Congratulations! Your indie game just sold 2 million copies… and you’re broke.
That’s the harsh reality Thomas Mahler (Designer & Director of the Ori series and No Rest for the Wicked) lays out in a recent post on X, and honestly, it’s one of the clearest breakdowns I’ve ever seen on just how brutal game dev economics can be.
As someone who’s interviewed over 400 indie game developers over the years, Mahler’s post echoes a lot of what I’ve heard behind the scenes. Stories of shady, predatory publisher deals aren’t rare; they’re disturbingly common.
Now, to be clear, not all publishers are out to squeeze devs dry. Far from it. While the stories of predatory publishers are all too common, it’s worth remembering the other side of the coin. Publishers face their own set of challenges and risks. As Thomas Mahler puts it:
“Publishers don’t have it easy at all either. Now you have to deal with artists and designers, fragile egos, you have to make the right bets or lose millions of dollars, you take the upfront risk and there’s plenty of other funding options out there now you’re competing with.”
I’ve met and worked with some absolutely stellar ones: Indie.io, New Blood Interactive, PM Studios, Raw Fury, just to name a few. There are good partners out there who genuinely want to see devs thrive. But the sad truth is, a lot of newer devs jump into deals without fully understanding how recoupment, revenue splits, discounts, and taxes work. Even a critically acclaimed, best-selling game can leave the developer with barely enough cash to fund a fraction of their next project.
If you’re an indie dev (aspiring or otherwise), this is a must-read. It’s blunt, honest, and could save you years of financial frustration.
