IndieGameBusiness®

In the current industry investment climate, every pitch needs to find an edge in order to succeed. In 'The Art of Pitching', Travis takes a look at pitching at a foundational, psychological level at what needs to be communicated and how. A break from the normal pitch templates, guides, or ideal format the talk covers lessons that you can use regardless if you're trying to pitch your ga...

You'll discover essential strategies for successfully navigating the funding landscape. Learn how to craft compelling pitches tailored for government bodies and private investors, ensuring your project stands out. We'll explore networking techniques to build lasting relationships and share real-world case studies showcasing successful collaborations. Key takeaways include actionable insigh...

All the time and effort spent honing your pitch has paid off and now a publisher has agreed to publish your game. Congratulations!! However, the next morning you receive an email with a PDF publishing agreement full of unnecessarily cumbersome phrasing and legal language. What does it all mean and how can you tell if it is a good deal? In this hour-long presentation, video game and entertainment l...

Join Ash and Indie as they break down everything that happened at the recent IndieGameBusiness® Sessions: From Pitch to Partnership. In this post-event discussion, they’ll recap key moments, standout conversations, and the biggest takeaways from speakers and attendees. Ash and Indie will also talk about what worked, what surprised them, and what these insights mean for indie developers moving forw...

How do you pitch a culturally grounded game without getting pushed into clichés or “folklore tourism”? In this session I share practical ways to communicate the heart of your game, explain your cultural influences, and keep control of your narrative while still giving publishers what they need. You will learn simple tactics to frame your fantasy, highlight your team’s strengths, and pitch your wor...

Join Jay Powell and Omar Khalil for a live pitch review session, where they’ll evaluate a game pitch in real time and share practical feedback, insights, and best practices.

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Jade King, Lead Features Editor at TheGamer, to talk about what every indie developer should understand about working with the gaming press in 2026. Jade breaks down what an indie game really means in today’s landscape, how journalists approach covering indie releases, and what developers can do to get noticed by traditional press without burni...

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Vadim Andreev, CEO and Co-Founder of Rokky, a PC game distribution platform focused on expanding how and where games reach players. Vadim breaks down the current state of PC gaming distribution and what it means for indie developers today. We’ll discuss whether Steam is truly a monopoly, the risks of relying on a single platform, and what alter...

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Kyle Blessing, Brand Manager at Apogee Entertainment. Kyle shares how his background as a content creator shaped his approach to game marketing, from understanding algorithms and audiences to building campaigns rooted in authenticity. We’ll talk about why indie games are often harder to market than AAA titles, how deep product understanding lea...

In this special live episode of IndieGameBusiness, Jay Powell, Founder and CEO of The Powell Group and IndieGameBusiness, is joined by Ash Cason to talk about what 2026 holds for both organizations. Jay and Ash will break down what’s been happening behind the scenes, what’s coming next, and how IndieGameBusiness is evolving to better serve indie developers and the games industry as a whole. They’l...

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Nate Purkeypile, solo indie developer at Just Purkey Games. Nate shares what it’s really like to leave the AAA world and build games completely on your own. We’ll talk about why he shifted from major studios to solo development, why he chose not to start a small company, and how he stays on track without a team. Nate breaks down what solo devs...

Most developer-publisher relationships don’t turn sour because of money; they suffer from miscommunication, misaligned expectations, or ignored crises. In this talk, we break down your responsibilities as a developer, what to do when things go really wrong, and how to tell if your publisher producer isn’t doing their job. Packed with practical advice and real-world examples, this session helps you...

I run x2line, a lean studio with 50M+ downloads across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android (including TV form factors), and the web. I’m the only full-time developer. I manage production, ship updates, and coordinate long-term art and animation contractors instead of an in-house team. I’ll cover: how to scope version 1 vs later updates, how to get usable assets from contractors, and how to choose the next...

When game projects start slipping with missed milestones, scope creep, and fading morale, how do you get things back on track? This session presents a production first aid kit with tools to diagnose problems, triage scope, rebuild schedules, and communicate changes clearly to your teams. Key takeaways: Spot early warning signs, apply a lightweight triage framework, and stabilize delivery without b...

Playtesting doesn’t need to be expensive or overwhelming. This talk shares a simple process any small team can use to run regular 1 on 1 playtesting sessions. Learn how to find testers outside your immediate circle, prepare stable builds, guide productive sessions, and turn feedback into meaningful improvements. You’ll leave with clear, repeatable steps to make playtesting a natural and empowering...

Successful games not only have a strong creative vision but are also highly acclaimed by players; this integration of player insights occurs throughout the entire development cycle and takes different forms. In this talk, we map out lightweight, well-timed user experience research (UXR) activities into a production pipeline that doesn’t slow things down, and in fact de-risks development and improv...

Game projects don’t get made in a straight line. In this session, we’ll explore how the producer’s role shifts across art, features, publishing, and external development—and why producers are essential to each. Our panelists will compare what their day-to-day looks like, the backgrounds that help most, how success is measured, and where the biggest challenges lie. Whether you’re curious about indi...

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Jess Feidt, Owner of Underwater Fire Games. Jess shares his journey from working on massive AAA franchises like Call of Duty to building his own indie studio from the ground up. We’ll talk about why he decided to leave AAA, how he transitioned into running his own team, and how his experience at Treyarch and Sony shaped the decisions behind his...

Let's learn about game production tools! There are a lot of them out there, but which ones are right for my team size, game scope, and budget? We'll discuss industry standards, the pros and cons of several tools, and their applicability to different production methods such as Scrum and Kanban.

Most teams skip design documentation and pay for it later, in miscommunication, scope creep, and wasted development time. This session reveals how proper design docs streamline your entire pipeline. Learn the MDA framework for evaluating features, documentation techniques that actually help your team build faster, and how to communicate design decisions that reduce rework. Whether you're solo...

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Peter Kojesta, Founder of Exis Games. Peter shares how the publishing and funding landscape is evolving for indie developers and what studios need to know to successfully launch games in 2025 and beyond. We’ll explore the new requirements for getting a game published, the different types of publishers—from service-based to VC-backed—and what ve...

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by April Stallings, Charitable Gaming Program Manager at Make-A-Wish International. April shares how the power of games is helping grant life-changing wishes for children battling critical illnesses around the world. Founded in 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 615,000 wishes in nearly 50 countries. Every 25 seconds a child is diagnosed with...

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Brad Hendricks, Founder and CEO of Blind Squirrel Games. Brad shares why globally distributed development is the foundation for scalability, sustainability, and long-term success in today’s turbulent industry. We’ll discuss how Blind Squirrel positioned itself to thrive during industry shifts, how distributed development helps prevent burnout,...

Join attorney and game developer Veda Cruz for an interactive session where legal pitfalls take center stage—in bingo form! Each square represents a sketchy but all-too-common scenario that devs run into, like forgotten contracts, fuzzy ownership, or fan content gone rogue. As we play through the card, you’ll learn how to spot these legal traps early and handle them like a pro. Whether you're...

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Alex Seropian, CEO and Founder of Look North World. Alex shares lessons learned from launching UEFN experiences with Hasbro, Harmonix, Bandai Namco, and Twitch, and unpacks why the idea of games as platforms is more than just a passing trend. We’ll dive into the growing influence of Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha, the race to turn popular games into open...