I Checked The Steam Data. It's Worse Than You Think.
I spent way too long digging through Steam's own numbers, and it's worse than I expected going in. This is a different kind of video for this channel: a data driven, no sugar coating look at what it actually takes to make money as an indie developer in 2026. Not opinion, not vibes, just the numbers, why they got this bad, and what's coming next. In this video: Why over 19,000 games launched on Steam in 2025 alone What the average game actually earns (it's not what you'd guess) Why marketing your game can be just as big a gamble as making it Why being genuinely good at game design isn't enough anymore What AI does to all of this going forward I'm two years into building my own game, Command the Dead, so none of this is theoretical for me. ➤ Wishlist Command the Dead on Steam — https://store.steampowered.com/app/4779300/Command_the_Dead/ If this was useful, a like goes further than you'd think, and I'd genuinely like to know in the comments: what are you making, and why? #GameDevelopment #IndieGameDev #IsGameDevelopmentWorthIt #SteamData #IndieGameStatistics #ShouldIMakeAGame #IndieGameMarketing #GameDev2026 #SoloGameDeveloper #IndieGameSuccessRate #GameDevRealityCheck #SteamGameSalesData #AIGameDevelopment #Godot #CommandTheDead #DavidMakesGames ➤ Get Space Rock Armageddon on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2658560/Space_Rock_Armageddon/
Video Chapters
- 0:00 Asking Whether Indie Game Development Is Still Actually Worth It Today
- 0:19 Brutal Steam Release Statistics And The Harsh Reality Of Game Sales
- 2:08 Why Lower Publishing Barriers And Free Tools Flooded The Game Market
- 3:56 The Exposure Trap And The Exhausting Struggle For Steam Store Visibility
- 5:22 Why Every Popular Game Genre Is Overcrowded With Endless Heavy Competition
- 7:08 How Generative Artificial Intelligence Could Fuel An Era Of Throwaway Games
- 8:57 An Honest Conclusion On Why You Should Still Pursue Game Making
Original Output
0:00 Asking Whether Indie Game Development Is Still Actually Worth It Today 0:19 Brutal Steam Release Statistics And The Harsh Reality Of Game Sales 2:08 Why Lower Publishing Barriers And Free Tools Flooded The Game Market 3:56 The Exposure Trap And The Exhausting Struggle For Steam Store Visibility 5:22 Why Every Popular Game Genre Is Overcrowded With Endless Heavy Competition 7:08 How Generative Artificial Intelligence Could Fuel An Era Of Throwaway Games 8:57 An Honest Conclusion On Why You Should Still Pursue Game Making Timestamps by StampBot 🤖 (617-i-checked-the-steam-data-it-s-worse-than-you-think)
Unprocessed Timestamp Content
0:00 Asking Whether Indie Game Development Is Still Actually Worth It Today 0:19 Brutal Steam Release Statistics And The Harsh Reality Of Game Sales 2:08 Why Lower Publishing Barriers And Free Tools Flooded The Game Market 3:56 The Exposure Trap And The Exhausting Struggle For Steam Store Visibility 5:22 Why Every Popular Game Genre Is Overcrowded With Endless Heavy Competition 7:08 How Generative Artificial Intelligence Could Fuel An Era Of Throwaway Games 8:57 An Honest Conclusion On Why You Should Still Pursue Game Making Timestamps by StampBot 🤖 (617-i-checked-the-steam-data-it-s-worse-than-you-think)