Is it profitable to make indie games?

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.

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 much money do I need to make an indie game?

An average indie game will cost between $50,000 and $700,000 to make, from start to finish. A single developer usually makes titles that cost around $50,000 and take up to a year to finish. Naturally, as the project complexity increases, the team size and costs will increase as well.

What are the odds of making a successful indie game?

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 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 Most Indie Game Developers Don't Make Money

Can you make a living off indie games?

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

How much does it cost to develop a small 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.

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 is the salary of indie game developers?

Average salary for fulltime indie game devs is $11,782/year.

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.

What percentage of games succeed?

Or to look at it another way, only about 20% of games sell well enough to be profitable. So, most new games fail because most gamers buy games from already-popular franchises or that are heavily-promoted by publishers.

Can a indie make a AAA game?

Indie games usually do not enjoy the big budgets that one can associate with AAA titles. This is often replaced by hardwork and dedication on the part of the developers to turn their projects into brilliant games that will be cherished by fans for years to come.

How much to sell an indie game for?

In short, pick a price that is comparable to other indie games and then charge 20% more. If people are really really excited about your game, charge 50% more than you think you should.

How many people is considered an indie game?

Indie games are computer games created by independent developers. A single person or a small team of 2 to 10 people can build such games from scratch. Sometimes indie games are referred to as “free” because game resources are either created by the developers themselves or taken from free sources.

Who is the billionaire in game industry?

The only billionaire as famous in the West is Valve's Gabe Newell, or "Gaben" as many devotees call him, the man at least partly responsible for such gaming phenomenons as Portal 2, the Half-Life franchise, and Steam. But there are other, much richer, names in video games.

How much does Candy Crush make in a day?

Millions of users play the game on daily basis. The game led the way for a new generation of mobile games. The title is one of the first freemium games which has generated over $1 billion in revenue. The Q2 financial report by Activision Blizzard revealed that Candy Crush Saga earns $633,000 earns each day.

How much do indie games sell on Steam?

91.5% of all titles earned less than $250,000; 96% of all games generated less than $1,000,000.