Indie Game Movement - The podcast about the business and marketing of indie games.

Game studios heavily rely on video content to raise awareness about their games. However, there's a good chance that most game creators are not tapping their full potential in this medium, limiting the extent of their game's visibility or other goals. In this episode, we'll delve into how other video content beyond gameplay clips and trailers can be an integral part of a game's marketing strategy,...

Now, depending on your goals and resources, sometimes your best bet is getting a publisher. And after initial talks, once you receive an offer it can be really exciting. However, there can be a lot of unknowns, especially when it comes to fully understanding how certain agreements can dictate your future. That's why today we're revisiting our conversation with Tim Bender of Hooded Horse Games to k...

In the realm of PR in games, navigating remote collaboration for tasks like trailer production can present a labyrinth of challenges. Maintaining creative cohesion and project vision with a remote team can be a daunting puzzle to solve, but it doesn't have to be. Today we'll explore how one PR video lead tackles their team's remote collaboration challenges by discussing adaptive strategies for cre...

When people think about serving a particular audience or niche, it can be easy to focus only on the market demand and opportunities it may present. However not properly executing on that demand may result in obstacles that can make it a challenge to achieve sustainability. Today, we're going to view a different perspective of what it means to niche down and how to serve an audience in a sustainabl...

With the year ending, we'll be getting a little retrospective and reflecting on the past, however before that happens, we have some important updates and an announcement we'd like to share with our listeners. Ep 335 Shownotes: rengenmarketing.com/335

With any emerging global market, the transition always starts with hurdles and challenges. In a lot of cases, it can be even more frustrating for indie developers and studios. Fortunately, these can be overcome with determination and creativity. Today we're going to explore indie games from Southeast Asia that are breaking barriers and standing out in the global market and how they're using creati...

Using TikTok to help create additional awareness for your game or studio isn't anything new, but creating a sustainable growth strategy on this platform may be, and can definitely be a challenge. While that may be so, it doesn't have to overwhelm you and can be fairly simple too. Our conversation today discusses some valuable insights about how one studio effectively executes their TikTok strategy...

Adapting to any kind of trend can be very challenging and sometimes impossible. But sometimes, having the right mindset, information and creative approach can go a long way in finding all sorts of opportunities in the constantly shifting games market. In today's discussion, we're going to explore a few current game market trends and topics and dig as deep as we can to reveal a ton of opportunities...

Whenever we consider collaborating with influencers, usually top of mind is the bottom line. In other words, what kind of awareness and results can they get. More often than not though, this "transactional" way of thinking doesn't lead to collaborations that deliver the results we're looking for. In todays episode, we explore exactly what makes an effective collaboration, discussing everything fro...

Managing any game community entails a lot of work and focus, but managing a team of managers across multiple communities, each one vastly different from each other can be outright overwhelming, especially when thinking about how to be strategic and hit certain goals. The good news is, it doesn't have to be. In today's discussion, we approach how to be strategic across multiple communities from a s...

Starting an indie game studio can be difficult but growing a sustainable one can be a challenging experience faced with a variety of unknown obstacles where every decision can impact your growth. Today, we're going to explore the indie side of business development by breaking things down into simple concepts that can make all the difference in how you establish relationship, discover opportunities...

Creating a brand is one of those things that we sometimes don't put much stake in, and understandably so. Logos and sleek websites are nice to have, but they don't necessarily contribute to goals and objectives…or do they? Well, today we're going to dive deep into that concept and others, discovering how building a strong brand foundation doesn't only provide clarity for your studio, but how it ca...

When it comes to creating horror games, it can become quite a challenge to effectively deliver scares while keeping players fully immersed in the experience In this special Halloween episode we dive into the horror genre, comparing effective (and not effective) ways both games and films have leveraged scares, pacing and a whole lot of other areas, unearthing and resurrecting creative ways to make...

If there's one thing indie studios and developers are always looking to do, it's to increase the odds of their game's success. However, trying to pinpoint exactly what that is, will always be a challenge to figure out. In today's episode, we're going to explore different concepts that can guide developers and studios to find their own solutions to this universal problem. By sharing objective-based...

We all know that key art for our games plays a critical role in setting expectations for players, but sometimes despite the best intentions, it can still fall flat, causing confusion and even friction for players. Today we're going to dig deep into what key art should consist of, the importance of knowing the market, and explore everything from concept, design, and distribution so you can get clos...

Whether we want to admit or not, everything we do during the development to the release of games involves some level of marketing. From communicating and sharing information to making claims that "no marketing" was done, marketing is an intrinsic component of development and carries well beyond awareness and promotion. In this episode, we're going to uncover some of the general misconceptions peop...

Learning how to adapt to the ever-changing game industry is a challenge that all studios and developers face. From understanding evolving market conditions to determining how to align projects with those demands, it can be a tough climate to navigate. Today we'll explore strategies that help set and maintain your project's course while learning how to adapt to market and other conditions, so your...

If there's one thing developers generally have a strong supply of, it's passion. While this is a great driving force that sparks motivation and creativity, it doesn't always lend itself well when looking at projects from a marketing and business perspective, but it is possible. So today we're going to explore how one developer made some interesting revelations over the course of a couple of projec...

Getting wishlists is probably one of the main goals, bottom-line result we strive to acquire when getting games ready for release, and understandably so. But often, we get so caught up in this key metric that we don't stop to think about the importance quality plays in our wishlist acquisition, and just focus on hitting a total number before release. So today, we're going to look at wishlists in g...

If there is one thing most of us strive to do as game creators, it's to stand out. And standing out doesn't get much better when people talk about your game and share it with others. But understanding exactly what the reasons or moments are that compel players to share games with their community can be a mystery. So in today's conversation, we're going to explore what "share-worthy" really means a...

Fully understanding the market demand for a commercial game is essential. Leading with a genre that is in high demand is a great start, but many don't think to dig deeper and find the gold nuggets that additional market research can reveal. In today's episode, we'll discuss where most people go wrong with their research, how to further validate your game, and identify tips and tricks that will giv...

Diversity takes many shapes. In addition to differences in identity, diversity should encompass a difference in thought, background, experiences, skills. The games industry is experiencing a movement toward expanding and deepening our understanding of diversity and it's an important conversation we need to have. In today's episode, we'll be discussing the value of diversity, how to avoid making mi...

This is Part 2 of the interview with Konstantin Suvorov. As an indie studio, comparing and despairing can be demoralizing, especially when comparing yourself to a AAA studio. However, changing your mindset can make all the difference in how your game studio can outplay and one-up even the biggest AAA brands. Today we're going to uncover huge advantages indies have over AAA studios, valuable lesson...

As an indie studio, comparing and despairing can be demoralizing, especially when comparing yourself to a AAA studio. However, changing your mindset can make all the difference in how your game studio can outplay and one-up even the biggest AAA brands. Today we're going to uncover huge advantages indies have over AAA studios, valuable lessons each side can learn from the other, and unveil how you...

The journey to success is different for all of us, regardless of our beginnings. Overcoming challenges, and learning how to pivot are all valuable experiences, but sometimes it's the humble beginnings that can really pave the way to reaching your destination. In today's episode, we'll be discussing one company's rise to prominence and how their evolution, resourcefulness, and the lessons they lear...