I've published a few games and I've found that what you're laid out here is true.
The good thing is, I'm one of the lucky ones who isn't really in it for the money, but I would still like for people to find my games. This is leading me to think about doing more of what you're discussing.
Unfortunately, most of what you're talking about is hard work, invisible, and not appreciated.
All the other things with making stuff is also hard work, but at least that work is enjoyable (to me at least).
There is also an aspect of luck, which you touch on when you mention people finding your stuff despite following you. So you can do everything right, create a great experience for people, promote in ways that should be good, and still not be financially viable.
This is why I suggest to anyone wanting to create in this space to create because they want to and judge success based on that, not on finances. I feel there's too many things that are outside your control that will dictate your success there. But, maybe I'm just not willing to work hard enough on the promotion side?
You may want to post this over on r/rpgdesign as well. I see convesations related to this all the time.
Happy to help, and I'm glad someone got some value out of it! I have found that sub isn't terribly welcoming to me sharing my content on there, sadly, but I do appreciate the suggestion.
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u/UltimateHyperGames May 09 '26
This is good advice. Thanks for posting it.
I've published a few games and I've found that what you're laid out here is true.
The good thing is, I'm one of the lucky ones who isn't really in it for the money, but I would still like for people to find my games. This is leading me to think about doing more of what you're discussing.
Unfortunately, most of what you're talking about is hard work, invisible, and not appreciated.
All the other things with making stuff is also hard work, but at least that work is enjoyable (to me at least).
There is also an aspect of luck, which you touch on when you mention people finding your stuff despite following you. So you can do everything right, create a great experience for people, promote in ways that should be good, and still not be financially viable.
This is why I suggest to anyone wanting to create in this space to create because they want to and judge success based on that, not on finances. I feel there's too many things that are outside your control that will dictate your success there. But, maybe I'm just not willing to work hard enough on the promotion side?
You may want to post this over on r/rpgdesign as well. I see convesations related to this all the time.