you lost me at the " i need this game to do well or i am leaving the industry " you get praise , positive feedback constantly and earned alot of money that many devs never see in there life time but it feels like you are holding yours fans at ransom saying i need this new game to make me a ton of money or i am gone for good . if that is not enough it will never be enough

Just keep up, man. I've been a few months trying to remember your game. I showed it to my daughter some time back and was trying to get back to it. I'm glad you are better.

good job

Thank you for sharing your experience with us! I once watched your KZbin videos and started learning Unity. Now I make a living as a full-time indie app developer. In the near future, I'd like to work on game development. I can't wait to see your future projects :D

brother, there is no money or game or video or email that will fill that void. You have responsibilities but your work does not define you worth. We are all broken and fall down, I assure you, you're not alone. there is nothing you can do to make god not love you. do not give up just because times get tough, because the night doesn't last forever, the sun has to rise at some time. and your new game is probably boss, but there's always gameplay to work through and have adjusting. whether you stick to game dev or not know god loves you for where you're at and trust that it will work out because it will

Thanks for this video. Wishing you all the best for your new game. But that is just selfish because I want more games from you ;)

Haters always exist dont think about them

I know game dev industry is in a rough time so many people also I am unity developer maybe read rich dad poor dad

When the creator of a game believes in it so much, I believe in it too. Can't wait to see it!

You might be uncertain about your gamedev but be sure with your storytelling ❤

you can be the sweetest peach there is, but there will still be people who dont like peaches, not shure who said that but in any case, im proud of you David

5:38 O Alanzoka tá em todo lugar☠️

this is why you hire a social marketer who will happily deal with the customers and fans for you.

im working in my first game ever. Inspiring to see the struggle others go through as well and still make it out on top

David, I personally seriously appreciate you being so brave and honest in your videos. I can tell how much you care and that's a very difficult thing to discern in the current climate of marketing. (If you know the emotional manipulation tricks, you know what I mean.) I have faith that you are going to find your payoff, and then some. Either way, I would agree with your decision of putting you and your family first. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and games seem to be getting easier to make over time. Your return after a brief absence might prove that your ability and passion will be strengthened when you decide to return to what you love about it all. Recovery is just as important, if not more important sometimes than the work you put in. I say all of this as someone who has graduated from Full Sail in Game Design to make games; I found out just how difficult it is to break in the industry, attempt make good ones on your own, and tackle life responsibilities with a similar care for others you explain here. Finding the balance seems to be something the majority of the industry is struggling with. I dare the ones that doubt you or harshly criticize you to do what you've done-or to come even close. You can't replicate the way somebody cares. It has a genuine exclusivity about it. As best as I can say it, THANK YOU for keeping my dream alive by being a great example.

Hello David, It's great to see a new video from you and more importantly that you're well again! You have been a great inspiration for me in the past. In addition to my main job, I now also work as an indie game developer for VR applications and will be able to publish my game at the beginning of next year. Your burnout hit me hard at the time and was a sign for me to reduce my part-time job as an indie game developer. I can more than understand what has happened. I wish you every success for the future and much more importantly for you and your family. If you're at Gamescomin Germany, it might be worth getting in touch with Thomas from VoodooDE VR. He is the most successful KZbinr for VR games here and is also at GamesCom. Even if your game is not in VR, it might be worth contacting him. He also has an English-language channel. All the best!

Sometimes people forget that faith is one of the most powerful motivators... Have faith in yourself, have faith in the new generations, have faith in the future!! I am really looking forward to seeing your work!!! 😆

Hello David, It's great to see a new video from you and more importantly that you're well again! You have been a great inspiration for me in the past. In addition to my main job, I now also work as an indie game developer for VR applications and will be able to publish my game at the beginning of next year. Your burnout hit me hard at the time and was a sign for me to reduce my part-time job as an indie game developer. I can more than understand what has happened. I wish you every success for the future and much more importantly for you and your family. If you're at Gamescom in Germany, it might be worth getting in touch with Thomas from VoodooDE VR. He is the most successful KZbinr for VR games here and is also at GamesCom. Even if your game is not in VR, it might be worth contacting him. He also has an English-language channel. All the best!

People can be disgusting when it comes to people's successes. I will never understand this. I know that it is easier said than done, but keep trying to ignore the haters out there. You are not the one with the real issues; they are. Remember that. Keep doing what you love, and do it for yourself and nobody else. It will work out in the end.

I just wish we could chat, I literally was obsessed with my game idea and worked it for years until I realized that game dev was not for me. Being able to put it behind me was so positive for my life and I hope this new project either gives you the success you deserve or the closure you need

It is a big mistake to try to help everyone, it is simply physically impossible.

Damn man, world is a very hellish place for a pure hearted person like you. I hope everything works out for you.

Hey :) Just found your channel and oddly this is the first video I watched. I wish you all the best for your future, mental health and game success. Since you are coming to Germany, specifically to gamescom you might want to reach out to fellow german youtuber @HandOfBlood. He's co-owner of a firm called Instinct3 that manages influencers, but more importantly got into indie game publishing recently. A few weeks ago they released their first game TerraScape. I'm not sure if he will be attending gamescom this year, I also don't know if your game idea might work for them as publisher since they are fairly new to the industry. But since he is a great enjoyer of indie games himself and this whole publishing thing comes from a position of great passion for indie games you might want to give it a shot anyways. I wish you the best of luck. Hope you see this :) Edit: I just checked: Instinct3 will be in Hall2.2 at gamescom this year :)

Dang do I empathize with this burnout story.

