Indie finance

What the talk is about

Igor Tymoshenko talks about finance in indie development, drawing on his team's roughly two-year project, a turn-based 3D wargame strategy. His main point is that you are building a company, not just a game, so the key document is an honest financial plan covering costs, revenue and the break-even point, which may only come after an expansion or later games. He shows the real cost structure, where the team takes the largest share, and advises counting outsourcing, an office and the cash gap caused by Steam's delayed payouts, without underestimating expenses. For revenue he suggests studying competitor games: their review count multiplied by about 30 gives a rough sales estimate. After refunds, taxes and fees, he kept only about 46% of gross revenue. His biggest lesson is not to launch a raw game, because it brings many refunds and poor ratings. Useful for indie teams and founders.