The Secret to Naming Your Indie Game (and selling millions)

[@daimomaycry]

This got me thinking about how good of a title ULTRAKILL is for that game because of how iconic the word is in gaming history as a whole and especially in the fps genre where the word has been used extremely often to indicate a high killstreak in games such as counter strike, quake and many others so when you read the title ULTRAKILL your gamer brain immediately picks up on the idea of a fast paced boomer shooter like quake or doom which is exactly what the game is all about. That's a genius because on top of it being a simple and iconic title it also tells the viewer exactly what type of game they are getting into.

[@infinityyworks]

ultrakill mentioned 🗣 🗣 💯

[@mattdavisgames]

Great overview, and I like seeing you talk to camera! Very relaxed vibe. I think Dredge also benefits from being a slightly unfamiliar word that sounds like a more familiar word (Dread) with an appropriate association.

[@moomoomang]

Yeah that's true. Almost counts and subconscious association? It's a great name.

[@morgan0]

also drudge maybe

[@gameworkerty]

Always avoid FireSoulsFallTitanDarkFall syndrome

[@moomoomang]

FSFTDF

[@KaliTakumi]

Watching this to make sure I didn't give my games bad names

[@Rai2M]

Want to know what do most devs do? Get top10 games. Find the keywords, like "clash", "puzzle", "royal" etcetcetc. Push those words randomly into your game name. That's it. For example: Clash of [Titans, Kins, Warlords, Smileys, Gremlins]: Royal Puzzle

[@tonin8499]

Oh man the ARMS soundtrack in the background I love it. No one talks enough about that game (very well named btw)

[@moomoomang]

I'm glad someone noticed!

[@tuopi27]

you would never guess what the central mechanic is

[@athmaid]

My Friend Pedro kinda reminds me of My Neighbour Totoro, maybe that's why it works

[@moomoomang]

True! The more I thought about it, it ticks a lot of boxes. It also sets the tone and leaves you intrigued. I might have to

[@HunterMayer]

That's good. I got hung up on Napoleon Dynamite character...

[@thezenv]

@@HunterMayer yeah me too because napoleon has a friend named pedro

[@ALemming]

Wonderful video. KZbin algorithm, share this video with more people.

[@ruolbu]

it happened

[@Runegrem]

I like The World Ends with You. It's unique.

[@kyecaven]

No way this only has 48 views this is quality stuff all around my guy.

[@moomoomang]

Thanks 😊

[@gameworkerty]

With subconscious association i always think about the renaming of 'Doc and Mharti' to 'Rick and Morty' (Brick and Mortar)

[@moomoomang]

Yeah damn that's a really good example! I should use that

[@RAFMnBgaming]

Interestingly I remember finding a TTRPG called Brick and Mortar and it's a name I've remembered.

[@mandisaw]

Great take! Two things: I'd change genre name to genre keywords, and add localization considerations. I'm working on a tactical RPG, but the genre is also known as strategy RPG or SRPG (or *simulation* RPG, in Japan), and many players just know it as "X-Com-like" (or Final Fantasy Tactics-like, Ogre Battle, etc). Parallel evolution at work 😅 Sometimes you'll see certain keywords used as signifiers, like "kingdoms", "war[s]", or "tactics", to flag the genre, rather than the genre name itself. Localization is important too - having a cool name is great, but if folks in your target markets can't pronounce it, won't make the same associations, or worse, if it's offensive, you're leaving money on the table.

[@moomoomang]

These are both fantastic points! I've been having lots of conversations with people about subgenre signifiers, specifically in steam short descriptions. Recently, I saw a game that billed itself as a "broken build roguelike", and I thought that was really evocative

[@mandisaw]

@@moomoomang It's a tricky balance to strike - not everyone is "in the know" with some of those signifiers, and people can disagree on what a term means (or what defines a genre). Luckily(?) I think a lot of people get their initial reaction from the key art (or KZbin thumbnail), even before the actual title registers mentally. So in that case, as long as you can encapsulate your genre (plus theme/setting/maybe tone) in the key art, you've got wiggle room on the title & capsule description.