I wish you best of luck, greetings from Berlin bro :)

Heartfelt and real. This is a rarity to find on the Internet these days. As always, thank you for doing what you do, and I hope, whatever the outcome, that you find happiness in it.

I'm so glad you're back. You're one of my inspirations as a solo game developer to achieve my dream of making my own successful video game. Haters will always exist. I think they just project their own frustrations onto other people, and they don't care how hurtful their comments can be. I hope you do well with this new game and have a wonderful time at Gamescom. No matter what you do in the future, do it for yourself and your family. You can't save everyone. If you can help someone, great, but don't put the pressure of helping everyone on yourself because it will consume you. You are a good man, husband, and father. I wish you the best, and I hope to see more videos from you.

My wife and I are passionate about game design and are exploring ideas for viral gameplay prototypes. We d love to connect with others who share our interest in innovative game development

Good luck David! I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you. Thoughts are with you, family, and also your passion for what you love doing. I hit a similar wall with music, then turned back to game dev. Have been working on Neyyah for over 6 years now with a Q1 2025 release window, and it’s insane the amount of work we do put on ourselves to make a dream, a vision, become reality. Hope this new game project finds you happiness and joy!

David, thank you for your hard work. You inspired me to start making my own game. I recognize myself in you, I think we are very similar, we love to create. When you disappeared from KZbin, I was saddened, trying to find out where you had gone. And I was very happy when I received an email from you. I'm really looking forward to your new game and I hope it will bring success and the opportunity to move on!

I'm one of your GDU students. Your videos about development and your honest story about the other side of indie development helped me tremendously in making my own decisions about what kind of Indie Dev I wanted to be. In the end I choose to just focus on that what I love the most, creating games! So now I'm creating ROM hacks, don't receive a single penny for that, but loving every minute of it. I would like to thank you for the big role you played in finding my way. I'm sure there are a lot of people like me. People you've never spoken or directly communicated with, but that were inspired and helped by all the work you did. Thank you for that! I wish you and your family all the best David. Regardless of the financial success of your newest game, it will be all right!

Thank you David for your honesty :D

You're good man David. pray you rock in your finished game. can't wait to celebrate with you

7:30 When I open Unity it makes me nauseous too 😂 #godot

go talk to bigmode!! i am sure they would publish you!

Looking forward to the game reveal!

Hey thanks for sharing. Good luck! Can't wait to see your game!

Stop trying to make people feel bad for you and focus on your craft

i don't like the last bit that came off as pity marketing (even if it wasn't meant to), there was no need to do that to us and yourself bruh and just gonna say that no offense but you could lose some weight man, you kinda chubby and that's not healthy for your age. hit the gym! btw getting into better shape will help you with mental issues too so it's a win-win for you

Nothing to be ashamed of, the job burns out the ppl, on average, in under 10 years.

It’s rough being a game dev these days but we do what we must.

I'm sorry but there are millions of people who have it way harder than you. Yet here you are making a video, telling all of us you're almost out of money and even when your closest friends tell you your new game looks like a cash grab, you straight up tell us you won't make any more games if it doesn't sell well.... Seriously.... What's the plan here??? Ooohhh poor boy, let's buy his next game so he can continue to live his rich kid live???? As a personal example, being a father and husband. Going through pancreatic cancer with daily extreme pain attacks. Very expensive and heavy pain medication, chemo, depression, burnout... If i would dare to take a vacation of more than 2 weeks a year, we wouldn't be able to pay rent for the house, pay the bills and pay for food... So i wonder what it is you're complaining about. Not to mention there are so many people who have it way worse than i have. Again, i'm sorry for you but if you're really out of money, you're the man in the house... Move your butt and go working like everyone else. Instead of this 😢😢😢 I'm out of money😢😢😢buy my new game😢😢😢 else i have to go working like everyone else 😢😢😢😢 PS. I don't mean to be rude with this comment. I like your game 'The First Tree'. It's just like... Man up! And find yourself a job with steady income for your wife and children.

A person recommended me this video, to see if it would help me with my struggles as a game dev.... but it became clear that yet again, it won't, because as always you live in a completely different world than I do. Your struggles are real, but at least you were able to finish a big game, you WERE able to find moderate success, even if it didn't last! You got to make money off of your game, you got to have atention for your game, I can't have any of that! I can't even get myself to finish anything above those insignificant game jam projects that never last more than a single week, let alone make the games that I actually want to make! it's hopeless, it's all hopeless, all my games are iredeemable garbage! I can never make my ideas real, I can never create anything, I can never make the games that inspire me to begin with, it's hell, it's torture! I hate myself!

I'm a pretty young guy and I've only been doing game dev for a few years but I've always struggled with the exact things you talk about, as far as being a "textbook people pleaser" and problems with imposter syndrome. It was so encouraging to hear that I'm not alone in the way that I feel about my skills and capabilities. Thanks for being so open.

you inspire people like me so never give up, never quit keep dreaming big sooner or later you'll be there

David ! Don't worry your game is going to be fire and do much better than the prev one Good Luck

damn, video is so deep.. it really made its way to my soul. hope you will feel better soon, good luck with your game and overall passion, I personally promise that I will try out your new game and leave a honest review about it. Good luck again!