Being a game developer is hard, and being an indie one is even harder. The solo developer of city builder Bulwark Evolution: Falconeer Chronicles, Tomas Sala has some advice for how to make games these days.
Speaking on the Thomas Brush podcast, Sala says "You need to check if your game is going to be successful. If it's not happening, you need to make another game or reassess what you're doing." His advice is harsh, but it comes from experience.
"The golden goose is not making the game, but figuring out if the game is going to make money," he says. "If the game's not going to make money you shouldn't work on it. That's a brutal reality. I think mobile game developers have more or less learned that lesson. This is the jungle we're in now."
Obviously, Sala's advice is only for people who want to make games as a business. You could make a game in your spare time that's just for you, or your friends, or just because you want to put some art into the world. But if you want to get into the business of making games, his points are useful.
He also says, "I do my games in two years, that's my goal. Less than two years to make big, visually stunning games. Not six or seven years, 'cause that's just dumb." If you're trying to fund yourself or employees, it'll be hard to sustain a business for years with no income from sold games.
He explains he makes something quickly and then analyzes what works and what doesn't rather than trying to make something unique every few months and then going back to the drawing board. In this way you don't abandon what you've learned and can build on your successes and mistakes.
A final piece of wisdom from Sala is about being realistic. "Validate early," he says, referring to setting a goal like achieving a certain number of wishlists or trailer views towards the beginning of a project. "Creators, we'll keep pulling that dead horse because we put all our love and energy into it, but for the money? You can't turn a turd into a hit. You can't polish up that turd, you need to let go and move on. You learn and you keep at it."
There's a reason creatives are told to kill their darlings. It's hard to admit something you love may not work commercially, but that doesn't mean it was a waste of time. You take the lessons you learned and apply them to something new.
If you want to support more of the talented devs in the industry, you should check out our list of upcoming indie games.
