Everything I Learned Releasing my First Game on Steam and Consoles

[@kylebanks]

Thank you so much to Skillshare for sponsoring this video, the first 500 people to use my link skl.sh/kylebanks11241 will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare premium!

[@isto_inc]

For a first release you absolutely crushed it SHEEEEEEEESH

[@isto_inc]

And don't forget how much of an advantage you get by finishing your game - a resuable codebase (huuuge advantage) and a deeper understanding of how to build a game

[@kylebanks]

thanks man! and absolutely, there's so much tooling and knowledge coming to my next game that's making it much more efficient

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Wohoo congrats on the successful release!

[@kylebanks]

Thanks man!

[@AIAdev]

Thanks for this advice Kyle. Hearing you talk about spending 2 years "finding the game" was really relatable.

[@kylebanks]

It's tough man, but if you ever want to chat or pick someone's brain I'm always happy to help :)

[@eyupylmaz9813]

Very, very relatable

[@theartsyduck9762]

wanted to say you did an amazing job on the game! The whole reason why I found you was because your videos. Watching you go through the struggles and learning how to do your game is entertaining and educational. can’t wait to see what you do in the future!

[@kylebanks]

Oh thank you very much, I really appreciate that

[@LostRelicGames]

Some of the best advice going around. You're a beast, all the best on the next proj!

[@endgamedevs]

From Alex Hormozi about business: Rich buy time Poor buy stuff Ambitious people spend time on skills Lazy people spend time on distractions This video made these points for game dev business. He shared skills he learned and how porting can be a skill that he can utilize in the future. Loved all the experienced shared in this video. Playtesting is huge and yes on playtesting now! Great video! I feel bad for anyone stressing making games. I don't think it should take 4 years or a lot of stress. I love my game dev career and have been doing it for 7 years. There is so much freedom from Game Dev. Could make more as a software engineer but I would die doing a cubicle job.

[@valentinl415]

Great video Kyle, really cool to have more business oriented video concerning game development! People often forget that it is also a product that need to be sold and promoted even if it's so much fun to make

[@kylebanks]

Thanks Valentin, I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[@zy-blade]

Yup, tail physics was worth it =) Feels more natural. You won't recognize or mention it if it feels natural, but it can look stiff without it. Congrats for releasing your game!

[@Skeffles]

Looks like the release went really well so hearing your full experience is really great! In particular hearing about your marketing and how you view each platform.

[@Husmanmusic]

Invaluable information once again!

[@kylebanks]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AaronGwynaireGameDev]

I really understand you with the last crunch times … Currently on the last hurdle of releasing my first game, and I’m on it for hours right now to make sure everything gets done! 5v/ 5.30 starts, working til 11pm / 1am. I do have a deadline with a publisher though, and being pretty much solo on all the game creation, things have to get done. It’s also such a great feeling seeing everything get done. I am really looking forward to that break after release though! lol

[@VyvyanTheGreat]

My biggest advice for indie devs: avoid making games/genres that rely on "single-use content". OH you have some super cool puzzle that took you a month to make? Well guess what, the player just breezed through it in 2 minutes.

[@kylebanks]

Yeah this is a great way to put it

[@mandisaw]

Also important to understand the high-low-median revenues for your game, and tailor your budget (both time & money) accordingly. I remember rooting for this game during development, but I'm floored by the budget - $100k for an adventure game not counting labor 😧

[@OliM3gALP]

Cool video, thank you! I love to hear feedback from indie game devs on their release as it demystifies the whole indie game dev world. You talked about the planning of your game and the hardships it came with and I was wondering if you plan to make a video centered more specifically about planning of games, involving GDDs and whatnot.

[@NitruLoL]

Thanks for not just repeating the same old tips that every other dev video always gives

[@chrisdanelon]

Amazing video. As a dev who just launched a new game this is eye opening. I've never heard of mock reviews but that is a great idea moving forward!

[@Felik18]

Thank you so much for this video, it was very interesting and informative. Looking forward to you talking more about making art for the game and about how you handled patreon.

[@EmeraldStudioSweden]

Congrats on your big release!!

[@s4bishii]

Thanks for all the detailed insights Kyle, learned a lot!

[@kylebanks]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gamersheadquarters2114]

Fantastic video man.. full of valuable words.. as a guy who is making my first game I really needed it.. kyle can you please make a video about publishing and marketing the game.. I'm really struggling with these two...💓💓

[@TheRealGameCompany]

Congrats kyle, time for some well deserved rest. Cant wait to see your next project

[@TheEnjenirGame]

Great video and really insightful, as always!

[@kylebanks]

Much appreciated!

[@Paraderis]

Thanks for this video. There are very interesting thoughts, especially about play testing and scope.

[@heshjohans5331]

I bet now the fruits of your labor and crunch taste the sweetest .. 😍 Good job man..

