‘Everything’s on fire’ – another tough year for game developers

Adam Riches has spent the history three-and-a-half years making a game with his brother

Adam Riches A man with short black hair and glasses and a black t-shirt stands against a sand-coloured wall. His head is perfectly framed by a circular indentation carved into the large stone block. — Adam Riches has spent the history three-and-a-half years making a game with his brother

It’s been another tough year for people working in the video games industry.

“Everything is on fire at the instant,” says indie developer Adam Riches.

It’s not a controversial view, and when Adam says it he’s almost casual.

Just a truth of life these days.

Widespread lay-offs and studio closures which rocked the industry last year have continued into 2024, and the rush of resource off the back of the Covid pandemic gaming boom has slowed down.

There’s also evidence people have been spending less money on recent games, choosing to stick with long-running online games like Fortnite or yearly franchises including Call of responsibility and EA Sports FC.

Despite that, more games than ever are getting released.

The UK’s Digital Entertainment and Retail Association said in July that game sales had dropped sharply when compared with the same period last year.

That’s not only affected extra charge releases – smaller studios, whose games tend to be more affordable, have also struggled to discover an spectators.

It’s often challenging to pinpoint why, but standard isn’t a guarantee of achievement.

“You can have the best marketing, you can have the best game, you can get rave reviews, but you’re still flipping a coin as to whether it’s going to blow up,” Adam says.

He feels “discoverability” – getting players to actually discover your game – is one of the biggest challenges for indie developers.

Steam, the main marketplace for PC gamers run by developer Valve, sells everything from games made in someone’s bedroom to large-monetary schedule blockbusters made by teams of hundreds.

There’s a lot of competition.

According to tracker SteamDB, more than 14,000 games have been published on the platform this year, with 2024 already overtaking 2023’s tally.

Adam’s just added another to the total. He’s released murder mystery expedition Loco Motive – a game he’s been making with his brother for the last three years.

He jokes that the best period to have put the game out was 2013 – when Steam wasn’t quite so crowded.

There are still ways to stand out – the platform recommends games based on users’ playing habits and regularly runs promotions which push a curated selection of games on to homepages.

But Adam admits it’s tough.

“We’re all competing for those same slots, and now we’re competing with triple-A and other indies,” says Adam.

Adam’s game Loco Motive takes encouragement from point n’ click expedition games made popular in the 1990s

Robust Games Screen shot shows a pixel-art scene on board an opulent vintage train carriage. One character in a black dinner jacket sits at a dining table, and a woman dressed in 50s style clothing leans against a wall as she speaks on an old-style corded telephone. A man in a bright blue dinner jacket strolls purposely up the carriage. — Adam’s game Loco Motive takes encouragement from point n’ click expedition games made popular in the 1990s

As well as battling for player’s attention, recent games are increasingly battling for their period.

According to analytics firm Newzoo, annual series such as Call of responsibility and online titles such as Fortnite took up 92% of gaming period, with just 8% remaining for recent releases.

Drawing players away from those established titles is extremely challenging.

The setback of Sony’s online shooter Concord – which the PlayStation maker killed just two weeks after release – has been put down to its similarity to popular titles already on the trade.

Rhys Elliott, an analyst from Midia Research, suggests the large achievement stories of 2024 – Balatro, multiplayer shooter Helldivers II and “Pokémon with guns” Palworld – did something recent and fascinating.

But he accepts that’s not the only ingredient.

“Factors like a powerful IP, powerful marketing campaign, throng fostering, and timing can assist, but the truth is that there is luck involved,” he says.

“correct place, correct period is a large part of gaming’s shock successes.

“But gameplay matters, and innovation, so great games often stand out and discover their trade.”

Husban Siddiqui managed to secure capital from the makers of Among Us for his game Rogue Eclipse

Husban Siddiqui A young man in glasses smiles widely against a cloudy blue sky. The sunlight hits the side of his face, suggesting a late autumn afternoon. — Husban Siddiqui managed to secure capital from the makers of Among Us for his game Rogue Eclipse

Another large issue for developers this year is finding capital.

resource in recent projects has slowed down, leading some studios behind previous indie hits to step in and fill the gap.

Among Us publisher Innersloth, for example, recently launched Outersloth – a pool to provide developers a helping hand with getting their projects over the line.

Husban Siddiqui was among the first throng selected by the programme for his upcoming game Rogue Eclipse.

He says Innersloth “comprehend the struggles” developers leave through, and their back has been invaluable.

But, even with the backing of an established studio, Husban isn’t taking achievement for granted.

“It’s unforgiving, the speed at which things transformation, the technology changes, the platforms transformation,” he says.

“I always feel like we’re trying to study as quickly as feasible before some paradigm shift happens that benevolent of upends whatever that conventional thinking was.”

Snow Rui is one of the founders of Hooded Horse – a publisher that specialises in schedule games

Snow Rui A woman dressed in black sits in front of a white curtain, her chin resting on the wrist of her hand. An acoustic guitar sits on a stand in the background. — Snow Rui is one of the founders of Hooded Horse – a publisher that specialises in schedule games

Manor Lords – a schedule game that puts players in fee of building a Medieval settlement.

It’s sold 4.5 million copies since its early access release in April.

Snow Rui, co-founder of publisher Hooded Horse, puts the game’s achievement down to the spin it puts on the genre by allowing players to inhabit and walk around the settlements they make.

Manor Lords generated huge pre-release gain based on early trailers, but Snow admits that Hooded Horse was still surprised by its reception.

“It would almost be arrogant not to be taken aback by how successful it turned out to be,” she says.

Snow says one the best pieces of advice she got was “don’t roll too quick” once you’ve found achievement.

Some of the wider industry’s problems have been blamed on companies expanding too quickly when gaming profits ballooned during the pandemic.

Snow says it’s more significant to her to be sustainable over the long-term, and be realistic with your expectations.

“A breakout hit like this, you cannot count on it to repeat itself year after year,” she says.

“There will be people pushing you to have a different expectation or treating the next year as a setback if the breakout hit doesn’t repeat itself but that’s simply not the case.

“So that’s a matter of setting your expectations and centering who you are.”

In Manor Lords players are tasked with building a Medieval settlement

Slavic Magic Screenshot shows a pastoral scene depicting a middle ages settlement. In the foreground a farm worker tends to crops arranged in rows. Further back, trees sit in a fenced area and a path leads to a row of small, thatched dwellings. Other workers dressed in period clothing mill about the landscape, which stretches off into the distance. — In Manor Lords players are tasked with building a Medieval settlement

Everyone would like to publish the next Manor Lords or the next Balatro, but Adam says “achievement” doesn’t have to involve blockbuster-level sales for an indie.

“Our game doesn’t expense that much to make, and because it’s mostly been me and my brother and a few freelancers, the expense is not that high,” he says.

And, Adam says, it’s about doing what you can to provide your game the best chance – Loco Motive’s large marketing push was launched close to release to keep the momentum going.

It might have paid off, as the game debuted in Steam’s top-seller charts.

The odds of making a breakout hit, or even breaking even at all, are low.

But if there is a silver lining, Snow says advancement tools are becoming more accessible and opening the door to smaller teams with “ingenious” ideas.

“As a fan of games, this is something I’d adore to view,” she says.

“Even in the current surroundings, there’s still plenty of room for fresh and innovative ideas.

“And that’s something I look forward to for many years to arrive.”