Interview in English. In this podcast with Jake Birkett from Grey Alien Games, we talk about how to work full-time with indie game development, how to make money with small and casual games, and how to survive in the long run in this industry. NOTICE: the English subtitles are auto-generated – Full-time Indie Game Developer for 16 Years.
Additional info
Jake Birkett has 16 years of experience as an independent game developer, 13 published commercial games. Jake is an authority in the indie games and casual games market.
Is it possible to develop your own games and make money with them? How to not go bankrupt with game development?
Links
- Watch and hear the episode on YouTube
- Apple Podcast
- Spotify
- Grey Alien Games Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/GreyAlienGames
- Itch: https://greyaliengames.itch.io/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreyAlien
- Site: https://www.greyaliengames.com/
- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GreyAlien
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/JakeBirkett
Videos and articles
- You are spending too long making your game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmIFaAU0mJg
- You’re Spending Too Long Making Your Game | Jake Birkett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkEE5pvQOR8
- How to Survive in Gamedev for Eleven Years Without a Hit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmwbYl6f11c
- T-Minus 30 interview with Jake Birkett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iEcjQNeK8I
- Lessons From 10+ Years Fulltime Indie Dev | Jake Birkett (Grey Alien Games) | MGD #28: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBpXAEaWZT0
- TBoIG 2018: Jake Birkett – Make Money from Small Indie Games: You Don’t Need a Huge Hit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTZdNVeApTM
- Are Casual Games Recession Proof?: http://greyaliengames.com/blog/are-casual-games-recession-proof/
Table of Contents
00:00 – Introduction
00:46 – Who is Jake Birkett and Grey Alien Games?
02:38 – Full-time indie, rich and famous
06:02 – Jake’s Games
08:41 – How to have game ideas?
12:33 – Finish or abandon projects?
14:17 – How to deal with ambitious game ideas?
15:32 – Your first game must be small
17:23 – How to cover the costs of game development?
20:51 – Chances of having a hit (“Notch factor”)
21:35 – Make games or earn a salary from a job?
22:37 – Publish many small games
24:19 – More games lead to more fans and cross sales
25:43 – Sustainable or successful?
26:51 – Casual games market
32:10 – Where to sell your games?
34:37 – T-Minus 30, Jake’s new game
38:00 – Engine and tools
41:16 – Who makes the art for your games?
42:59 – Aesthetics matter
43:22 – Where is my computer gone?
44:42 – Where do you live?
45:31 – Where to find Jake and his games?
46:21 – Closing words and final advice
Tools Used in this Log
- Adobe Premiere
- Photoshop
Styles Related to this Log
- Audio
- Gamedev
- Video
Current Project Status
- Personal / Hobby
- Work In Progress
All Logs from the Project
- Game Development Documentaries and Game Jams - Interview with Phil Strahl (Pixel Prophecy) (May 01, 2022 06:41)
- Northern Journey "Indie Skyrim" Game Made by One Person - Interview with Slid Studio (April 30, 2022 11:55)
- Make Money with Indie Games Realistically - Jake Birkett Interview (April 30, 2022 11:54)