[@DeputyChiefWhip]

Excellent down to earth and valuable video for a new gamedev/business owner.

[@TheShelfman]

Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing all this, Kyle!

[@kylebanks]

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed!

[@regularmenthol]

Hey thanks for this video I love these type of post-analysis things they're so helpful and informative. I did have a couple questions about your experience- first off when you talk about expenses and running up bills, do you mean in regards to specific services you paid for or are you just talking about the extended dev cycle eating into your time/lowering your income? Also curious in the 4 years (huge congrats on sticking with it) were you like full-time dev'ing? Did you need to take on freelance at all? Were there periods where you idk got depressed or whatever life got in the way and so you weren't able to dedicate 8 hours/day or did you just push through for the most part and do 40 hour weeks? Thanks again for all the insight and good luck with the next one!

[@jzeltman]

Really great advice and lessons learned. Thanks for sharing

[@kylebanks]

My pleasure!

[@adamcolon]

I'm working on my first game, AI:Emergence (running title). I've cut costs down to a budget of around $50 a month. I work on it at night and on weekends and I've got an order of magnitude further than what I expected based on videos i've seen on solo indie game development. By keeping my costs down to almost nothing, I have infinite runtime... but by keeping focused on what matters I've managed to squeeze out efficiency even with my short hours on it each week. Thank you for sharing this video!

[@raphaeld9270]

I'm pretty interested in that. I suppose that you do get a few hous a day at night while getting enough good sleep? What do you mean by a budget of 50$ a month. What do you include in that, and what do you exclude? I suppose that salary is out of the question, but what else have you moved to later, or plain excluded. Thanks in advance for your response, and have a great day.

[@adamcolon]

@@raphaeld9270 sorry i hit enter before i was done. So music/audio i spent about $100 on but next month i won't spend anything as i code/build systems. (black friday sale, couldn't resist) So far i'm finding that there are very few things i can't build myself, or teach myself to create in a reasonable amount of time. I just choose to learn it and shut down the voice in my head that is negative self talk... i just do it. My ongoing focus is not on building things but on building things that spawn things.... frameworks. So to start with a designed and implemented a virtual math based grid system to segment the world into a 1000x1000x1000 unit grid... with sub grids and sub grids of subrdids like a fractal of grid subdivisions. this allows me to spawn things in a precise way while being able to track and address them by location in the grid and level of grid. I use a perlin fractal noise formula to deterministically spawn things in the world... this way it appears semi random but i can share the seed with other players to easily create an objective multiplayer world. this system allows me to treat a single grid area (level 1) as a region that the player exists in, and i don't have to worry about objects or entities outside about 1 grid area view distance away. so any other player or simulated entity that i want to interact has to be in the same grid area for it to matter... keeps things super organized and managed... for optimal performance. I get about 2 hours at night to work on this... not much... and the entire weekend (i have a very understanding and supportive girlfriend). Essentially, i don't budget... i simply try to spend nothing and do it all myself... but sometimes, if there's a deal, i splurge a little as a shortcut. However, 9 times out of 10, someone else's asset is just not good enough for what i'm building and i have to recreate or rewrite it... but it gives me a clearer vision of what I want to create.

[@sumantpatel7262]

Thank you for sharing that sir.

[@QuioGoyo]

Thanks a lot for sharing this.

[@codelupo]

Thank you for the amazing video! Motivational 😸

[@rmt3589]

Can we get a part 2?

[@thepolyglotprogrammer]

You talk about having to create new mechanics and etc because of genre of the game, but what is your take of using third party assets in your game as a solo game developer, what is your take on that? Those being art assets or tools and programming assets that could save you time instead of having to create a brand new system from scratch?

[@dapperdogdigital6902]

This was very relateable. We released our first game this year after a 4 year development cycle. 55k Wishlists on release and we still have 55k wishlists. Sadly we are not doing well. Not sure how to move forward or how to fix our marketing issue.

[@raphaeld9270]

Just learned of your game and I'll try the demo, but I do find that last trailer on steam (the "you are my dog last hope, BEK") get the blood pumping in a good way. And the game looks to me like a Hollow Knight inspired twin-stick Metroidvania. What was you conversion rate wishlist-to-buy on launch? As a stable~ish wishlist count mostly tell a similar amount of sales and new wishlists, not the actual sale amount.

[@dapperdogdigital6902]

@@raphaeld9270our conversion rate was 3%. Definitely lower than we anticipated. We launched July 31st.

[@Giac_of_all_trades]

I appreciate you too! This was incredibly insightful. Btw, i just came from a walk outside. Idk if my game is better because of it, but it sure is beautiful having the time not to think about it for a while.

[@cvhamilton5]

Great video!

[@kylebanks]

Thanks!