[@deadstroyer952]

my mind always returns to this idea, i think from an episode of zero punctuation. the "living room test". basically, if it doesn't feel weird to yell the name across your living room to a friend, it passes the test.

[@Wayrail]

I Think this was placed in my recommended because of my recent enthusiasm with enter the gungeon. Some of my favourite indie games have the smallest names; Terraria, Celeste, Fez, Tunic, Thumper. Subnautica is also such a cool name as well, Then there's the 'verb/noun' that again can be a double edged sword in how effective it is. Smash Hit, Hollow Knight, Rain World, Lethal Company, Pacific Drive. These are just games i have in my own library so i'm sure there's so many more unique names i'm unaware of yet. Unfortunately i am nowhere near educated enough in game development to even consider the name of my own game but i do certainly appreciate the elements of design that go into creating one whether it be visual style, gameplay or even the logo of the game itself

[@ShadowKestrel]

- called Brittain - is Australian smh my head

[@SchizoidPersonoid]

just call it [Noun]fall and be done with it

[@snowballtheanvil]

gravity falls oh wait-

[@Runegrem]

I recently played a game called Greedfall.

[@SchizoidPersonoid]

@@Runegrem Good game. Looking forward to the sequel.

[@robertmcdowell6084]

"I'm tellin ya, the titans really do fall."

[@musicrocks0138]

Underfall Falltale Earthfall FallBound

[@elifry1478]

This helped me come up with my game name, all in less than 10 minutes! Thank you!

[@moomoomang]

Awesome I'm so glad it helped!

[@noyza2132]

competitive games need a good and unique acronym

[@moomoomang]

That's actually a decent point! Or just a single word title/abbreviation

[@Skeffles]

Very interesting points. I've been pondering some game names, and this has made me rethink a few options I have.

[@ankelive8903]

I tend to get drawn in by longer names (and sometimes names alone), like "The Sea will claim Everything" or "I have no Mouth, and I must Scream." The title alone makes me want to find out the "why" behind it.

[@moomoomang]

Interesting! I get what you mean

[@dylanlodge4905]

DesertChild: sounds a lot better than BlackChild

[@moomoomang]

Uh oh hahaha

[@justjulia1720]

"BlackChild" makes me think "So I play as a black person in their childhood or what?"

[@moldman5694]

Clearly you've never played the masterpiece that is Black Baby

[@SunnyCress]

great video, loved the pacing and content i hope it reaches more people!

[@moomoomang]

Thank you!

[@Yes-bm4vn]

Hey, just tuned in to tell you I really like the thumbnail for this video. Not many people realize how important it is to make simple, not distracting thumbnails that catch viewer's eye and carry the message of the video. Just some feedback from me, good job! Now I gotta watch the vid :D

[@moomoomang]

Wow thanks! I wish I could say it was as much work as the video haha

[@spudrat]

dude this is a fantastic video

[@moomoomang]

Thanks 🙏

[@ileryon4019]

"my friend pedro" is very intriguing. Who is Pedro? Why is he a title? WHy is he his friend? Whjy he important?! and then we learn

[@BlackMesaEmployee]

i called my game 'Build Fight Game' as a working title but it stuck. i think it's sincere and it works, even if its probably a dumb name.

[@moomoomang]

I thank that's a great word for when it just works, Sincere. Your game looks cool!

[@BlackMesaEmployee]

@@moomoomang thanks :D

[@MarcosLacouture]

This video is awesome bro should have more views fs

[@FrostedMike]

Currently working on my own solo indie which doesn't have a name yet. This video came in clutch. It is a game I originally made in a game jam so I just threw in a name that just works: Power Stress. This is a puzzle game where you have to reactivate a reactor in a limited amount of time. At least originally, I couldn't get the time limit to work in time so the game is very chill of it's name. Just another game jam... Now that I plan on expending this small game, the "Stress" is mostly in the narrative and the story but I still want to express the "dire need for power" through gameplay. The scope is also much more ambitious now to the point it's a trilogy of games, so "Power Stress" is more of a sub title than the full title... If you fix the power issues in the first game, it doesn't make sense to have the same issue in the next game. The issue in the next game suppose to be larger than running out of power.

