How much does a good indie game make?

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.

What is a good budget for an indie game?

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. The lower numbers assume you're working alone and don't have any other developers on board yet; however, the costs stack up quickly once multiple people are involved.

Can my indie game make money?

Game developers have several avenues through which they can earn money while developing their games, by working with other developers, getting crowdsourcing, working as a developer for other companies, or selling tools they created while making their game.

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.

What indie game made the most money?

1 Minecraft

He created the company Mojang which is probably the largest indie game success story. The success of Minecraft did so well that Notch ended up selling Mojang to Microsoft for a $2.5 billion cash deal.

Why Most Indie Game Developers Don't Make Money

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 does an average indie game make?

The median game earned just $1,136 lifetime; 68% of all titles released in 2019 generated less than $10,000 to date; 91.5% of all titles earned less than $250,000; 96% of all games generated less than $1,000,000.

Why do some 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 worth becoming an indie game developer?

Some of the most captivating and innovative video game experiences have come from passionate and dedicated indie developers. So to say that small game projects can't be good is a lie. However, as an indie developer you'll never get the chance to work on the biggest projects in the industry.

How fast can you make an indie game?

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.

Do indie game developers pay taxes?

Indie developers and other people who work on games for a living face all kinds of interesting income tax and small business formation issues that more traditional businesses simply don't: not being geographically bound, relying on alternative funding, long periods of time with no income, and having multiple options ...

How long do AAA games take to make?

But for games in the AAA category, it's a good assumption to say that they take something between 3 to 5 years to develop. This can be a lot more if the gameplay or assets need to be done from scratch, or if the assets are already there from the previous year (like they do with Call of Duty).

What is the average indie game size?

Indie games tend to be smaller, but they're still bulky—there's no guarantee that an indie game will be any smaller than a AAA game. For example, Rogue Legacy only needs 550 MB to install while Guacamelee needs about 1 GB and Tabletop Simulator needs about 3 GB.

How much is the average indie game on Steam?

According to his SteamSpy data, the median ("middle", not average) price of a game on Steam is $5.99; for comparison, the median price of an indie game on the platform is $3.99, and the median price of an indie game released on Steam in 2017 is $2.99.

How many indie games fail?

The statistics show that for every successful indie game, there are at least 4 or 5 unsuccessful indie games out there. However, I spent the majority of my working career up to this point doing something that paid the bills, but didn't follow my passions or my own dreams.

How do I get my indie game noticed?

What are most indie games coded in?

Java. The indie game industry owes a lot to Java. Because of its open-source material and beginner-friendly syntax, Java is one of the go-to's for game developers in need of a solid coding language.

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.

What was the first successful indie game?

Better known “early indie” titles would start to be released towards the end of the decade, with games like Braid (2008), Minecraft (2009) and Super Meat Boy (2010) bringing in the indie scene into mainstream culture for the first time.

Who is the richest indie game developers in the world?

Mojang. It's the big one. With over 200 million copies sold, Minecraft is not only the best selling indie, but the best selling game ever, at least at the time of publishing. As of the end of 2021 they had a mind-blowing net worth of 1.7 billion dollars.

How many people are needed for a indie game?

You can create an indie game alone, but often it is done by small teams of 5-10 people. So, “indie” means independent of major publishers. And from their financial support, of course, but difficulties make the process even more challenging.

How much do publishers pay indie game devs?

What percentage do game publishers take? The size of the royalty is typically between 10 and 20%. After the publisher has recaptured the costs, the team begins to receive the first deductions. At the same time, the publisher's expenses for the game may not pay off if for some reason the community does not accept it.