How to Survive in Gamedev for Eleven Years Without a Hit

In this 2016 GDC Talk, Grey Alien Games' Jake Birkett explains how to survive as an independent game developer without having a single hit game.

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[acousticcallum]

That’s my dad :) and I’m at university studying game development and programming now. I doubt I’ll ever make a hit either but I’m inspired primarily by him to make games and I’m excited to see where it leads!

[Tanicorn]

"You're not special, nor is your game, you'll never ship a hit"
Devs: *Cheers*

[ChngFsCenEry]

This guy is a winner. He might not have had a hit, but he has all the characteristics of someone who has. Excellent speech, and not only for making video games!

[mikeandrews]

nothing but respect for this guy. ESPECIALLY after hearing his reasons for not doing free to play.

[TheCivildecay]

Actually hearing from people that didn't make it big gives me motivation :)

[Ashalar]

I always looked down at the type of games Jake makes, but understanding the process he goes to as an independant developer really makes me respect those working in the field.

[pcccmn]

Aside from being a successful game developer, he's a really good presenter. Never a dull moment in his speech.

[aozgolo]

Clicked this link thinking it was a short video, realized five minutes in it's almost an hour long.... ended up watching the whole thing anyway. Very interesting. I love to see real talk about the realities of being an indie game developer.

[BozydarSobczak]

Stories like that are so interesting. Big Success stories sounds like instructions how to win in a lottery - so usually are worthless.

[gamelate]

Excellent, excellent talk.
Young Devs, learn from how this guy keeps it down to the facts and figures. Track your own work. Keep focus. Pick your battles.

[plume]

Man this dude rules. Hearing this guy talk actually gives me hope that this can be a realistic career without having to get a "lottery" hit.

[thejoblesscoder]

"Do not make decisions out of desperation"
God that hit hard. One of the hardest lessons I've ever had to learn. Got a big old scar on my knee too because of making choices when I was desperate

[USBEN.]

When we realizes that not everybody can be that 'guy' who made millions of dollars with his game overnight, thats when we can actually get things in perspective and work on getting practical results, pretty much what the guy talked about in the video .

This was an amazing talk and this seriously helped me manage my expectations for my future and so i gotta work to thrive, whilst making that hit ;D .

This is ! the reality of the industry and i can say this applies to other industries as well .

Thanks to everybody involved in the making of this video, it is inspiring, honest and powerful .

[coolgamer]

huge respect for this guy. at first i scoffed at the match-three stuff he showed but after watching i appreciate what he has done, how he has done it and why he does it. not everyone needs or even wants to be a big game dev

[Kagarin]

This video was just randomly suggested to me, and i ended up watching all of it practically! Great speaker with good insight for anyone whos thought of being a game dev

[requinremembers]

It's now 2021 and I'd love an update on how he's doing. I'm not a developer at all, I'm one of those casual gamers who buy his games to play on pc. I'm a 58 year old woman; which is an important demographic for the types of games he makes. I was a member of BigFish for years (and so was my mother). I have several Grey Alien games including Unwell Mel which is an understated hilarious and fun match-3 game. Unfortunately I can no longer play match-3 games (due to dizziness issues) so I never bought any of his other match 3's. His original Fairway Solitaire is one of my all time favorites, it's sweet and simple and challenging. I return to it again and again (I"m so glad I still have it, as it's pretty much impossible to download anymore. There's a newer one called "Fairway" made by BigFish, which I can't stand, which sort of overtook the original, sadly.).

I recently finished Regency Solitaire which I bought some time ago from BigFish. Then I got an email from Grey Alien about Ancient Enemy being on sale (that one is newer and isn't discussed in this talk). While looking around for that, I found out about Shadowhand. Long story short, I bought them both, and just started playing Shadowhand which is my first foray into the "RPG solitaire" type. Fun!

I've always liked the idea of the husband/wife team of this developer and like supporting them. This talk solidifies those feelings and I'm proud to say I'm a long time supporter of Grey Alien games. Keep up the good work, Jake and Helen. --4/4/21

[Lsalvatore]

The first talk in a while I can remember that I watched the entire thing + the questions, thanks so much for your story. Every year for the past 4 years I have built a prototype and worked on it for so long and failed because I was maintaining a full-time programming job, and because I was trying to re-invent a new type of game. You made the right move by making match 3 games because people will always want to play match 3 games as much as every gamedev wants to deny their existence. You seemed to know very early on that platformer/physics type adventures take orders of magnitude longer than simpler games. I have finished a Blackjack card game this year and while making it multiplayer was tricky as hell it was definitely less stressful to build something that already has a proven loop for the player.. best of luck on your blockbuster hit Jake!

[johniwueke]

As an indie game developer. If i could speak to this guy throughout my game development journey, i believe ill be a success. Hes got a whole lot of knowledge.

[dogzer]

Very inspiring! To me this guy is a complete success.

[marcelopotty]

Me 1 hour ago: "I won't see all the video, just 5 minutes"

me, now: "4:00 am and gotta go to college tomorrow, this was worth it."