When I started writing this article, I primarily had in mind micro-indie developers: the other categories don’t need it, because they should already be familiar with everything covered here. So, I am addressing what I imagine to be the typical reader of such a text: an artist and/or programmer on the verge of their first publication, dreaming of success with the help of a computer, free and/or open-source software to develop their game, and a lot of determination.
After clarifying that, from a legal perspective, there are no major obstacles to starting out in publishing, it’s time to discuss various online stores. Some, like Steam and Epic Games, require fees around $100 for publishing (as of 2024), along with the necessary steps to get started. However, I believe raising that amount shouldn’t be too difficult, especially considering that the computer needed to create a video game costs much more… Moreover, there’s plenty of support available both online and on the store websites to help with using them practically.
Success Stories
There are success stories in the indie development world—stories of people who, through sheer determination, managed to emerge from nothing. For instance, we could talk about Undertale (2015), a role-playing game developed by one person, Toby Fox, which took three years to complete. Fox funded the game through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, raising over $50,000, which he used mainly to support himself while working day and night on the project. Undertale received widespread critical acclaim, won numerous awards, and was nominated for many more, primarily for its innovative storytelling.
Another example is Papers, Please (2013), created and fully funded by Lucas Pope. While the exact cost of the game isn’t widely known, it’s understood that it was developed using funds Pope saved from his work as a programmer on Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series. The amount remains undisclosed, but many estimate it was likely only a few thousand dollars. Like Undertale, Papers, Please won numerous awards and came close to winning many others.
There are other examples, but I selected these two because they were truly low-budget. In the video game industry, where major production companies invest millions of dollars, even an initial investment of $100,000 is considered “small.” Yet, it’s clear that not everyone can afford such an investment.
What often goes unsaid is that while these cases do exist, they are hidden gems among a sea of rubble. In other words, success often seems to follow a lottery logic rather than merit. There’s a great deal of luck involved. The creators of the games mentioned could have failed if they had chosen a different gameplay concept. I’m sure no one sets out to create a game with the intention of failing. Just like in lotteries, every now and then, someone in the gaming world strikes it big, but these are extremely rare occurrences.
Visibility
In a marketplace like Steam, where 30 million players log in every day, statistics would suggest that simply publishing a game should guarantee some level of success, however modest. Even if you’ve created an unattractive game, you might still find buyers among those with poor taste—after all, there are plenty of people in a crowd that is nearly half the population of Italy! Selling 1,000 copies of your game on Steam would only require a tiny 0.0000333% of the total users, who, by the way, are free to buy more than one game at a time. However, you’ll soon find out that it doesn’t work that way. The main reason is the concept of “visibility”: if people don’t know you exist, they can’t even consider buying your game. You’re a ghost, completely invisible.
At this point, I could offer a series of tips on how to gain visibility. I might, for example, suggest building your own community using free or low-cost tools like Discord, YouTube, Facebook, etc. These strategies worked well in the past, particularly for those who were among the first to use them in this way. It’s clear that being the first to have a powerful idea and exploiting it fully gives you a significant advantage over the masses. Today, however, you’d be just another creator in a sea of countless others, all trying to rise from the same primordial soup. From the perspective of potential buyers, your post would just be another, your game just another, and so on.
This same problem exists in fields entirely unrelated to video games. Go to any supermarket and take a moment to notice how many different products are for sale. Some come from big brands; others are from unknowns. Yet, if you decide to try a product from a lesser-known brand, you might discover that you prefer it over more expensive options. Clearly, the companies producing those products aren’t wealthy enough to afford a marketing campaign that would elevate their brand.
Personally, a few years ago, I published a novel, which was only released in Italian. Even in that field, where technology and literature don’t always go hand in hand, visibility remains a dominant issue. It doesn’t matter if you receive a handful of positive reviews: if you can’t make the general public aware of your work, you remain in the shadows.
Community
Some people, simply for fun, start creating content on YouTube or other platforms and manage to build a following. Perhaps it’s tutorials on how to use a specific game engine, or videos showcasing their creations. The key is that enough people notice them, and the number of followers begins to grow. At this point, these people find themselves with a ready-made community that can be “leveraged” (a harsh term, but true…) to promote their game.
Communities work: that’s a fact. One of the secrets behind the success of some indie games has been the presence of a supportive community somewhere online. Having more than one community on various platforms can only help, but the reality is you must maintain them. However, communities don’t form overnight! If I were to give advice, I’d suggest starting to think about it right away. Some people do this by creating a kind of diary of their progress, showing the development of their game piece by piece. Others take the opportunity to create tutorials related to game development. What’s really important is having a following—enough people to inform when your game is available for purchase. Of course, there are no guarantees, but it’s usually better than shooting in the dark…
Here’s where the problem arises. Especially if you’re working alone, you’ll soon realize that balancing both the game and the community is incredibly difficult. If you’ve never had this experience, you’ll quickly see how challenging it can be to produce a video or even a simple article like this one. A video rarely comes out perfect on the first try: it usually takes several attempts before recording a version that’s good enough to publish. In general, even minimal editing is required. You might want to enhance it with subtitles, custom logos, or cards… And suddenly, an entire afternoon is gone! Writing an article isn’t much easier! Writing requires care, too. You create a first draft, then revise it, review it, and revise it again. Naturally, while doing all this, you also have to manage the online stores, which require attention—from handling user reports to posting updates that keep current customers and potential buyers informed about the game’s progress.
What I’m trying to say is that, at some point, you’ll have to choose whether to focus on the game, the store, or the community. Whatever you choose, the others will inevitably suffer! It’s real hard work, and it’s often difficult to keep up with it all.