Surviving in the post-indiepocalyptic wasteland

What the talk is about

Anna Jenelius explains how a tiny Swedish studio, Valiant Game Studio, survives on an indie market where ever more games reach Steam. She does the math: an average Steam game earns roughly 30 thousand dollars in its first year, while the studio's monthly running costs are about 13 thousand. So the team combines its own funds, investors and side income: the episodic game Pendulum Swing, the Brindley self-publishing service, and help for other developers with their campaigns. She explains why the studio chose investors over publishers and stresses building a sustainable company first rather than one magnum opus. Other advice: find and keep your audience, be ready to pivot, and reuse your IP and assets. Useful for indie teams looking for funding and stability.