[@punkrachmaninoff]

Finally!!! The spiritual sequel to Sheep on GBA!!!! Congratulations on your launch!!!

[@dmadalengoitia]

Interesting video! Sorry, what's the game on the right on 4:57 ?

[@kylebanks]

Thanks! The horror game is Resident Evil 2 remake, the puzzle game is Mind Over Magnet

[@JP11155]

Amazing video, I really enjoyed watching it! How did you initially come up with the idea for your game Farewell North? I've been wanting to dive into making a game of my own. However, I've struggled to come up with something that I want my game to be about as so far I've only been able to think of a generalized genre I'm going for.

[@kylebanks]

Thanks! Hmm good question, but honestly I wouldn't consider my path with Farewell North to be a great blueprint to follow. It took a long time and a lot of wrong paths to nail down the idea. It started as a completely different game and went through many many iterations before it resembled anything like it ended up. Taking a bit more time before jumping into development to not only do market research as I mentioned in the video, but also planning the mechanics, the game loop, the setting and themes from the outset would have been a much better path and what I'm doing going forward

[@Drillbox_1989]

P.S the grand father lore was unironically mind numbing. I just thought it was just a credit thing (like "in memory of my ... so and so") but it actually had story elements related to it is just brilliant, almost like the guy who always finds puns in quick conversations.. kind of weird comparison but its how I feel about it

[@homegrownheroz]

Interesting video! Thank you. What's the game on right at 5:02 in BTW?

[@kylebanks]

Ohh The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, it's very good, highly recommend it

[@Snow_Crab]

Where did you get $100,000?

[@omritahar9048]

I have been following you for quite a while man and I truly admire your work. I think that with your insane programming skills, you can easily find a ridiculous (salary wise) corporate part time job and work on your games care free (As much as possible 😅) OR get a full time job again, give it a few "investing in your future games funding" years and go full indie once again. My point is - I personally know programmers with 10% of you firepower that makes amazing money and I would love to hear your opinion on this

[@kylebanks]

That's definitely an option! Thankfully I was a software engineer/tech lead for 12+ years and have a lot of contacts to fall back on, which acts as a nice safety net in case things get rough, but for now I can comfortably manage full time on games

[@NexusBaum]

that's some great advice!

[@TheBagContainsWHAT]

Amazing video! Where did you find the list of game events and festivals? Would help a lot, thanks :)

[@kylebanks]

The list I showed is past events from my steam analytics, but for upcoming events there's a spreadsheet in the How to Market a Game discord

[@TheBagContainsWHAT]

@@kylebanks Thanks, found the spreadsheet. Didn't realize there were so many events I didn't know about!

[@majoramarix]

I'm a Linux user 🙋‍♂ Cool game dude!

[@kylebanks]

Thanks! 🐧

[@boshty]

I've seen a few of these types of videos where Switch sales made up the majority of the profit. So porting to at least Switch is worth it.

[@bigfin20]

straight facts for 18 minutes

[@GingerCat_Studios]

nice tips

[@Cesar_M_Romero]

Hey Kyle! How do you playtest? Do you use any playtesting service, Steam, you have your own way of doing it I don’t know anything about?

[@kylebanks]

I use Steam's Playtest feature to distribute builds, and private discord channels to manage the playtests with forums for bug reports and suggestions

[@fille.imgnry]

Nice video!

[@Kenbomp]

Seems like some form of grey boxing game play works

[@Guywiththetypewriter]

A piece of knowledge I'd appreciate as an faq or follow up in the comments is that steam deck verification is (most , if not all the time) more or less Linux porting, as the Deck is just an immutable Linux Distro with extra steps :D

[@kylebanks]

Not really, steam deck is very happy to run your windows build through proton, which is far different to actually creating native Linux builds

[@Guywiththetypewriter]

Absolutly correct which, as someone who games on Linux, is how we play 95% of our steam library. 😅 Our community honestly does not expect native support. But we find out its deck verified? We rejoice! If it works on steam deck, it is a very rare day it doesn't work on Linux's steam. As, like you quite rightly say, it uses proton ^_^ Thanks to steam deck I've been able to enjoy Helldivers 2, Space marine 2, Frost Punk 2 (so many sequels this year haha) with literally no issues. In fact there was at launch an issue with Space Marine 2, but it was fixed for Linux as it was also broke on steam deck. The steam deck fix also fixed Linux ^_^ Best way I sum it up is that, honestly, steam deck is just an altered arch Linux distro with the proton version of steam on top as the UI. Almost identical gaming workflow as any non quirky Linux distro ^_^ Either way so glad you've released mate. I grew up with only Border Collies as our family dog. Needless to say this one's been erm... its been emotional 🥺🫂 And on the technical side, your world streaming? *chef kiss

[@schaefsky]

Can you elaborate what your budget went to? I assume art mostly?

