“Everything is going strong right now,” said indie developer Adam Riches.

This isn't a controversial point, and when Adam says it, he does so almost nonchalantly.

It's just a fact of life today.

The widespread layoffs and studio closures that rocked the industry last year have continued into 2024, while the investment boom brought about by the COVID-19 gaming boom has slowed.

There's also evidence that people are spending less on new games, choosing instead to stick with long-running online games like Fortnite or annual franchises like Call of Duty and EA Sports FC.

Despite this, more games are being released than ever before.

British The Digital Entertainment and Retail Association said in July Game sales are down significantly compared to the same period last year.

This doesn't just affect premium releases - smaller studios (whose games tend to be cheaper) also struggle to find an audience.

It's often hard to pinpoint the cause, but quality doesn't guarantee success.

"You can have the best marketing, you can have the best game, you can get rave reviews, but you're still flipping a coin on whether it's going to blow up," Adam said.

He believes that "discoverability"—getting players to actually find your game—is one of the biggest challenges for indie developers.

Steam is the main marketplace for PC gamers run by developer Valve, selling everything from games made in someone's bedroom to big-budget blockbusters produced by teams of hundreds of people.

There is a lot of competition.

According to SteamDB trackerThis year, the number of games released on the platform has exceeded 14,000, and the number in 2024 has exceeded that in 2023.

Adam just added one more to the total. He released the murder mystery adventure game Loco Motive - a game he had been working on with his brother for the past three years.

He joked that the best time to launch the game was in 2013, when Steam wasn't as crowded.

There are still ways to stand out - the platform recommends games based on users' gaming habits and runs regular promotions to push selected games to the homepage.

But Adam admitted it was difficult.

"We're all competing for the same position, and now we're competing against triple-A and other indies," Adam said.

In addition to competing for players' attention, new games are increasingly competing for players' time.

According to analytics firm Newzoo, annual series like "Call of Duty" and online games like "Fortnite" account for 92% of gaming time, while new games account for just 8%.

It's extremely difficult to turn players away from established games.

Sony's online shooter Concord fails - killed by PlayStation maker Just two weeks after launch - Considered similar to popular games already on the market.

Midia Research analyst Rhys Elliott said 2024's big success stories - "Balatro," multiplayer shooter "Helldivers II" and "gun-toting Pokémon" Palworld - are doing something new and interesting.

But he admits that's not the only ingredient.

"Factors like strong intellectual property, strong marketing campaigns, community cultivation and timing can help, but the reality is there's luck involved," he said.

“Right place, right time is an important factor in unexpected success in the gaming industry.

"But gameplay and innovation are important, so great games tend to stand out and find a market."

Another big issue facing developers this year is finding funding.

Investment in new projects has slowed, leading some studios with previously popular indie games to step in and fill the void.

Among Us publisher Innersloth, for example, recently launched Outersloth - a fund to provide developers with help getting their projects off the ground.

Husban Siddiqi is one of the first teams selected by the project for its upcoming game, Rogue Eclipse.

He said Innersloth "understands the difficulties developers go through" and their support is invaluable.

But even with the support of an established studio, Husban doesn't take success for granted.

"The pace at which things change, technology changes, platforms change is relentless," he said.

"I always feel like we're trying to do research as quickly as possible before a paradigm shift occurs that flips conventional thinking on its head."

Manor Lords - A strategy game that puts players in charge of building a medieval settlement.

The game has sold 2.5 million copies since its early access release in April.

Snow Rui, co-founder of publisher Hooded Horse, attributes the game's success to its spin on the genre by letting players live and walk in settlements of their own creation.

Based on early trailers, Lord of the Manor generated huge interest ahead of release, but Snow admits that The Hooded Horse is still surprised by its response.

“It would be arrogant not to be surprised by its success,” she said.

Snow said one of the best pieces of advice she ever received was that once you've achieved success, "don't go too fast."

Some of the broader industry problems have been blamed on companies expanding too quickly as gambling profits surged during the pandemic.

Snow said what's more important to her is long-term sustainability and being realistic about your expectations.

"With a breakthrough hit like this, you can't expect it to repeat year after year," she said.

"If the breakthrough hit doesn't repeat, some would urge you to have different expectations or to view next year as a failure, but that's not the case.

“So it’s a matter of setting your expectations and centering yourself.”

Everyone wants to publish the next Lord of the Manor or the next Balatero, but Adam says "success" doesn't necessarily mean an indie game can achieve blockbuster sales.

"Our games don't cost a lot to make, and since it's mainly me and my brother and a few freelancers, it's not that expensive," he said.

Adam says the key is to do what you can to give your game the best chance - Loco Motive launched a massive marketing campaign in the lead-up to launch to keep the momentum going.

It may have paid off, as the game debuted on Steam's best-seller list.

The odds of achieving breakout success, or even breaking even, are low.

But if there's a silver lining, Snow said development tools are becoming increasingly easier to use and opening the door to smaller teams with "clever" ideas.

"As a fan of the game, this is something I'd love to see," she said.

“Even in the current climate, there is still plenty of room for fresh and innovative ideas.

“This is something I’m looking forward to for many years to come.”

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