36

this weird little guy and he's running

02:34 - 02:38

around in a world just go with that you

02:36 - 02:40

know like always keep this kind of like

02:38 - 02:43

so you're saying keep the fascination

02:40 - 02:45

keep the the discovery as part of dude I

02:43 - 02:48

totally agree with you like I I I feel

02:45 - 02:50

like I've gone through the process of

02:48 - 02:53

trying to make a game

02:50 - 02:56

systematically and it just doesn't work

02:53 - 03:00

for me it's it has to be a discovery

02:56 - 03:01

process it has to be fun it h it has to

03:00 - 03:04

be like I'm having fun while I'm making

03:01 - 03:05

it otherwise the game won't be fun you

03:04 - 03:07

know what I mean exactly and if you give

03:05 - 03:08

yourself a to-do list from the beginning

03:07 - 03:10

of stuff that you have to build then

03:08 - 03:11

you're going to be demotivated really

03:10 - 03:13

quickly whereas if you have something

03:11 - 03:15

that feels like you're playing with it

03:13 - 03:17

as you're building the game like a fun

03:15 - 03:19

character or a fun little mechanic just

03:17 - 03:22

roll with that like that'll that'll get

03:19 - 03:23

your creativity going and I think that's

03:22 - 03:25

that's a recipe for Success not a

03:23 - 03:29

guarantee but at least it's a it's a

03:25 - 03:30

possible path you know sure sure I think

03:29 - 03:33

that's a great way to look at it you're

03:30 - 03:36

you're playing with it so that if you're

03:33 - 03:38

not playing with your game yeah while

03:36 - 03:40

you're making it yeah people won't play

03:38 - 03:42

with it when it's done yeah I think

03:40 - 03:46

that's a really good note to end on what

03:42 - 03:47

do you think yeah definitely also feel

03:46 - 03:49

yeah hey thanks for watching if you want

03:47 - 03:51

to take indie game development to the

03:49 - 03:54

next level in 2025 if that's maybe your

03:51 - 03:57

New Year's resolution uh I teach all

03:54 - 03:59

about building an indie game studio uh

03:57 - 04:02

from scratch um whether it's you know

03:59 - 04:04

getting funding for your demo uh whether

04:02 - 04:07

it's the development side making a game

04:04 - 04:09

in unity gdau unreal 2D or 3D doesn't

04:07 - 04:11

matter take your pick or whether it's

04:09 - 04:12

hitting the steam front page or

04:11 - 04:14

marketing your game or getting streamers

04:12 - 04:16

to play your game my program covers it

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all and it's taught by someone who's

04:16 - 04:20

actually done all of this so be sure to

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check it out below it's 50% off and

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you're also going to get my 2D art

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program and my 3D art program completely

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free but only for this New Year's sale

04:27 - 04:30

event this is the same promotion I did

04:28 - 04:32

for Black Friday uh figured I'd do it

04:30 - 04:33

for New Year's I don't know when I'm

04:32 - 04:36

going to do something this big it'll

04:33 - 04:39

probably be the next Black Friday in

04:36 - 04:41

2025 um so be sure to check it out below

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it's limited time and there's just 150

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seats available thanks cheers

Embracing Indie Game Development: Insights from a Creator

In the realm of indie game development, simplicity and creativity reign supreme. This article delves into a conversation with the creator of the Kingdom series, shedding light on valuable advice for aspiring indie game developers. In a world where risks can loom large, the key takeaway is to keep it simple and small.

The creator emphasized the importance of embarking on the indie game journey solo, especially if one possesses the necessary skills. Building a game independently not only keeps costs low but also allows for a deeply personal touch. The advice to resist the temptation to scale up too quickly echoes the sentiment that crafting something honest and meaningful, even within constraints, can yield significant rewards.

Highlighting the essence of maintaining a sense of wonder and discovery throughout the development process, the conversation stresses the importance of enjoying the creation process. By fostering a mindset focused on experimentation and following the sparks of inspiration, indie developers can nurture unique and captivating game ideas.

The notion of approaching game development as a playful endeavor rather than a checklist of tasks resonates deeply. By infusing the creative process with joy and curiosity, developers can not only stay motivated but also create games that are engaging and enjoyable for players.

Ultimately, the path to success in indie game development lies in finding that elusive spark of inspiration, embracing the journey of exploration, and crafting games that are a product of passion and creativity. As the conversation concludes, the message is clear: infuse your game development process with fun, curiosity, and a sense of play, for that is the recipe for success.

Aspiring indie game developers, take heed – embrace simplicity, nurture creativity, and let the joy of creation guide you on your path to crafting unique and captivating games in 2025 and beyond.

So, as you embark on your indie game development adventure, remember to stay true to your vision, revel in the process of creation, and let your creativity shine through. The world of indie game development is waiting for your unique voice to be heard.