How many indie games fail?

70% of all indie games are commercial failures. Of the 30% that are considered successful, only 7% of those games will generate enough revenue to fund a second project.

What is the failure rate of indie games?

Most indie games fail to produce profits, with some estimates being less than 1 in 5.

What percentage of indie games are successful?

Yes, only 3% of indie developers ever make more than $1m, but that's still over 1,500 indies who have done so. Let's see what they do that others don't.

Why do most indie games fail?

Indie games fail sometimes because of a poor marketing strategy: Either the team didn't build an audience or didn't find a way to interest the gaming world enough to make it play the game. The second reason comes from the game itself: The lack of game design skills or the level of immersion is too low.

Is it profitable to make indie games?

According to Game Developer, those indie teams that “made it” receive on average $4 million in revenue per game, which makes an impressive indie game developer success salary. Obviously, not everyone gets such a goldmine.

Top 10 Biggest Indie Game Fails

Who is the richest indie game developer?

The success of Minecraft did so well that Notch ended up selling Mojang to Microsoft for a $2.5 billion cash deal. This makes him the richest indie game developer.

What indie game genre is most profitable?

Most Profitable Genres For Indie Games

The most promising genres in terms of earnings are RPG, strategy, and simulation. They are followed by adventure, action, sports, and racing games, which are worth choosing only if you are completely confident in your idea.

Why AAA games are better than indie?

A larger budget allows AAA studios to invest in cutting-edge technology and head-hunt top talent in the industry. They have the resources to create more polished games with more features than most indie games.

How hard is it to start an indie game studio?

Developing an indie game is hard work. You need to be able to design and build the game, market it to the public, and get it published. Some people usually begin indie studios to develop passion projects, which later can become successful or develop smaller cult followings.

Can an indie game make millions?

According to VG Insights, only 15% of all solo game developers take home more than $100,000 annually. VG Insights also reported that only the top 5% of indie games released each year make over half a million dollars each, and the average game only makes $13,000.

How much funding does an indie game need?

The average cost to make an indie game is about $250,000, but some small projects can cost as low as nothing + time you spend on development.

Is gaming getting less popular?

Despite the decline in number of people playing video games, the industry continues to see growth in the number of hours spent gaming. There was a dramatic increase in time spent playing games from 2019 to 2020, with average hours played per week jumping from 12.7 to 14.8, respectively.

How long do small indie games take to make?

Creating an indie game can take anywhere between a matter of days and a number of years. With indie games, coding experience and budget will be the biggest influences on a game's development cycle. Here's a few examples of quality indie games all made within vastly different timeframes: Cuphead.

What is the saddest indie game?

Why is Unity not used in AAA games?

AAA teams have enough resources to re-write all of Unity's systems. There aren't any Unity systems worth keeping if you have the resources to re-write them, hence no AAA production will ever use Unity for a big budget blockbuster AAA game.

Why are indie games so short?

Typically, indie games are smaller than mainstream titles. Indie game developers are generally not financially backed by video game publishers, who are risk-averse and prefer "big-budget games". Instead, indie game developers usually have smaller budgets, usually sourcing from personal funds or via crowdfunding.

What is the hardest game genre to make?

MMORPGs, without a doubt, are the hardest game genre to build, for one very significant reason - the sheer volume of resources required to build them. As a common sense rule, +1 game content = +10 more development required.

Which game income is best?

PUBG Mobile was the top grossing game in 2021, with $2.01 billion revenue.

Who is the youngest indie game developer?

At 12 years old, Max Trest is already an established independent video game developer who has even created a game with the Unity engine.

Are there billionaire game developers?

Perhaps another take-away is that the wealth generated from Western game companies has been better distributed between founders, executives, shareholders, and employees than in places like China. Either way, there are billions and billions of dollars in the video game industry, and plenty of billionaires, too.

How much did it cost to make an indie game?

How much does it cost to make an indie game? Estimates on the overall cost of making an indie game vary wildly. Indie studio Auroch Digital put the number at somewhere between $50,000 and $750,000, while others suggest costs actually run into the millions. Don't let those numbers scare you off, though.