Art by Pavel Guzenko

Indie Game dev’s handbook

December 15, 2019

The best handbook for a game developer with budget spreadsheets and many more.

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There is one book I would suggest to any game developer to read. Even if he/she isn’t going to build Gaemdev Business of their own.

The book is The Game Dev Business Handbook by Michael Futter.

Among many great features like how to write to publishers and protects your copyrights, this book contains a lot of interviews with indie developers and retrospective analysis.

During the months-long interview process for The GameDev Business Handbook, we spoke with more than 25 prominent members of the industry currently working in development (some of whom just released their latest games), publishing, media, and law. They include:
Ninja Theory’s Nina Kristensen (Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Heavenly Sword)
Vlambeer’s Rami Ismail (Nuclear Throne, Ridiculous Fishing)
Capybara Games’ Nathan Vella (Super Time Force, Superbrothers Sword and Sworcery EP, Critter Crunch)
Romero Games’ Brenda Romero (Wizardry, Jagged Alliance series… and a lot more over a multi-decade career)
Video game attorneys Ryan Morrison, Ma’idah Lashani, Michael Lee (Morrison & Lee), Brandon Huffman (Odin Law and Media), and Jas Purewal (Purewal & Partners)
Klei Entertainment’s Jamie Cheng (Don’t Starve, Mark of the Ninja)
Supergiant Games’ Amir Rao (Pyre, Bastion)
Harebrained Schemes’ Jordan Weisman (BattleTech, Shadowrun series)
Publishing decision makers from Paradox Interactive, Devolver Digital, Raw Fury, and Adult Swim Games

The book isn’t just a how-to guide but excellent Crash Course on what Game Dev is and how people building their business in this industry.

But if you are so desperate to build your own Indie Studio don’t miss their Extra Stuff they’re throwing out. With extra (completely free) stuff you will get these beautiful sheets. Cover image by Paul Robertson from his awesome game that doesn’t actually exist.