IndieGameBusiness®

In this special Fireside Chat, Jay Powell and Mario Kroll sit down with longtime industry leader Larry Kuperman for a heartfelt farewell and reflection on an incredible 25 year career in games.

The conversation begins with the two people who have meant the most in Larry’s professional journey, Jay and Mario, before looking back at a legacy that spans more than 30 games and decades of service to the industry.

Larry shares his decision to conclude his time at Nightdive Studios, what comes next with the IGDA and the IGDA Foundation, and his continued work with Voices of the Forgotten. He also makes it clear that while this chapter is closing, he remains available as a speaker and advocate for the industry he loves.

As a longtime guest and friend of IndieGameBusiness, this episode is both a celebration and a thank you to the gaming community that shaped his career.

#IndieGameBusiness #FiresideChat #GameIndustry #IGDA #NightdiveStudios

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Jo from JoGameDev, the developer behind the tactical spell crafting roguelike Spellmasons. The game has sold over 60,000 copies on Steam and recently crossed 1,000 reviews.

Jo shares the honest story behind the game’s journey. After early sales stagnated during the first two years, Jo reignited interest through focused marketing efforts that drove over 8 million views in the last six months. The result was the game’s third year becoming its most profitable period yet.

We’ll talk about what worked, what didn’t, and how solo developers can take control of their own marketing. Jo also shares the long term goal of building a lean, bootstrapped indie studio focused on multiplayer games and discusses the next project, an overpowered hero autobattler titled Some of You May Die. The game recently gained attention after being featured on Splattercatgaming’s YouTube channel and became one of the top performing videos compared to his recent uploads.

If you want to learn how persistence, smart marketing, and long term thinking can revive a game’s success, this episode is packed with practical insights.

Follow JoGameDev:
X: https://x.com/jogamedev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jogamedev/

#IndieGameBusiness #Spellmasons #IndieDev #GameMarketing #SteamGames

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Junae Benne, Marketing Journalist at Benne Media Solutions, to talk about why community is the foundation of successful indie game marketing.

Junae breaks down how to build a community from the ground up, how community directly impacts visibility and sales, and why many struggling indie games overlook this critical piece. We’ll also discuss how small teams can market effectively on a limited budget, how to create a practical marketing roadmap, and when teams should actually begin their marketing efforts.

We also touch on insights from Nordic Game Conference, what to look for when hiring a marketing company, what developers should have prepared before seeking help, and how key PR moments like trailers, demos, and partnerships can amplify growth and long-term visibility.

If you want practical, realistic marketing guidance tailored for indie teams, this conversation delivers clear direction.

Follow Junae Benne:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/junaebenne
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/junaebennett
Facebook Gaming: https://fb.gg/junaebenne
Instagram: https://instagram.com/junaebenne
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/junaebenne.bsky.social

#IndieGameBusiness #GameMarketing #IndieDev #CommunityBuilding #BenneMedia

Welcome to a new IndieGameBusiness segment: Fireside Chat. In this episode, Jay Powell sits down with Heather Chandler for a candid conversation about one of the biggest silent killers in game development: lack of production.

Too many teams focus only on “make the game” without building a real plan for how it gets finished, marketed, funded, and sustained. Jay and Heather break down what bad production looks like, why so many studios underestimate it, and how the absence of structure can derail even great ideas.

They’ll discuss:
• Why production is more than task tracking
• The risks of not having a roadmap beyond development
• How poor planning impacts funding, timelines, and team morale
• What studios should be thinking about before they ever write a line of code

If you’re building a studio or leading a team, this Fireside Chat will challenge you to think beyond just making the game and start building the business around it.

#IndieGameBusiness #FiresideChat #GameProduction #IndieDev #GameBusiness

This talk focuses on the most common mistakes teams make when building a pitch and how to avoid them. Based on real experiences reviewing and producing game projects, it explores why many pitches fail to communicate their true potential, not because the ideas are bad, but because they are poorly framed, unfocused, or disconnected from business and production realities.