Dev Dream Pod with Blake Gocey
The Dev Dream Pod is a podcast about the real journey of making video games. Each episode features interviews with indie game developers, creators, and builders chasing the dream of game development. We talk about starting from nothing, launching games, surviving the industry, and what it really takes to become a game developer. If you love indie games, game dev stories, and the grind of building games, this podcast is for you.
Episodes
You're Not Ready To Make Your Dream Game
What if the smartest way to make your dream game is to wait 10 years before making it?Yahya Danboos spent more than a decade learning game development before taking on Luminous Knights, his Kingdom Hearts-inspired indie action RPG. Now, after four years of development, he’s also built an audience around the game and grown it to more than 20,000 Steam wishlists, with over 10,000 coming largely thro
Why Wishlists Are Overrated
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJClick and Conquer: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3267900/Click_and_Conquer/Mining and Dwarves: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3987230/Mining_and_Dwarves/Can an indie game succeed on Steam without 7,000 wishlists?Stefan, the developer of Click and Conquer and co-developer of Mining and Dwarves, did exactly that. Click and Conquer launched with
First Time Dev Drops Marketing Secrets
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJSensory Overload: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4403510/Sensory_Overload/Tim's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCuSU9XS2Shqt-nakLMxaNyw
How A First Time Game Dev Went Viral
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJEye of the Match: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3799530/Eye_of_the_Match_The_VAR_Game/Andre Cardoso shares his journey from a weekend prototype to a full-time game developer, revealing strategies for marketing, game design, and balancing polish with release. Discover how early Steam pages, community feedback, and understanding game feel can accel
How To Make It As A Full Time Indie Dev
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJEggcelerate: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1535490/Eggcelerate/In this episode, Tim Beaudet shares his journey as an indie game developer, focusing on his game Accelerate, the challenges of designing racing games, and his insights on market trends, risk management, and pursuing passion in game development.
You Will Never Think About Game Dev The Same Way Again
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJIn this episode, Lasse shares his journey from professional gaming to indie game development, discussing lessons learned, game design insights, and future ambitions. Discover how perseverance, self-reliance, and strategic planning can lead to success in the indie game industry.Mage and Monsters: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1950440/Mage_and_Mons
A Random Discord DM Changed His Life
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJGoblins for Good: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4500800/Goblins_for_Good/
Broke, Discouraged, and Terrified - He Hit Publish
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJAll Hail The Orb: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4262310/_All_Hail_the_Orb/
The Truth About A.I. in Game Development
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJSubscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@dev.dream.podcast/subscribeTodays Guest: Cai WangwiltOvertrick: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4101290/Overtrick/
Next Fest Is Not For Indies Anymore: What To Do Instead
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJ
I Followed An Indie Dev For His Entire Marketing Campaign
Play The Demo Today: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2600970/Flawed_Tactics/
This Game Determines His Future
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJ
Thomas Stewart
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/aD5tJ38XUChapters:00:00 Intro & Guest Welcome00:36 Childhood & Creativity03:17 Childhood Video Games05:13 Discovering Game Development07:56 Quarter Life Crisis09:32 Current Game Dev Dream12:36 Living the Dream?14:58 Breaking Into Industry17:14 Console Porting Strategy20:24 Why Consoles?24:50 Bridges and Docks27:03 Console vs Steam Sales28:50 Console Adv
Don't Let Your Game Go Viral
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/qG3EA8fuERollin Ravioli: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4287100/Rollin_Ravioli/Chapters:00:00 Intro & Welcome03:52 From Streamer to Gamedev07:46 Remote Partnership Story11:58 Squawky Origin Story15:36 Squawky Development Drama20:20 DMCA Launch Disaster26:48 Lessons From Failure32:08 Roland Ravioli Reveal36:55 Game Design Philosophy43:55 Unreal Engine Wo
Why You Shouldn’t Mix 3 Genres (He Tried)
Join The Discord: https://discord.gg/qG3EA8fuEWilliam of Studio Kunic returns to the Dev Dream Pod to discuss his wild gamedev journey — building a custom raycasting engine in Godot for Lair Keeper, pivoting from Dungeon Keeper ideas to a Slay the Spire-style dungeon crawler, and his new addictive arcade-inspired game.From game jam chaos to protecting ideas in the AI era, this is packed with hones
The Design Conflict That Almost Broke His Game
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/qG3EA8fuEJeremy from Jeremy Makes Games shares his honest indie dev journey — abandoning Merchants of the Stars, building his roguelike Get in the Hole, and key lessons on Steam marketing, design tension, and YouTube devlogs.Get In The Hole: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4174950/Get_in_the_Hole/Jeremy's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JSMakes
He Made One Million Check Boxes
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJNolen's website: https://eieio.games/In this episode, we dive into the mind of Nolan, a developer known for creating wildly unconventional multiplayer experiences like 1 Million Checkboxes and 1 Million Chessboards. Instead of following traditional game dev paths, Nolan explores strange, experimental ideas that bring thousands of players together
