When it comes to building a team for your indie game studio, people usually focus on the work needed to finish the project. While that’s important, knowing and understanding how to build a healthy team from the beginning is essential to greater productivity and a healthy work culture.  Thankfully Nicolas Hafner of ShinMera shares his experience and methods he uses to build an effective team that promotes active communication and a clear vision so they can work seamlessly together. 

Indie Game Movement - The podcast about the business and marketing of indie games.

Ep 261 - How to Nail Effective Team Building with Nicolas Hafner

Gamifying your marketing is one of many ways to increase engagement for your audience, but people usually don’t think about how this can be done using different products. That’s why today we have Shawn French of HyperKinetic Studios to discuss how he took their game and adapted it to a comic, providing two stand alone products that organically cross-promote each other, creating a super value packed experience for both players and readers. 

Ep 260 - How to Gamify Your Marketing Using Different Assets with Shawn French

Knowing the right actions to take can be a little daunting when it comes to promoting your game on Steam prior to launch. There’s a lot of different paths to take, and not all are created equal making this a challenge for any dev.  Thankfully, Bruno Laverny of Ishtar Games shows how his team navigated these questions through coming up with a simple plan and breaking things down so they could meet their goals and crush their steam marketing. 

EP 259 - How to Crush Your Steam Marketing With Bruno Laverny

Quitting your job to go full-time dev can be a well...frightening thought. There’s a lot to consider but most importantly, is it the right move to make, and what’s the best way to go about making that commitment? Thankfully our guest Bruno Bonbardi has gone through this process twice and shares his reasons, how prepared he was and other considerations to be mindful of when you’re ready to quit your job and go full-time dev!

Ep 258 - How to Quit Your Job and Go Full Time Dev with Bruno Bonbardi

When you start sharing your game with the world, everything you do from then on deals with messaging. While you may have a good idea of what your studio and game are, sometimes how you convey that to others isn’t in the clearest or concise way. That’s why Mustapha and I are here to help discuss how important it is to clarify your messaging and some tips on ways you can do that, so when you start promoting your game, people have a clear idea of exactly what to expect from you.

Ep 257 - How Indie Devs Can Clarify Their Messaging

We have discussed numerous times on the show that understanding player behavior and your audience is so important when it comes to marketing your game, but one thing we don’t think about much is how people react when money is involved.  Understanding how price can change how people act can be a very daunting challenge, but knowing a little bit more about how it plays in someone’s decision to purchase your game can make a huge difference.

Ep 256 - Understanding How Your Price Can Affect Player Behavior

Finding a musician to compose your game music can be a task in itself, but understanding the process and communicating your vision can be more challenging than any dev would expect. That’s why we have Dakota Suave with us today, to share his insights to help us navigate the music composition process so you can have something you love and your audience wants!

Ep 255 - How to Get Music You and Your Audience Wants with Dakota Sauve

Making any type of investment in your indie game is a big decision, especially when considering paid advertising. While there can be some risk involved with ads, there’s also a lot that can be gained, even outside of the results you get from running your campaign. That’s why today I’m going to discuss the right way to approach ads and how doing so will help you with all of your marketing efforts.

Ep 254 - How to Approach Ads for Your Indie Game and Beyond

Out of all the different ways that games can get attention, the method that has stood the longest has been events. While major events like E3 started with different intentions compared to today, it’s a telling sign how the event landscape has shifted for numerous reasons, but one being the continued growth of indie games. Discussing everything from changing times, format, and delivery of these events, Mustapha and I talk about the impact major events have had but more importantly ways to view and approach them as an opportunity to stand out.

Ep 253 - Major Events and What They Mean for Indie Devs

If there is one common dream that most indie devs share, it’s probably to be able to make indie games full time. But with such a goal there lies great challenges and what may seem like a daunting objective.  Thankfully, Thomas Brush of Atmos games shares his journey and experience on how he achieved this very goal while providing insight and tips on how to gain the confidence and freedom that every indie dev is looking for.

Ep 252 - Going Full Time Dev with Thomas Brush

Some people may think that marketing to cultural audiences only involves partnerships and localizing your game. But to really cater and serve that audience, it starts with having a core understanding and how to best represent those people.  That’s why today Osama Dorias shares his experiences and understanding of global gaming culture and how applying empathy and taking certain approaches can create numerous opportunities while better serving your audience.

Ep 251 - How to Market To Cultural Audiences with Osama Dorias

Since the show’s inception, Indie Game Movement has come a long way. What started out as a means to offer clear insight around topics that needed further attention has developed into a platform that supports and educates a thriving community. In today’s episode, we share our experience so far, what the progress was like and how we have decided to take that and make things more fun and helpful in a special announcement!

Ep 150 - A Special Announcement - IGM V2.0

So I can’t think of how many times we have discussed or at least mentioned the importance of knowing your audience, but never took the time to really dig deep and explain what exactly that entails or how to really know what is going on in your ideal player’s head.  So that’s why Mustapha and I wanted to dive deep in this conversation to explain the reasoning behind this, what the process entails, and ultimately determine where exactly you can find your ideal player.

Ep 149 - How to Find Your Ideal Player

Creating a funnel isn’t necessarily a huge challenge, but creating one that isn’t mindful of your player’s journey will likely not provide you the results or the community you’re looking for. There are lots of ways to do this, but one of the best ways to develop and maintain a relationship with your fans is to understand their needs, provide value and engage with them through email marketing. That’s why today we have Ziv Raviv of Daily Cookie to share his expertise on how to build an email list and develop effective email marketing strategies designed to have players take action and stay engaged, wherever you are in the development process.  

Ep 148 - How to Create an Engaging Player Journey with Ziv Raviv

Indie Game Movement talks with developers, industry veterans, marketing professionals and publishers about the business and marketing of indie games.

Indie Game Movement - The podcast about the business and mar...