This Young Solo Dev Built a Steam Hit in 4 Months

This is a conversation with ‪@zoroarts8930‬, a young solo dev who managed to land an indie hit with his co-op game Paddle Paddle Paddle. We talk about that success, how to potentially replicate it and also about the role of luck.

Links to my Guest
➤ YouTube Channel: ‪@zoroarts8930‬
➤ Paddle Paddle Paddle on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/35...
➤ Makis Adventure on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/18...
➤ Rogue Jungle on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/23...

Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):
➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/

0:00 - Intro
1:09 - Path Into Game Dev
4:49 - Maki’s Adventure Postmortem
9:15 - Building a Level Editor
15:40 - From Rogue Jungle to Paddle Paddle
17:59 - 3-Hour Prototype and Viral Validation
20:21 - Two-Week Demo, Streamers, and Early Momentum
21:39 - Publisher Deal, IGN Feature, and Wishlist Velocity
24:00 - Shipping in 4 Months; Reviews and Netcode
25:21 - Graphics vs Gameplay: Stylized Jank
26:54 - Capsule Art and Voice-Over Trailer That Converted
28:46 - Playtesting and Bug-Free Launch
30:58 - Handling Hate and Prioritizing Fun
33:13 - Networking: Photon Fusion, Shared Boat, Prediction
39:24 - Passion vs Business: Making Games for a Living
41:57 - Balancing Heart and Market
48:45 - Future Plans: Small Games and a 3D Sequel
49:50 - Sales Momentum, Regions, and a Major Update
51:44 - Working With Assemble and Filtering Spam
54:20 - Pitching Devolver, Publisher vs Self-Funding
56:23 - Investing in Audio: Composer Plans, Budget, and Impact
59:28 - Influences: Pokémon OST; Learning From Others
01:07:24 - Can You Repeat a Hit?
01:11:14 - Luck: How Much It Matters and How to Reduce It
01:18:43 - Early Flops, Iteration, Strong Steam Pages, and Being First
01:22:25 - Launch Day: Hitting Publish, Friday Strategy, and Early Sales
01:27:03 - When the Right Game Markets Itself + Next Steps
01:31:20 - Rogue Jungle
01:39:52 - Outro

My game "Thronefall":
➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/22...
➤ Discord:   / discord  
➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/...

My game "Will You Snail":
➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/11...
➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord:   / discord  

For the game developers among you:
➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord:   / discord