Here's How Much My First Game Made
I spent over a year working on my first indie game - a high-speed platformer called Lost Resolve. It's been just over a month since it released. So, how did it do? Here's a look at the journey up to releasing the game, how I marketed it, and how it sold. Shout out to: @cocodoggo333 for creating the speedrun.com page AND discovering Celestial Causeway skip (sorry, I forgot both of these achievements were from the same person lol) @Kvadrat0 for running the game at RUSC-a-thon! You can buy Lost Resolve here (or add it to your wishlist!): https://store.steampowered.com/app/2990840/Lost_Resolve/ There's also more behind-the-scenes content on my Patreon, if you're so inclined! https://www.patreon.com/Swinkly See you soon! Swinkly
Video Chapters
- 0:00 The solo dev adventure begins!
- 1:00 Battling burnout: The first big challenge.
- 2:22 Taking the leap: Quitting the day job for game dev.
- 2:45 The hustle is real: DoorDashing to fund the dream.
- 4:00 Launch Day! "Lost Resolve" finally hits Steam.
- 4:18 Initial sales reports: How did the game perform?
- 5:46 The hard truth: What a year of indie dev *really* earned.
- 6:27 Reigniting passion with a free DLC!
- 8:19 What's next? Brainstorming exciting new game ideas.
- 8:46 The journey continues: Looking ahead to new projects.
Original Output
0:00 The solo dev adventure begins! 1:00 Battling burnout: The first big challenge. 2:22 Taking the leap: Quitting the day job for game dev. 2:45 The hustle is real: DoorDashing to fund the dream. 4:00 Launch Day! "Lost Resolve" finally hits Steam. 4:18 Initial sales reports: How did the game perform? 5:46 The hard truth: What a year of indie dev *really* earned. 6:27 Reigniting passion with a free DLC! 8:19 What's next? Brainstorming exciting new game ideas. 8:46 The journey continues: Looking ahead to new projects. Timestamps by McCoder Douglas
Unprocessed Timestamp Content
0:00 Kicking off a game development journey with no experience 0:11 First game "Lost Resolve" released despite the naysayers 0:26 Setting a wishlist goal: aiming for 1000 before launch 0:31 Marketing efforts: devlogs keep wishlists trickling in nicely 0:50 Halfway to the wishlist goal! Things are looking up 1:00 Burnout strikes! A much-needed break from the dev grind 1:21 Realizing a job I hated was fueling my creative exhaustion 1:38 Weekends became recovery days, an impossible dev cycle 2:05 Chipping away at the game, refusing to let burnout win 2:22 Making a risky choice: quitting my job for game development 2:45 Balancing game dev with DoorDash to make ends meet 2:57 Boss fights and level design; the game is nearly complete 3:08 Wishlist progress slows, hitting 800 before Next Fest 3:33 Devlog success and a speedrun challenge boost exposure 4:00 Release day! Lost Resolve launches with over 1000 wishlists 4:18 First day sales: 42 units! Then 72, then 100 units 4:56 Proud of sales and community response, despite modest revenue 5:20 Players create speedrun pages, even skipping entire game areas 5:46 Financial breakdown: $285 net income from a year of work 6:27 Announcing a free "Sunset Snow" DLC, reigniting passion 6:55 A brief burnout again, but quickly found new inspiration 7:13 Exploring new DLC areas and a much-requested checkpoint feature 7:48 Game on sale for DLC launch, ready for new adventures 8:19 Brainstorming next game ideas: rogue-like or hot sauce simulator, exciting stuff! 8:46 Thank you for the journey; this is just the beginning for new projects Timestamps by McCoder Douglas