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Why do some indie games fail?

In this latest in the Ask Indies, where we ask indie games developers one question related to indie games. We asked, why do indie games fail?

The Ask Indies series is a great chance to get the answers straight from the experts on indie games. It’s also an opportunity for indie devs to update the community on their projects and progress. If you are interested in putting a question to the community then make sure to leave a comment, we’d be happy to put it to the devs. If you’d like to join our community of devs to answer Ask Indies in the future, drop us a line. So let’s put it to the guys who will know: Why do indie games fail?

Bradley Smith, Creative Director and Co-Founder at Miracle Tea. Currently working on: Alula

‘Why some games fail depends entirely how you define failure. For me I see over scoping as a form of failure. Also repeating the same mistakes from my past and not learning from those mistakes I also associate as failure. If a game makes no money or has no players that isn’t always a failure in my eyes. Especially if you learn a lot from that game or if it’s doing something different or if a single person gets some value from it.’ ‘Why an indie game might fail in the commercial sense could be down to a number of different variables though, some of which are out of your control others are in your control. I think, generally though, the things that play are part are how polished a game is to a degree, how good it feels, the timing in which it’s released, how well it’s marketed, if the market want your kind of game, where you’ve launched it, how well scoped it is, who worked on it, who published or didn’t publish it, how it stands out from other games, what subject matter it deals with, the team that made it, if the game is even finished or is fun etc etc. There’s so many moving parts at play.’ ‘I feel like there’s an element of luck involved with a hit game and there’s almost no way of predicting if you game is going to be a success. Though you can increase the chance of your success with persistence and hard work and just continuing to make games and grow and learn over time.’

JULIA NOLAN, INTEGRAL STUDIOS, GAME DEVELOPER. CURRENTLY WORKING ON: EIDOLON.

‘There isn’t any one reason! Sometimes the game isn’t a very good game (game design is super difficult!). Sometimes people don’t know where to find the game (marketing is also super tough!)’ ‘I think luck is a huge portion of the success, especially for Indies. A good review can make a game, as can an idea that appeals just enough to a player that they tell three friends about it and so on and so on. I’ve played great games that have “failed” (at least from a financial perspective) and mediocre ones that have done phenomenally well, so there’s definitely a huge element in just being in the right place at the right time with the right concept.’

JUSTIN FRENCH, DREAM HARVEST, CEO/CREATIVE DIRECTOR. CURRENTLY WORKING ON: NEUROSLICERS

‘The question should probably be rephrase to Why do MOST indie games fail? The truth is, the average game on steam makes little more than $16K in its first year on sale; barely enough for one developer to feed themselves ramen noodles and live in a cupboard. Most games barely make it past the couple of hundred or thousand dollar mark. The issue is the market is flooded with amateurs and hobbyists that have no idea how to make a commercially successful game. ‘Time and time again we’re seeing games launch and fail (Not just Indie!) due to a wide variety of reasons such as:

1. No pre-launch marketing and community building so no one knows about the game
2. Launching at the wrong time so everyone is pre-occupied with something else
3. The game doesn’t look/feel polished enough
4. The game is something no one wants to play due to visuals/mechanics/narrative not hitting a chord / resonating with anyone (Lack of market research)
5. The Pricing strategy is wrong
6. The game is riddled with technical issues on launch
7. The game is overhyped pre-launch leading to a high level of overly critical/negative reception
8. Developers are un-responsive to their player base or respond to negative criticism in an ineffective way causing a loss of trust.’

‘The list could probably go on, but the vital thing to note is that most, if not all of these points can be mitigated by effectively building and communicating with your community as early as possible. Most, if not all successful indie games have planning in place for the above and do their market research to understand where their product sits among other similar products. It’s all about mitigating risk as best you can. But nothing is more powerful than understanding your potential player base, letting them test early and often and turning them into an organic marketing voice for your brand and IP. Read more about the process and benefits of early, pre-launch community building via an article I wrote.‘

HARRY COLE, EDITOR OF Into Indie Games. CURRENTLY WORKING ON: Into Indie Games

This is a tough one but it’s a reality that many indie games will struggle to make an impact. Some games can do everything right and still not reach success. One thing Indies can get wrong is to create the game that they think people want. Do what you want to do and be true to yourself, make a game that you love and be original. Make sure to do your research and plan out a strategic project, something that is manageable and have realistic expectations.

DAN BERNARDO, GAME DIRECTOR PLAYTRA. CURRENTLY WORKING ON GRID FIGHT, AN ACTION/STRATEGY GAME FOR SWITCH

Internally, I think the biggest contributor is the lack of clarity. Many times you have very talented teams but each member is creating their own interpretation of the game without a unifying vision. Even if the team works as one and deliver a great game, there are so many external factors that could cause great indie projects to starve for an audience. In these days and age, the biggest is visibility. We are living in a moment when there’s no shortage of choice. Quality Indies end up victims of other games that may not be objectively better but have a bigger marketing budget.

DOMENEC CLARET,  INDIE GAME DEVELOPER. CURRENTLY WORKING ON DUME

The hardest thing about creating a game when you are alone is finishing it.  Combine family life, work and create is very complicated.  There are better times and other times when you would quit. The best thing is to be clear about your possibilities, not wanting to do more than you can do and be realistic. Create what you want by trying to drop expectations.  But above all, enjoy doing it.

SOFI NAYDENOVA, CREATOR OF HAPPYDOGGOSTUDIO. CURRENTLY WORKING ON: A SMALL VISUAL NOVEL 

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. Anyway, I guess you can know this by trial and error, I also don’t know the concrete answer to this question!

MARCOS CEVALLOS, DEVELOPER AT LINKUP GAMES. CURRENTLY WORKING ON: ULTIMATE REALITY, A 2D PIXEL ART PLATFORMER FIGHTER.

The main reasons indie games fail are over saturation and the lack of marketing. The indie gaming scene has grown exponentially with new games coming out every day. With so many games to choose from it is hard to stand out without a unique selling point. This is why many recommend marketing a game early in development as this can help with the exposure of any game. However, marketing consumes a lot of time and money that could be used for the development process. With so many marketing strategies out there, gaming studios have to adapt to the one that suits their game the most. Most of the times the marketing falls short for a game, making the game a tough sell. One of the best ways to keep a game afloat is to build a small community that are very invested in the game. This will prevent an indie game from failing and also allow for “spin offs” or sequeles based on any particular game with an already established following.

Perry Monschau, Co-Director, Nysko Games. Currently working on: The Dwarves of Glistenveld

I think one of the most problematic areas for indies is marketing. At the end of the day, it’s hard to see your product through the eyes of someone who’s never seen or heard of the game or yourself before. That’s the bottom line if you want to improve your traffic.

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Thanks for reading Why do some indie games fail? For more interesting articles on the indie games industry, check out the links below. 

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CHILDREN OF SILENTOWN WALKTHROUGH – CHAPTER 1 (BALL, SAUCEPAN, 

FIREWOOD)

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