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

Let's face it, we all have our pain points especially when it comes to indie game marketing. Often times identifying these pain points can be a challenge and working through them can quickly become overwhelming. Thankfully, our guest Mike Gamble of Talenthouse Media Foundry shares his thoughts on these important topics to better identify what areas need attention and determine the right solutions...

Out of all the content game devs create for their indie game marketing, making a trailer is one of the best ways to tell a story and communicate their game. While effective, making game trailers can be challenging especially when finding ways to create impact for players. Luckily, we're discussing this with Derek Lieu, an industry game trailer veteran about his experiences on how game trailers can...

Here's Part 2, a continuation of the last episode that talks about indie game marketing. In this part, we focus on other marketing strategies that can help amplify the top methods discussed in part one. For some, this will serve as a great reference you can pull lots of value from, and for others, it will be a thorough, high-level helpful guide as you embark on your indie game marketing journey. R...

I wanted to take a different approach with this episode by sharing a recently published guide of mine covering the key areas of indie game marketing. For some, this will serve as a great reference you can pull lots of value from, and for others, it will be a thorough, high-level helpful guide as you embark on your indie game marketing journey. Regardless of your level or where you are on this jour...

We decided it would be great to look back and reflect on our past episodes of 2021 and showcase the moments that resonated with us the most. While all episodes of 2021 are great, we thought these moments would be some of the most impactful ones to apply to the new year! A special thanks to Mustapha for putting this together! Support us on Patreon!

While it was a bit challenging to make this decision, Mustapha and I are taking a short hiatus to focus our efforts on other projects we have going on for the end of the year. In light of that, we briefly discuss the importance of taking time for yourself to tackle your own projects and even to unplug a bit, plans we have for the other year, and when you can expect us to be back in full force agai...

When it comes to building a team for your indie game studio, people usually focus on the work needed to finish the project. While that's important, knowing and understanding how to build a healthy team from the beginning is essential to greater productivity and a healthy work culture. Thankfully Nicolas Hafner of ShinMera shares his experience and methods he uses to build an effective team that pr...

Gamifying your marketing is one of many ways to increase engagement for your audience, but people usually don't think about how this can be done using different products. That's why today we have Shawn French of HyperKinetic Studios to discuss how he took their game and adapted it to a comic, providing two stand alone products that organically cross-promote each other, creating a super value packe...

Knowing the right actions to take can be a little daunting when it comes to promoting your game on Steam prior to launch. There's a lot of different paths to take, and not all are created equal making this a challenge for any dev. Thankfully, Bruno Laverny of Ishtar Games shows how his team navigated these questions through coming up with a simple plan and breaking things down so they could meet t...

Quitting your job to go full-time dev can be a well...frightening thought. There's a lot to consider but most importantly, is it the right move to make, and what's the best way to go about making that commitment? Thankfully our guest Bruno Bonbardi has gone through this process twice and shares his reasons, how prepared he was and other considerations to be mindful of when you're ready to quit you...

When you start sharing your game with the world, everything you do from then on deals with messaging. While you may have a good idea of what your studio and game are, sometimes how you convey that to others isn't in the clearest or concise way. That's why Mustapha and I are here to help discuss how important it is to clarify your messaging and some tips on ways you can do that, so when you start p...

We have discussed numerous times on the show that understanding player behavior and your audience is so important when it comes to marketing your game, but one thing we don't think about much is how people react when money is involved. Understanding how price can change how people act can be a very daunting challenge, but knowing a little bit more about how it plays in someone's decision to purcha...

Finding a musician to compose your game music can be a task in itself, but understanding the process and communicating your vision can be more challenging than any dev would expect. That's why we have Dakota Suave with us today, to share his insights to help us navigate the music composition process so you can have something you love and your audience wants! Support us on Patreon!

Making any type of investment in your indie game is a big decision, especially when considering paid advertising. While there can be some risk involved with ads, there's also a lot that can be gained, even outside of the results you get from running your campaign. That's why today I'm going to discuss the right way to approach ads and how doing so will help you with all of your marketing efforts....

Out of all the different ways that games can get attention, the method that has stood the longest has been events. While major events like E3 started with different intentions compared to today, it's a telling sign how the event landscape has shifted for numerous reasons, but one being the continued growth of indie games. Discussing everything from changing times, format, and delivery of these eve...

If there is one common dream that most indie devs share, it's probably to be able to make indie games full time. But with such a goal there lies great challenges and what may seem like a daunting objective. Thankfully, Thomas Brush of Atmos games shares his journey and experience on how he achieved this very goal while providing insight and tips on how to gain the confidence and freedom that every...

Some people may think that marketing to cultural audiences only involves partnerships and localizing your game. But to really cater and serve that audience, it starts with having a core understanding and how to best represent those people. That's why today Osama Dorias shares his experiences and understanding of global gaming culture and how applying empathy and taking certain approaches can creat...

Since the show's inception, Indie Game Movement has come a long way. What started out as a means to offer clear insight around topics that needed further attention has developed into a platform that supports and educates a thriving community. In today's episode, we share our experience so far, what the progress was like and how we have decided to take that and make things more fun and helpful in a...

So I can't think of how many times we have discussed or at least mentioned the importance of knowing your audience, but never took the time to really dig deep and explain what exactly that entails or how to really know what is going on in your ideal player's head. So that's why Mustapha and I wanted to dive deep in this conversation to explain the reasoning behind this, what the process entails, a...

Creating a funnel isn't necessarily a huge challenge, but creating one that isn't mindful of your player's journey will likely not provide you the results or the community you're looking for. There are lots of ways to do this, but one of the best ways to develop and maintain a relationship with your fans is to understand their needs, provide value and engage with them through email marketing. That...

Depending on your goals and resources, sometimes your best bet is getting a publisher. After initial talks, once you receive an offer 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 have Tim Bender of Hooded Horse Games to share what to look out for and how to approach negotiations so you can be prep...

Trying to create awareness for your game is always an uphill battle for indie devs, especially when it comes to identifying your audience and how to approach them. But even when you figure those steps out, it's a challenge to determine the best ways to build upon and improve those efforts. That's why we've invited Joe Winters, creator of Song of Iron to share his insights on how he found the right...

Supergiant Games has been praised for having a consistent and quality signature across their vast array of games. From the initial concept to communication and gameplay, we want to discuss their standard of quality, and how the ideas behind some of these games grow to become a completely immersive experience. Support us on Patreon!

In a previous episode, Mustapha and I shared our own insight into the importance of future planning but we wanted to dive further into this theme from the perspective of an established developer. So in future planning part two, Chevy Ray of Happy Ray Games, the developer of Ikenfelll shares what it's like being a smaller dev, the importance of maintaining a clear vision and how having the right co...

We've finally made it to 2021 and I thought it would be fun to switch things up for this episode to share some resources and strategies we've used that have really helped us see things in a different light and help us with projects and all facets of life. The goal of this episode is to share some examples, experiences, and resources that can help motivate you and provide a newfound source of energ...