How much MONEY did my STEAM/SWITCH game make? 

Thanks everyone for always supporting this channel and my work. It really means a ton! It's been a challenging year for all of us, but I've also been insanely blessed with subscribers like you guys. ► Learn how to become a full time game dev, free: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-how-to-make-six-figures ► Enroll in my 3D workshop, free!: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-15-minute-3D-game ► Make your game instantly beautiful with my free workbook: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-instant-beauty-color-workbook ► Get my 2D game kit, free: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-2D-game-kit ► Join my 2D character workshop, free: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-2d-character-art-workshop ► Wishlist Twisted Tower: store.steampowered.com/app/1575990/Twisted_Tower/ ► Learn how to make money as a RU-vidr: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-indie-game-income-workshop

You're not embarrassing yourself. We value your real life experiences

120,000$ from steam and switch in 5 months. Some more from all the other platforms. U r welcome

This video was really inspiring, I feel like the majority of the time people talk about indie development they frame it as unsustainable and financially unstable. It's great hearing stories from someone who has made it work!

Thanks for the transparency Thomas, so good to learn about expectations and how different each platforms is. 👍

"Dont forget about that little thing called satan - no not satan taxes - sorry taxes." basically my dad

I just started unity 3 months ago with no knowledge. This info was a lot of useful information. Thanks for sharing your tips. I wish I could make games as good as you.

Definitely not embarrassing yourself. We learn so much from your journey and you inspire us constantly. Thank you.

neversong is a fantastic game man and I played it on my channel, just found out that you are the developer of neversong. anyway I think I kinda late for the black friday deals, am I?

Just finished Neversong this morning.....gonna go back to it to get the last card in the sewers

I got your point and agree on everything as I've been myself building my personal brand (at least locally here in Mexico) which led me to shoot 4 movies last year (After doing mostly TV commercials for more than 30 years) even though I got sick with Covid in March and had to be put away for two months. I love Neversong and think it's one great little gem! I've also been an avid gamer since the Pong system was introduced and even made a couple very simple C64 games back on the day. You are a really great creator and human being, congratulations! Keep on doing that!

Congrats on getting your game out there this is inspiration for me!

Always love how you tell it straight. You not only inspire and teach others, but you do it without the BS pixydust!

Thanks for sharing those numbers! I personally expected your Steam numbers to be bigger based on reviews, but I guess you've got an above-average-engaged userbase! I love that you highly advocate building on several sources/platforms, and not give "too dreamy info" that we should just focus on Steam. Diversification and expanding is key Keep up the great work Thomas!

You actually told us the sales and income?? No one ever does that... It's almost like you actually want people to understand the business and economics of game design.

how refreshing. I think you're about the first indie dev who admitted success with their game because of their youtube profile. thanks so much mate 🙂

Gonna purchase your game to support the little guy! I hope your games get better and better good luck man!

I'm currently living off of disability - I've sunk over $1000 AUD into my game Candy Raid (soon, even more from a marketing scholarship). I sold 50 copies, and was left with just shy of $100 AUD in my pocket. Edit: That was on the switch, BTW. I'm happy, that I got paid, though I wish I was happier with the outcome, considering how much time, money and effort I put into it. Hopefully the scholarship will boost sales.

Kinda proud that Im finding games from the devs themselves instead of game compilations

I'm just so proud that you finished the game and were able to get it on Switch in the first place. Super great achievements!

I just discovered you minutes ago. I have zero interest in game development, but you've become my favorite entrepreneurial themed channel!

I'm a beginner developer and this is VERY inspiring. This is the video I needed ❤️

I’m a junior in high school and I’ve recently have looked into starting a game company, all sophomore year I wanted to be a video game developer in a company, but looking more into my future, my plan has now become to build a RU-vid/social platform for myself throughout college, like Dani, and then hopefully once I’m done with college I can have a decently big enough platform, and be a decently good game developer, and so with a big enough platform I can get people to start a company with me with me being the founder and CEO, and we just make games, I think it’s a solid plan for my future but it’s definitely ambitious and I have many things that I’m going to have to deal with and struggle with, this video has shown me that it’s very doable though, so thank you

Hey Thomas, I bought the game on my switch after watching this video. I did experience one crash while playing however I enjoyed the game...

Thank you for your transparency man, it is really great to hear your real life experiences so I can set more accurate expectations for my goals.

As a fellow indie game dev, congrats and thanks for the tips. While looking on how to better market my company independently, I came across this video. Well done good sir, well done. :D :D :D. People don't realize how much work being an indie dev is, as well as, all of the different avenues we must traverse lol. :D Keep the good videos coming! Full support.

I have to be honest, I’ve never even heard of your game! I’ll definitely check it out now. Really interesting information you’ve given out. In no way is it embarrassing, it sounds like the game has done pretty well, especially when you haven’t told us about Xbox, PlayStation and Apple numbers :)

Love your video's authenticity. I really appreciate this video and getting this insight into how many units you sold. This was very helpful. Thanks for sharing.