SamYam is A Game Dev YouTube Icon - Next Step, Solo Dev
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJSamYam opens up about her journey as a 120K+ sub Unity YouTuber turned indie game dev. She shares why her second Steam game Bus Buddies flopped after Desktop Cat Cafe succeeded, brutal multiplayer lessons with SDF sculpting, hackathon wins, YouTube burnout, and her big gamedev dream.In this honest conversation, she breaks down playtesting mistakes, ma
You're Missing The Best Time Ever To Make A Video Game
Inside Conference: https://howtomarketagame.com/insideChris's Free Blog: https://www.howtomarketagame.com/freeJoin The Dev Dream Discord: https://discord.gg/qG3EA8fuEThis episode with Chris Zukowski of How To Market A Game dives deep into the reality of indie game development, breaking down what it actually takes to succeed on Steam in today’s so-called “golden age” of small, fast-to-make game
The Real Reason Small Teams Crush At Game Dev
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJTired of wearing every hat as a solo indie game dev? Backward Studio shares honest insights on the benefits of working in a small 3-person team versus going solo. They reveal how trust, focus, and playtesting help them learn faster, make better decisions, and avoid burnout while building toward their first commercial release. From in-person workflows
Code Monkey Loves LLMs for Learning How To Program
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJ In this in-depth Dev Dream Podcast interview, Code Monkey (Ugo) shares his 20+ years of game development experience and reveals how he shifted from short Unity tutorials to creating massive 10–12 hour free courses like Kitchen Chaos. We discuss whether AI tools like ChatGPT and Grok are killing the tutorial industry, how to use LLMs effectively witho
What To Do When Every Steam Festival REJECTS You
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJ Cian (developer of Puppy Park) got tired of being rejected from Steam festivals, so he did something most indies never consider — he ran his own. In this episode he reveals exactly how to create a Steam festival, why 750 games was a huge mistake, and the surprising visibility rules Valve uses.We also dive into his real-time cozy dog hotel game Puppy
46 With Kids & A Day Job: The Indie Dev With A Different Dream
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJ Flawed Tactics on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2600970/Flawed_Tactics/In this episode of Dev Dream, I sit down with Charlie — a 46-year-old dad, husband, full-time corporate worker, and solo dev building Flawed Tactics, a clever PvP autobattler. We dive deep into why he wakes up at 4 AM to make games, how he solved the “dead multiplayer
How Edmund McMillan Broke The Tactics Genre
Join the Discord https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJIn this episode of the Dev Dream podcast, I sit down with legendary indie game developer Edmund McMillen, creator of The Binding of Isaac and Super Meat Boy, to talk about the design philosophy behind his newest game, Mewgenics.We dive deep into **indie game development, tactical game design, roguelike mechanics, and the creative mindset required to bu
How To Make A Roguelike Fun
Want more insights into the devs you love? Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHDiscover Landon's epic indie gamedev journey: 7 years from Scratch to Unity solo dev success! Dive deep into Pizza Cafe VR (passive $20-50/month on Meta Quest), Unity asset tips ($25 earned), and Vault of the Vanquished – coin-flipping roguelike masterpiece blending Balatro synergies + Slay the Spire
They Stopped Following Because He Has Not Made A Hit
Want more insights into the devs you love? Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHIn this in-depth Dev Dream podcast interview, Marnix from BiteMe Games reveals how a 3-person indie studio has survived 4+ years without a massive viral hit. We dive deep into their transparent journey: quitting high-paying jobs, funding through YouTube + Patreon + game sales, the surprise success of Uni
He Followed EVERY Piece of Game Dev Advice
Want to learn more about game dev? Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHJoin us on the Dev Dream Podcast for an inspiring conversation with Kai from Ink Ribbon, a passionate YouTuber and indie game developer. Kai shares his journey from being a horror game enthusiast to releasing his first commercial Steam game, "Hundred Doors." We dive into his experiences with game desig
How Pontypants Became Game Devs Rising Star
Want to hear my behind the scenes thoughts? Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHIn this in-depth Dev Dream podcast interview, Ponty Pants (creator of Punch a Bunch and the viral hit A Difficult Game About Climbing) opens up about his journey from VFX artist to full-time indie developer, the massive role YouTube devlogs played in finishing his first game, why he skipped heavy protot
How This Dev Made $150,000 in Early Access
Want to hear my behind the scenes thoughts? Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHDive into an inspiring indie game dev interview with Connagh (co-creator of Dice with Death) on the Dev Dream Podcast! Discover how this unique dicebuilding roguelike — inspired by Farkle / Farle from Kingdom Come: Deliverance and The Seventh Seal — launched successfully into Steam Early Access against
How One Solo Dev Turned a Small Game Into a Cult Classic
Want to hear my behind the scenes thoughts? Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHExecute by solo dev Payne Robinson sold 20,000+ copies on Steam and paid off student loans — but it didn't feel like "success" at first. In this Dev Dream Podcast episode, Payne shares raw insights on indie game development, incremental games, realistic expectations, marketing on Steam, cu
If Jonas Tyroller Had To Start Over...
