Indie Development: Easy Start and the Long Haul

What the talk is about

A panel of indie developers discusses how to get from an easy start to the long haul. They explain why releases almost always slip: indies keep building until the money runs out, get carried away with features, underestimate third-party SDK and plugin integration, struggle to hire, and wait on publisher feedback. Advice includes two-week sprints, cutting scope, setting external deadlines through contests and events, and writing dates into publisher contracts. Views on crunch differ, but most favor a normal workday and real vacations. Burnout is eased by conferences, player feedback and small wins. The panel also covers money, crowdfunding, why release is a beginning rather than an end, finding a publisher, and retaining team members through interesting work, freedom and honesty. Useful for indie developers and small studios.