Great video Thomas. It's so important to manage your expectations and not believe the first fast game you publish is gonna be a success.

This was a really encouraging video! Thank you for openly talking about money!

I just found your channel and thanks for sharing this, I am 30 and trying to switch my career from being a QA to a game developer.

That "Telling the corn" really got me though. But I guess my corns aren't good enough, yet. Far from good.

Good stuff. When I was a kid we had to make our revenue streams out of rocks and sticks and dirt. And we were thankful. We didn't have the Google or the RU-vid. And we had to walk through deep snow when we made our games out of rocks and dirt and sticks. Sometimes we would find an old tin can, and damn if that wasn't a good day. Now you have the tweeters and the tictacs and real shoes to wear. Oh boy the times have changed.

Well that was a long ad for a 2d gamekit..

Thanks for sharing and the advice. You are doing great and supporting your family. I've been making games since 2013 on the side. Made no money to date, but I'm hoping 2021 is the year I start earning at least something. 😊

Your advice is much appreciated

Your videos are reminders of the whole process of creating games/game studio. Thanks a lot for all the content!

I didnt know neversong was out because I kept thinking it was called once upon a coma... Will have to check it out.

No inspiring me to make a game that I want for others to enjoy and one that I want to play is my new goal in life. I have a million ideals. Thanks for the reassurance to try.

I was watching this and enjoying it but then I feel called out when you said "Tell people about the corn." Thing is... I'm making a game in a cornfield. XD

I love your passion Thomas!!! But I have to ask you, are the NA and EU versions of the Neversong trophies going to be fixed? The platinum trophy in Neversong is unobtainable in these versions because some collectible cards are unobtainable, any chance for a fix?

Hey mister brush, I finally got to play Pinstripe on the switch. How dare you make me go from sad to fearful to joyful in minute sir? The ending for Pinstripe sent me into a turmoil of emotions. Well played sir, well played. As soon as I can I will start neversong, I was very impatient so I bought the double pack from Playasia. Please keep making your games 🙏

Wish I had the money to buy your course, thanks for the information you have given us all on the RU-vid platform, hopefully see u in the future on fulltime game dev course

I am also a game developer, I make 3d games in unreal engine. just started my journey. Thanks for this channel, this is very helpful.

Thanks for sharing, really insightful. Indie dev-ing definitely sounds like serial entrepreneurship, and that’s totally fine. Really impressed by the level of sustainability you’ve achieved.👌

Man! I love your work! Keep up the good work mate!

"Tell people about the corn". I did write that down. I wrote it in the back of my notebook. When I get to that page, I'll remember you Thomas.

I was about to buy your game on PlayStation after watching this video, then I found out it is bugged and can’t be completed 100% due to a collectible issue. Why hasn’t this been fixed?

I just subscribed! First video I've seen of yours amd can't wait to watch more

Game Dev is fun but so is Entreprenuership, it's awesome to see that not only those 2 are not exclusive, but actually on the contrary! I'm hoping to build my own Indie Studio in the near future, not necessarily solo as I would probably aim to have a group of a few people working with me (I love both working in a team as well as leading a team), and it's awesome to see that it works out so great with my other dreams that involve just... growing your business. Wish me luck :)

"Tell people about the corn."

Hmmmm.... “tell. People about... the... corn 🌽 “ 📝 thanks Thomas !

So Switch, Steam, and Kickstarter together netted you $210,000k roughly, after splits with Nintendo and Steam you might be looking at a bit under $174,000 (about $36k going to the stores), it is expected that your publisher receives initial revenue for their investment in you, but since you were paid for what they take out of revenue that can be considered a wash until you get to the split with them, which I'll just say is 20% for these estimations, but will only apply to what they didn't pay you, so assuming they paid you half of what's left, that 20% split for the remaining revenue becomes 10% of the pre-split net, meaning another $17.5k off, roughly, and we're looking at maybe $155,000 net income to your company, including the forward received from the publisher, just from these 2 games. Now considering you have to pay for your social media guy at $12,000 a year, roughly, you've got $131k to pay yourself, your coder, and any other expenses that I may have missed for the 2 or 3 years you worked on this. If it's closer to 2 years, I'd estimate you budget for around $50-55k per year for yourself and maybe $20k for the entire project to the coder who helps you out? Depends on how much you use his services, but maybe this breakdown will help people get a reference point for what they can expect releasing games on Switch and Steam and doing modestly well. I'm not sure how far off the mark I am, but I think it's good for people to get a reference point on an annual basis of personal pre-tax income, just from this sole revenue stream (I'm sure RU-vid, sponsorships, and other resources nicely supplement this, plus the other platforms, so you're probably closer to a $100k annual pre-tax income all in)

I'd definitely get your course if I wasn't saving for a good PC (I only have a laptop) to start messing with unity, can't have both now :c

love your styel of devlogs, deffo gonna steal a bit of the style for our first :P

Congratulations!! This is exactly what aspiring indie developers need to hear.