[@moomoomang]

I like The Dire Need For Power as a name 😂

[@FrostedMike]

@@moomoomang I like it less. "Power" in this context means "electricity to keep things working", and in the game it's your job to not only maintain the last remaining energy you have left it but to find a new source of power. I am also mostly looking for the franchise name rather than the sub-title of the first game. I'm looking for the "Prince of Persia" in "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time".

[@kacperkonieczny7333]

​@@FrostedMike"Running out off power", "Keep the lights on", "Have electricity", "Electricity required", "Have power for the next day" - something like these? It think the best way to find a title would be by writing out what the game/s will be about and then writing words that are connected to it. Then from those words and theirs synonyms, making random couples iterating on those that sound interesting.

[@butlazgazempropan-butan11k87]

​@@FrostedMike Power reactor: the last hope And for the second game something like Power reactor: A new source

[@strategicstupidity6018]

here to boost the algorithm ❤️

[@REXanadu]

I feel like these rules only have to be followed by indie devs, since there's no way I would have bought a game called 'Genshin Impact' if I found out it was a top-down roguelite made by 7 people

[@Tahycoon]

We named our gaming studio We Need A Name Studios xD

[@Rai2M]

I'm just curious how many (please name the titles) successfully titled games did Oscar make? I would also like to hear an explanation why is StarCraft a nice and best-selling name of the game and StarHammer isn't?

[@DerekPerlurrl]

That's a pretty good take - StarCraft is nothing about crafting, if I didn't know anything about the game I might have confused it with something like Starbound or some such. I'd say that most of the points Oscar talked about in the video are about making it in an oversaturated market as it is today rather than the market as it was 25/30 years ago. StarCraft might have piggybacked from Warcraft, which coincidentially are from the same developers, which were THE BEST in the early 2000s, association!

[@borb5353]

used to be so jealous of names like "dying light", "left 4 dead", "titanfall", "bloodborne", "dark souls", etc but i came up with pretty damn good ones myself so all is good

[@riemerdijkstra5974]

"Jhon Digwood". I just misspelled a popular first name in English and added some nonsense words after it and somehow it works

[@brmawe]

Great video, how about the word: Emergence? I think the word itself adds intrigue of what is exactly well emerging, what's on the horizon, or below.

[@moomoomang]

Yeah maybe. It also sounds like emergency, so there's tension there

[@jonolas1626]

What do you think of the name for my game (in early development still)? I'm pretty proud, it's "Eurydice in the Abyss"

[@moomoomang]

Eurydice is one of those names people pronounce differently all the time, so maybe keep that in mind?

[@jonolas1626]

@@moomoomang Oh, thanks for the tip. The characters actually joke about that at some point. The thing is I like the rhyme (also it's a rythm action game) and the little alliteration with the "y", which visually works great. It also points to the dark retelling of the myth and the importance of the narrative.

[@ShrikeGFX]

That is actually good content

[@moomoomang]

Thanks!

[@hotpocketsat2am]

i’m probably biased, but i really do like the name of outer wilds. it quickly sums up the premise. there’s something out there, and you’re gonna have to head into the thicket to find it. you’re gonna be the first to do this, simply from being the right guy, at the right spot, at the right time.

[@moomoomang]

I think the two big aspects of that game that could be better covered by its title would be that it's a sci-fi theme and mostly about problem solving. Also, I think "wild" has connotations of animals, food chains, and violence, which isn't a part of the game (I think, I haven't played it)

[@hotpocketsat2am]

@@moomoomang yeah there’s no animals and stuff. i wouldn’t really call it sci-fi though. it does technically fit the genre, but the game goes more for the aesthetics of old crumbling ruins and and and ramshackle technology so unsafe it’s a miracle nobody’s died yet.

[@that1gamurguy-91]

We don’t talk about mon yu

[@dark11demon11]

I named it as "Only High" it was inspired by Only Up

[@Trianull]

Hmm, you've got me rethinking "Legend of the Sun" as my title, even if the point is to be very similar to the Legend of Zelda series. Nothing else I can think of has the same punch to it though...