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJJonas Tyroller (creator of Thronefall, Will You Snail, and co-creator of Islanders — both million+ sellers) shares his complete indie game dev blueprint for 2026, prototyping advice, business strategy, and brutally honest lessons from huge successes and near-misses.In this Dev Dream Podcast interview, Jonas reveals:- How he & Grizzly Games sold **
You CAN Succeed With A UNIQUE Game On Steam!
Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHDive into indie game dev success with Brano's Healed to Death, a groundbreaking roguelike healer game inspired by World of Warcraft MMO healing mechanics and frustrating raid fails. Learn solo dev tips, Godot tutorials, game jam prototypes, and balancing challenging healing spells in roguelites without number-go-up boredom. Unpack controversi
How To Launch A Wildly Successful Game On Steam
Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHCory Darby returns to talk game dev success after releasing A Game About Feeding A Black Hole. We discuss how the game was so successful on steam. The marketing strategies he used to achieve it and what's next in his indie game development journey.Explode your indie game dev dreams with Corey Darby's A Game About Feeding a Black Hole smas
Miziziziz's Passive Income Blueprint
Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHDive into indie game dev mastery with Miziziziz: full-time gamedev since 2019 via small games backlog yielding $1K+/month passive Steam revenue (Endoparasitic $6K, Voyager 19 $1.4K last 31 days). Unlock mechanics-first prototyping for 130-hour releases like Camelot 10,000 CE typing roguelite, Lurking Fear Lovecraft horror, and Endoparasitic one-a
How Beginner Game Devs Actually Succeed
Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHDive into inspiring indie gamedev with Madars (Mad R Games) on the Dev Dream podcast: from overwhelmed beginner dreading massive Metroidvania time-travel projects to 15+ completed game jams, Godot mastery, and building a roguelike Legends Reloaded with procedural rooms, drunkard's walk generation, spawner vulnerability bars, and Enter the Gun
He ABANDONED YouTube and GameDev and then EXPLODED
Want my unfiltered thoughts? Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHDive into indie gamedev inspiration with Jerb (JerBob) on Dev Dream podcast: from storytime animation roots (Odd Ones Out style) to quitting dream game Coco the Last Leaf after 2 years, rediscovering passion via Blackthornprod competition & goofy stealth-puzzle Vampy's Big Day (sun-shadow mechanics, vampire vs
Make Games At HYPER SPEED
Want my unfiltered thoughts? Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHDive into indie gamedev acceleration with Edward (Fast Forward My Game): craft Steam hits like Dodge King in 90 days via rock-bottom-to-success blueprint, dodging scope creep/feature creep by locking 90% design early, MVP minimum viable product prototyping, and self-denial for unchanged mechanics. Overcome burnout, sh
How Aarimous Solved Steam
Want my unfiltered thoughts? Join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHDive into raw indie gamedev success with Aramus on Dev Dream podcast: A Game About Feeding a Black Hole explodes to 30K+ Steam wishlists in weeks, 10K in one week via NextFest demo, GrayStillPlays/I'm Cade coverage (500K+ views), and minmaxed marketing—delayed release to polish pacing, concurrent users, Steam algo
The UNBELIEVABLE Journey of Tim Ruswick
For even more insights join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoH🚀 Tim Ruswick FULL INTERVIEW: Game Dev Breakdowns, Phyophobia Secrets, Mental Health, Finish a Damn Game, DevPods Collab, Murder Bunnies TCG, Indie Launches & MORE! 🎮💔Join the Dev Dream Podcast as Tim Ruswick (legendary indie game dev YouTuber, Phyophobia creator, Finish a Damn Game founder) spills EVERYTHING: 2015 psyc
An Innovative New Vision For Indie Game Devs
