Jeff Vogel: Making Games Alone For 30 Years, Unity vs Custom Engine, Indie Survival | Ep. #046

Channel:

Thomas Brush

Subscribers:

426,000

Published on June 20, 2025 4:00:34 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9zYiHllEcU

Duration: 0:00

36,666 views

1,550

I chat with the one of the oldest indie game devs, Jeff Vogel, about how to survive as a solo indie for decades.
► Check out Bezi: https://www.bezi.com/?utm_medium=youtube
► Play Jeff’s games: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/spiderwebsoftware

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction: Jeff Vogel's Indie Game Journey
00:01:27 - Sponsor: Bezi's Game Development Assistant
00:03:23 - Why Niche Games Beat Commercial Hits
00:06:01 - The Longevity of Spiderweb Software
00:08:56 - Indie Game Marketing: Then vs. Now
00:12:05 - The Power of Demos and Steam Refunds
00:15:34 - Crafting Long RPGs in a Short-Attention Era
00:19:02 - Jeff’s Inspiration: Classic RPGs
00:22:24 - Balancing Art and Business in Game Dev
00:26:27 - Writing Dialogue: Jeff’s Frugal Approach
00:30:07 - Following Your Gut as an Indie Developer
00:34:49 - Making Games You Love vs. Chasing Trends
00:39:12 - Surviving the Indie Game Industry
00:43:57 - Money Trucks: Hustling for Opportunities
00:52:02 - Building a Custom Game Engine
01:15:40 - Demo: Avernum 4 Development Environment
01:33:22 - Outro & Final Sponsor Mention