[@moomoomang]

Try brainstorm a bunch of related mechanics words, then run those through a thesaurus. Helps me a lot

[@FrostedMike]

I just read your title and "Legend of the Sun" sounds to me like a game with it's narrative as it's main selling point. A story revolving about the Sun or a "Sun deity". It sounds like an open world game only if I associate it with Legend of Zelda, but to me it doesn't sound like a similar game. I get a linear storytelling feeling from "Legend of the Sun" for some reason. Actually, I can't even tell if we spend our time outside with the Sun shining bright or we spend all of our time where the Sun doesn't shine at all and we dream of getting some Sun light at the end of the game.

[@Trianull]

@@FrostedMike Perhaps I don't need to change it after all, since you're quite close! My short description for it is: "A young island girl rises up to restore the shattered sun scattered across her homeland. Conquer dungeons, discover the island's secrets, and fight back against the mysterious force behind the sun's destruction." There's a lot of island history to uncover (if you so choose), and the main conflict does have a back-and-forth to it. It does also follow a linear structure on a macro scale. Maybe I could send out a poll or something to get more input, I'd be curious to see what people initially think the game is, how they'd react to learning it's a Zelda-like, and if the title should change/do they have suggestions for a different title.

[@FrostedMike]

@@Trianull You know, with this description I also like "Legend of the Sun". I do have a better name though: "Mystery of the Sun". My reaction to this description was "I want to know more", so a name that invites players to be the first to know fits. "Legend of" feels more "historical": we look back on things and uncover why they happened. "Mystery of" adds the challenge of validating these events, a will to go out and see for ourselves. Those are not historical events anymore, those are myths, and we need to find out ourselves if this is real.

[@samhein321]

why not name it shattered sun?

[@kez963]

How about 'The' word at the beginning of the name? :P

[@moomoomang]

If it works!

[@luckyboy5nu]

"The last of us"

[@konoko-o3o]

The Elder Scrolls

[@a6gittiworld]

Interesting topic! U got a sub

[@moomoomang]

Thanks!

[@Idkikdhdnbd]

My game name is premo

[@kasperstenbom]

This was a nice watch 🙂‍↕️

[@moomoomang]

Thank you!

[@GGGamesXDlol]

I'm making a game but it's still pretty early in development (still coding the base mechanics) and i currently call it "Project Chef", I honestly have no idea what am i going to call it

[@moomoomang]

Hope you think of something!

[@skylarmuffin8145]

Can I get feedback on my games name? I think I like it, Its a VR fishing game where you catch cute fish hybrid creatures that's inspired by the fishing from sea of thives, the creature catching from temtem and pokemon, and a little bit of slime rancher, we have gone with the named Fishing On Europa. Its got the verb fishing, giving context to what you are doing and the noun Europa kinda setting the scene. Would love to know what you think, watching the vid did give me some alternative ideas like Europa Rancher, but I think that looses the fact that the main gameplay loop is fishing.

[@moomoomang]

I think Fishing on Europa sounds great! Europa is cool because it sounds a bit fantasticL, but it's also sci-fi

[@skylarmuffin8145]

@@moomoomang Thankyou ^-^ that's the vibe we are going for, Its kinda like a future solarpunk aesthetic ^-^

[@summerWTFE]

Does steam allow you to rename a game once it's up?

[@moomoomang]

I think so, but it would get reviewed by steam so you can't go completely different game

[@AmateurGameDeveloper]

Good video! I like the format of such a relaxed monologue on the couch, when others do something like "OMG GAMEDEVELOPTER MUST KNOW THIS OR HE WILL DIE." By the way, what do you think about the name of my game Shadow Pulse? What does it evoke if you don’t know anything about the game and hear it for the first time? I need some feedback 😀

[@adventuretuna]

What I've learned from experience is that the name of your game should roll of the tongue pretty easily. That means it should be short, to the point, easy to pronounce, and can naturally be part of an everyday conversation. Avoid using jargon that is hard to pronounce or has multiple ways to be pronounced. Also if your title is long, think of how people would make it shorter to fit their conversations (e.g. WoW - World of Warcraft, CS GO - Counter Strike Global Offensive)

[@moomoomang]

I swear League of legends put considerable effort into making people stop calling it LoL 😂

[@RealUnreal-yh5bw]

its not the hardest part of game development :D

[@moomoomang]

Yeah it's the hardest part that no one talks about! People talk about the other hard parts haha

[@RealUnreal-yh5bw]

@@moomoomang =D Got it now.