[@kylebanks]

In no particular order: marketing, music, animation, lawyers (for grants and publisher contracts), localisation and voice acting were the top expenses

[@lucas_pscheidt]

60k wishlists with only 270 sounds crazy! Why do you think you sold so little compared to your amazing wishlist number? And also, how did you manage to get so many wishlists, what strategy was most effective in your opinion?

[@GhulamMuhammad-nw8zu]

What do you think what are the best cources on skill share for game design and development

[@robertrobert88887]

another video with mistakes and lessons please.

[@NexusBaum]

where would I look for paid mock reviews btw?

[@kylebanks]

Oh good question, my publisher handled arranging that but since learning about it I've seen several journalists on twitter/bluesky mentioning they're available for mock reviews so I'd probably search there

[@NexusBaum]

@@kylebanks thx!

[@subomiayo8938]

What discord can I join to know about games

[@robertrobert88887]

thanks for nice video

[@luckyboy5nu]

"You know what you can't put a price on? Knowledge!" (0:10) This video is sponsored by Skillshare..

[@nemo9396]

I started developing my game in uh.... 2020

[@leotaku5216]

17:16 I'm never fully convinced by these kind of appeals... because obviously you did "tough it out"? So it is possible? You might not recommend it to anyone, but it worked out and lead to something great. Congratulations on the release btw!

[@Drillbox_1989]

Hey! I enjoyed very much. Also while cutting costs why don't you work with devs from India, like me. I am perusing deep learning and have done courses on full stack development. I know guys in the business who are experienced professionals who charge substantially low compared to the western counter parts. Please consider this

[@crystalgames7744]

5:40 I think this is higly subjective and can have very different opinions. Ever heard of Rain World? It is THE most unique game you can ever play. So 40% of ppl hate it and 50% love it. With a 10% that don't like it but respects it for what it is. What I'm trying to say is, don't be afraid to make a unique game as long as you know what you want it to be and you love making it! That passion will be visible for the others. I personally am sick of playing the same genres over and over again, and that made me put Rain World on the top 5 games for me. (as well as how fun and well made it is)

[@HammaGaming]

Thanks for sharing your journey😊 it’s super inspiring! I’m an indie dev too, working on my first game, Leave. It’s in the vein of Inside and Little Nightmares, with its own unique twist. I just shared the trailer on my channel 🎥🎬 would love to hear your thoughts. Wishing you all the best! 💖

[@pushingpandas6479]

I searched skillshare for kyle banks but there aint not courses from you?

[@kylebanks]

Oh I don't teach on Skillshare, I just use it as a learner :) They sponsored the video and are offering a 1 month free trial to anyone who follows the pinned link

[@pushingpandas6479]

@ ohhhhh i was hoping to see tutorial about farewell north

[@kylebanks]

ah sorry, you can check my previous video here on KZbin though which has a tutorial on the colour effect if that's what you're after

[@videorowtv5198]

I can't even imagine spending 100k on developing a game, my yearly salary is 16k lol

[@random_precision_software]

Do you need a pro license for Xbox?

[@realKluki]

18:23 nah

[@kylebanks]

fair enough

[@moejahi3d3]

Could you make a vid on why it costed you 100k+ to make? And that's excluding your salary. Sounds like a lot, think a vid about thst could be cool and very informative.

[@nights312312]

Great video. Love how you ripped the stamina wheel 100% from BOTW lol

[@LuckyRaphi]

Every successful dev on KZbin goes into burnout but all of them say don't do it. maybe that's the secret 😂

[@635574]

Ports situation changes heavily by the engine(including the physics engine). Some are PC only while console API are closed source so you would at best have to outsource it if you're using Godot. Because there are porting studios that have closed source branches for this.

[@DerSolinski]

Ah yes the "it won't sell until it's on sale" myth... There is a very easy solution to that, never do a sale period. But you need to convey that to your customers too, and clearly state it won't be on sale, aka it's not getting cheaper ever. This makes the best time to buy it "now" and not "ah maybe I get it on sale". Don't believe that works? Well ask Wube, they never regretted it.

[@kylebanks]

There are exceptions to every rule, chances are you're not making Factorio though.

[@DerSolinski]

@kylebanks true. However indie title tend to be priced fairly, often even undervalued. Combine this with a sale and it completely shifts the perceived value bias. A low-ball price also hurts sales because people don't take it seriously, after all "what could I gain from this cheap thing other than trash" resulting in a sale but a orphan tiltle in the library never played. Pricing is a very complicated topic. There are a myriad of factors and strategies but a lot of those need constant and active marketing. This isn't something a indie studio could and should afford there is no ROI in that. A fair, stable price set once is still the best option in most cases. If you feel confident in your next title try Wubes approach.