For even more insights join the Dev Dream Newsletter: http://bit.ly/4rzrgoHInterviewing Cory Darby about Game Dev, working with Aarimous, and a new vision for how game devs make money.🚀 Corey Darby (Thornity) FULL INTERVIEW: Min-Maxing Indie Game Dev Success, Steam Algo Secrets, Sales Velocity, Wishlist Engineering, Click & Conquer $100k+, A Game About Feeding a Black Hole, No Publisher Model,
How Brainless Solved GameDev YouTube
Check out brainlesshttps://www.youtube.com/@UCJmAuKzz_VHa3Yb7v19KIvQ🎮 Brainless FULL INTERVIEW: 330k Views & 15k Subs in 3 Months with ONLY 5 Videos! How to Make Games When You're Bad at Everything, Finding Art Style in 40 Days, Music Struggles, Quitting 9-Month Game, Game Jam Lessons, Perfectionism, Scope Creep & More! 🚀In this inspiring Dev Dream Podcast episode, Brainless (fast-risi
How To ANNIHILATE Game Dev Burnout
Check out Jesse's channel:https://www.youtube.com/@codernunk🚀 Jesse (CoderNunk) FULL INTERVIEW: Burnout Recovery, Autism in Game Dev, Quitting Job to Go Indie, Returning to Corporate, Godot RPG Dream Since High School, Blender Tutorials, YouTube Growth Struggles, JRPG Rankings & MORE! 🎮💻In this heartfelt Dev Dream Podcast episode, Jesse (CoderNunk) opens up about his 30K+ subscriber YouTube jo
Screw Your Passion and Make Games
Check out Dryden's channel:https://www.youtube.com/@UCId6dSaE77w7C6y910enyng 🚀 Dryden Thomas (Light Hoof Dryen) FULL INTERVIEW: Blackthorn Prod Controversy (Lost 70/30 But Community Voted #1!), Disinherited Roguelike Devlog, Scope Creep Lessons, Music Composer Roots, Perpetual Stew Inspiration, Silksong Pricing Debate, Publisher Pitches SXSW Sydney, Contract NDA Work, Hades/Dead Cells Vibes &
The Man Who Quit YouTube and Become A Game Dev
Check out Nathan on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCRqidbTzLS8tNSl-q0UEMEw🚀 Nathan Roner FULL INTERVIEW: ShadowVers 1.65M Subs YouTube Editor → Indie Dev Cocoa Loco, Gamedev YouTube 2025 Viability, Cozy Cafe Game Demo Challenges, Unreal Switch Mastery, Crowdfunding vs Publishers, Scope Creep, Steam Playtest, Algorithm Black Hole, Shorts Marketing & MORE! 🎮☕Ex-ShadowVers full-time manager/e
Why Indie Game Devs Have To Do Everything Differently Now
Wishlist Ben's Upcoming Game:https://store.steampowered.com/app/3974620/Wrangle_Ranch/View Ben Bonk YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/@UCLO_c9nyLCwohHqovjlmpDw🚀 Ben Bonk FULL INTERVIEW: Slime Keep Relaunch (Very Positive on Steam!), 5-Year Dev Lessons, Mono-Green Palette Obsession, YouTube Gamedev 2025 Viability, Scope Creep Pitfalls, Ludum Dare to Commercial Path, Wrangler Ranch Jam-to-
He Started Making Games As A COMPLETE BEGINNER
Check out Skies of Aevium:https://store.steampowered.com/app/3209000/Skies_of_Aevium/The Shelfman YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/TheShelfman/videos🚀 Jordie Vanderplank (The Shelf Man) FULL INTERVIEW: Skies of Aviuum Dream (Greek Mythology + Full Automation), Lehatau 100% Reviews, Dance Assembly Viral, Imposter Syndrome, Tweening Game Feel, Sheepville Community Experiment, Revshare Art P
ABANDON Your 9-5 To Do Game Dev
Get Help From Jackson: https://jacksonnexhip.gumroad.com/ Jackson's discord server: https://discord.com/invite/VFSdVKyFWeSlightly Esoteric Game Dev: https://www.youtube.com/@esotericgamedev🚀 Jackson Nexip FULL INTERVIEW: Ex-Chemist Harvard Competitor & Extreme Athlete → Indie Dev, Countercultural Thinking, Creativity for Mental Health, Community/Mentoring Power, Overcoming Stuckness, Follo
How To Win A Game Jam
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/a2hceZhcfJCheck out the Studio Kunic channel.https://www.youtube.com/@studiokunic🚀 William Bunick (Kunik) FULL INTERVIEW: 17-Year Unity Vet → Godot Switch, Playdate Lua Mastery, Engine Tier List (Godot #1 for Indies!), Game Jams for Finishing, AI Coding/Debug (NOT Art), Tutorial Hell Escape, 3 Solo Steam Games, RPG Maker → Beyond Engine History & MORE! 🎮🔧Wi
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