[@aspvera]

Could you name all my future projects dear sir, I hate words but have only 5$ :c

[@moomoomang]

I'm amazed how many people hate it, I love naming games!

[@yunggolem4687]

My Friend Pedro is a bad name IMO. Avoided the game until it was on sale for 5 dollars because the name is silly nonsense that told me nothing & gameplay trailer was surprisingly unclear as to what the player is actually doing. Yes I see the character doing flips & shooting guns etc, but how much of this is executed by the player vs automatically executed slop like an Ubisoft game? IDK, I can't tell from the trailer, name, text description, or even reading the reviews.

[@moomoomang]

I don't know if that level of control you have in MFP could be conveyed in the title. I can thing of games that do the opposite though, like Super Auto Pets. Definitely a good point though, if you can get across how skill based your game is via the title!

[@yunggolem4687]

Verbs should be ACTION not passive... UltraKILL, CounterSTRIKE, Grand THEFT Auto, Teardown etc. Clearly tell the player what he's doing, do not be vague, passive, or coy. You don't have a 50mil marketing campaign. You have a title, an image, & maybe the first 15s of a trailer if the first two hook. Don't waste them. Anything vague like "Halo" or "Destiny" is bad. Do not emulate AAA. You're not AAA, it won't work for you.

[@linuxrant]

diablo, the guy just thought it sounded cool. and it became it's own thing. I think putting the genre in the game name puts the game very very low on the experience for the player. right out from the bat you take away the chance of doing something amazing. Limits are great, don't get me wrong. but this is a way of never being remembered by your player. Imagine Diablo, Myst, Warcraft, Command and Conquer, Freelancer, Dragon Age, Wing Commander, Elder Scrolls Oblivion, Skyrim, Baldurs Gate, Mass Effect ever putting the genre in their title... guys think big. Think about making something unique.

[@moomoomang]

Yeah it works for a more iterative design of game, like if you're specifically trying to make a puzzle game.

[@tomarts774]

Yes, but most of these are clasics from pre-steam era. If Warcraft came out today, it would be a terrible title. You'd assume the game has some crafting system, maybe it's like Minecraft or Terraria, but with more emphasis on combat. And then the plyer sees an RTS and goes like "what ? this is not what i wanted at all"

[@GearshiftDevelopmentStudios]

1st you insulted me cuz I'm 12 and 2 my backrooms vhs horror game and I'm at a lose

[@moomoomang]

Haha sorry Try doing a brainstorm of any words relevant to your game, then go to thesaurus.com and find any words you might have missed. Then mash two words together that tick as many boxes as possible. Works more often than you'd think!

[@Tubulin_]

Good video but I find the background music distracting and makes it difficult to listen to you talk

[@moomoomang]

Gotcha, I'll try and mix it better next time. Thanks!

[@joseluispcr]

"naming the game is the hardest part of game design" - No. No, it isnt. No. Realy no. The hard part is design something that is easy enough to make and that actualy sells well with your budget. Naming it is important, but is realy more simple

[@wemustkungfufite]

I've always really REALLY REEEALLY hated the name Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Just typing it out makes me double over with cringe

[@SuperMaster000X]

Subscriber n 690 for u

[@smotbutterman1127]

Black is mostly a negative word. Just because it's assigned to a group of people makes it very uncomfortable to talk about. But there are small use cases where it's seen in a positive light, like in finance when you say you're in the black. So, Black Child as a game title sounds like an ostracized person (black sheep). It sucks that we have to dance around like this.

[@Runegrem]

I like The World Ends with You. It's unique.