How much does an average indie game make?

Indie games industry in numbers An average indie game makes $3,947 (this is actually median, average is not a good measure as it’s significantly distorted by top earners). Over 2/3 of the games don’t cross $10,000 in life time earnings. However, the top 1/3 of the indie games are doing pretty well.

How much money do indie game devs make?

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $161,500 and as low as $13,000, the majority of Indie Game Developer salaries currently range between $30,500 (25th percentile) to $113,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $140,500 annually across the United States.

What percent of indie games make money?

82\% of indie games never made more than $50k on Steam. Accounting for Steam split, discounts, returns etc, it’s more like $25–30k. So it’s save to say that less than 2/10 indie games are ever profitable. I’ve recently done some analysis on this and over 50\% of indie games never make more than $4,000 on Steam.

Can I make money making indie games?

It’s possible to make money off of indie games. This should motivate game developers with a vision and a dream to bring an indie game to life and perhaps launch it on Steam to critical and commercial acclaim.

How much should I sell my indie game for?

When looking at 2 of the most popular price tags for indie games – $4.99 and $9.99, a developer should at least consider the possibility of pricing the game at $14.99 or $19.99. You can sell half the copies and still make more money when you price them at $19.99 rather than $9.99.

How do I sell my indie game?

3 ways to sell your indie games

1. Sell via platforms for gamers. Some of the most popular distribution platforms include Steam, Desura, and GOG.
2. Sell to business. As opposed to gamer’s distribution platforms, developers can also sell their games to wholesale and retail businesses.
3. Sell via your own website.

How much time does it take to make an indie game?

Game Engine development can take anywhere from a couple of days, to years. The expertise needed to make a small functional engine is a lot higher than the expertise needed to make a small functional game from an existing engine (keep that in mind). As an example, I made a 2D engine in about 6 months.

What does it cost to list a game on Steam?

Steam charges a fee of $100 for each game you submit on Steam Direct. Although nonrefundable, this fee can be recouped once your product has generated at least $1,000 adjusted gross revenue from the Steam Store and in-app purchases. Developers may not like it, but the fee serves as a gatekeeper against weak games.

How many sales do Indie games make?

Indie games account for over 95\% of all games on Steam, but only about 40\% of sales. Indie games are also cheaper, leading to only 28\% of sales revenue coming from indies.

How much money do indie game developers make?

Almost every 1 in 5 indie games makes more than $50,000. Still, this might not mean the game is profitable or a good investment. If the development team was any bigger than one person and took over a year to make, chances are these people would have been better off as full time developers for a big studio. Top 9\% cross the $200k line.

How much money do Steam games make on average?

Steam game revenue estimates Over 50\% of indie games never make more than $4,000. These games never generate enough revenue to cover the development time and other costs. An average indie game makes $3,947 (this is actually median, average is not a good measure as it’s significantly distorted by top earners).

How much money do video games make?

Let’s consider some more things… So the mean (average) is 5.1-times and the median (middle value) is 4.5-times This is pretty useful data. If your game made $10,000 in the first week (not an easy feat btw), you could perhaps reasonably assume it would make about $50,000 in the first year.

What are the highest earning genres for indie games?

RPG, strategy and simulation games are the highest earning genres for indie games. The story is different by sub-genre. Our Steam Analytics platform allows you to explore nearly 50 sub-genres from Battle Royale to Platformers. Some sub-genres are much more profitable for indies than others.