Introduction
Ah, the indie game dev market. A place where everyone and their grandma thinks they can be the next Toby Fox or Edmund McMillen. But let’s get real. The market is so oversaturated, it makes a sponge in a monsoon look dry. You’ve got a game? Great. So do a thousand other people. And guess what? Most of you are going to fail. Why? Because the system is rigged, baby.
The Flood – Or How to Drown in a Sea of Mediocrity
Every day, hundreds of new games are dumped onto Steam, Windows Live, iOS App Store, Google Play Store—you name it. It’s like a digital landfill, and your game is just another piece of trash waiting to be buried. You think your pixel-art, roguelike, metroidvania game is unique? Please, you’re just another drop in an ocean of unoriginality.
The Visibility Scam – Pay to (Not) Play
Ah, you’ve launched your game. You’re on the front page of the app store for what, a day? Maybe two if you’re lucky? After that, you’re shoved into the digital abyss unless you shell out for ads. And let’s be clear, this isn’t an accident. The platforms want you to fail unless you pay. It’s a business model built on the crushed dreams of indie devs.
The Ad-ocalypse – Where Your Money Really Goes
You think buying ads will save you? Think again. You’re just feeding the beast. These platforms make more money from your desperate ad buys than they do from actually selling games. It’s like paying someone to kick you in the face and then thanking them for the privilege.
The Future – A Wasteland of Broken Dreams
What does this mean for the future of game development? Well, unless you’ve got a trust fund or a masochistic love for failure, it’s bleak. The indie game bubble is going to burst, and when it does, it’s going to leave a lot of casualties. The few that survive will be the ones who can navigate this rigged system, or those who are so innovative that they break the mold entirely. Good luck with that.
If you build it, no-one will care
The indie game dev market isn’t a nurturing environment where creativity thrives. It’s a gladiatorial arena, and the odds are stacked against you. So go ahead, throw your game into the ring. Just don’t be surprised when it gets eaten alive.