Your personal brand is definitely on point; I became one of the #indiegamedev students not just because of the content i'd get, but because I greatly enjoy hearing from the person delivering it; you make things fun, encouraging, and a perfect climate to learn and grow together with the gamedev community! Thank you!

Just to let you guys know, I have started game development and having fun. I've made up my mind to come up with an android game hopefully in by April.

Which budget gpu should I buy for game development of 2d and 3d games, low to mid projects

I love thomas brush and his new content but the only thing i think sucks is that a lot of his channel sort of feels like marketing instead of content now

Tell people about the 🌽! Best advice ever

You're videos are very inspirational. I appreciate the transparency. Thank you

The cup spoke!!!!!!!

Noticing the free 2d game kit doesn't get sent, is that a problem on my side?

I'll have to check out Neversong in the near future on Switch. Good luck to you.

Just curious, why are the taxes so much? Is this with a business llc and business bank account? Or is everything going straight to your personal bank account? Prying a bit but I feel like the whole entire game itself is a business expense/tax write off

Antartica and corn - got it.

Great advice Thomas, and yes people shall know about the corn!🌽

Radical job Mr. B.

“We don't make movies to make money. We make money to make more movies.” ― Walt Disney

Sir how much does the course costs? Love your videos btw. Big Fan.

What would you have done if youtube didnt work out?

Does that mean you made 120k from your game not including tax and other stuffs omg!this is huge 😲🤯

Congrats for 300k Subs

Great vid with good advice. Also, seems as good a place as any to gush - Neversong is an absolute gem that made me cry like a wee baby at the end.

Thanks for the info 👍🏻 Possible for you to do a video on purchases of your game from different regions? Like USA vs UK/Europe vs Asia/Japan and also which languages you decided on for your game's localization?

Thomas brush = inspiration

Anyone: Corporate needs you to find the difference between this picture and this picture: 1) *taxes* 2) *satan* Everyone: They're the same picture

Congrats dude. You really inspire me to become a successful indie game dev

thank you for the insight on game development.

When I wanted to be a writer, I quickly learned about the slush pile. The giant pile of manuscripts at every publishing company that yours has to compete with. Long story short, you better really have something special if you want a chance. It looks like it will be the same for indie developers in the near future if it's not now. As more and more people dump content into the market it will be harder and harder for yours to stand out. Oversaturation. So I'd say he's 100% right. If you want to be successful, it's going to take more than even making a truly great game. You need real infrastructure.

Dude thank for sharing. You’re letting the rest of us know what is possible.

"imma tell you how much i made" "its confidential i cant tell you"

This transparency is amazing.

thanks for sharing that info! i would follow your advice from now on, and I'm gonna tell people about the corn C:

Hope you all the best, gotta check your game, looks interesting

This! Build your brand. Listen to this man.

thanks for this perspective from a game developer :D very interesting

I've just discovered your videos and they are being very inspiring for me, thanks

Hey Thomas, I'm playing Neversong now with Linux, but if you come to dr. Smile and if he says 'Hello Peet...' then the screen s black... Can you fix it?

7:10 So Tony Romo entered the world of game dev

Really nice of you to share your numbers with us. Don’t feel embarrassed. Thank you for the video!👍

Honestly 120,000 copies is an amazing achievement for a solo Indie Dev but when you consider the 30% cut that goes to Steam/Nintendo etc. you're left with $84k before costs, and THEN taxes (so you can mitigate the tax expense), but damn, for the amount of time it took to release Neversong - despite it being a great achievement, it's not THAT much cash. So those other platforms really need to come to the party, and that "income farm" needs to produce in order for this to be sustainable long term. I do see it as a bit of a snowball effect, and I'm sure your next game is going to be even more successful than your most recent one - I guess its a balance between growing your audience and also trying to cut down on the time to market, while at least maintaining but ideally improving on the overall quality of your product. Definitely aint no get rich quick happening here - which I think is the most important thing for people to realise! Good job. Keep going.

First time I've ever seen the ad play before a video... be the same guy from the video. Haha.

Gr8 vid thomas! Question, will there ever be a package for your course for those who already have games and only need the marketign side? Thanks 😀

you look different in every clip 😆

Dude could have totally disclosed his all in number without saying how much from specific platforms, so there is certainly a secondary motive there.

Damn! That's one good looking pie! 4:14 😂 Thanks for this. I've been dabbling in game making for years, but would love to make something worth selling.

Well done on your sales dude! 💪🏼

I have a question: How do I upload a single game on multiple platforms like xbox, ps4, steam, etc. am I supposed to code for each and everyone differently?