Making A Successful Indie Game Is… Confusing

Except for a rare few, the recipe to consistent indie game success is mystical knowledge. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a list that outlined everything you need to do to make it big with your super-original, genre-defining masterpiece? Well, it kind of exists.

Kitfox Games’ Tanya Short went to the trouble of tracking down 50 articles from around the web and compiling them into “steps” that will lead to money bags and fame for any indie developer.

OK, that’s not exactly true. While the articles linked to are genuine, the list actually highlights how contradictory the advice can be, from speaking “to a wider audience” or just going after a “long-abandoned” niche, to how effective demos can be… or is that ineffective?

As you’ve guessed, there’s no straight answer. Short concludes that “every game is different” and as such, engaging the press, impressing on Steam Greenlight, or hitting the top of the App Store sometimes requires a bit of luck… on top of all that experience and planning.

50 Easy Steps to Indie Success [Gamasutra]

Image: rstrawser / Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons 2.0