A Podcast About Game Development

Cory says it takes less than you think. Connor says they make game dev less lonely. How do communities help game devs?

Note from Connor: I couldn't find the talk from Victoria Tran that I had seen previously, but this is one I was able to find https://youtu.be/o93BMHdde6Y

More from us
Play Thornity's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/p/pushing-and-pulling-players

More from us
Play Thornity's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/p/make-game-dev-a-habit

More from us
Play Thornity's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/p/make-game-dev-a-habit

More from us
Play Thornity's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/studio-sessions

More from us
Play Thornity's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/studio-sessions

More from us
Play Thornity's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/studio-sessions

The Book/Paper - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/25670869-why-greatness-cannot-be-planned

TL;DR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDuF4onPmuE

More from us
Play Thornity's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/studio-sessions

Get Tabletop Tavern on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3337380/Tabletop_Tavern/

More from us
Play Thornity's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/studio-sessions

More from us
Play Thornity's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/studio-sessions

More from us
Play Cory's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/studio-sessions

Chapters

0:00 Intro
0:48 What has happened since last week?
3:00 What went wrong with Just Keep Fishing?
14:22 What would it have taken to pivot during development?
24:15 What went wrong with Orb Breaker?
28:05 What do you do with external feedback during development?
35:50 Was doing 3 games at the same time a mistake?
41:22 How does the right amount of process help with coordination?
45:38 What were the advantages of shipping 3 games?
53:35 What really matters?
58:02 Viewer question: How long do you wait after shipping a game before starting on the next one?

More from us
Play Cory's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/studio-sessions

Chapters
0:00 Intro
13:42 What comes after a game launch?
24:43 What genre should new game devs start with?
46:17 Finding a game dev strategy that fits your strengths

More from us
Play Cory's Games - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity
Learn with Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/studio-sessions

Additional references
The 9 Quantic Gamer Types - https://quanticfoundry.com/gamer-types/

Chapters
0:00 Intro
12:43 The hidden work of polishing a game
17:28 Playtesting, feedback & deciding what to fix
23:49 Why 80% can be better than 100%
50:42 How to actually practice game polish

More from us

Cory - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/aarimous_thornity

Connor - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/p/do-one-thing

00:00 - Intro

01:00 - Shipping games

13:20 - Ads for games and validation

26:29 - Elevating Game Jams

31:04 - Evolving the role of a publisher

Orb Breaker - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4765160/Orb_Breaker_Demo

Just Keep Fishing - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4601160/Just_Keep_Fishing/

Mining and Dwarves - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3987230/Mining_and_Dwarves/

Connor's Game Design Framework - https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/p/seek-out-the-reasons-to-quit

Chapters

0:00 Intro

10:10 Deadlines, productivity, and changing how games get made

15:53 The future of game development and AI

38:11 Dodo Derby

47:15 Building an audience and finding your path as an indie dev

References

Jonas Tyroller's Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4k7yDfYx24

PEAK - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3527290/PEAK/

A Game About Feeding A Black Hole - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3694480/A_Game_About_Feeding_A_Black_Hole/

Episode Topics00:00 Intro01:57 Personal Calendar Picks12:09 Fun vs. Satisfaction46:45 Can Any Game Make $1,000?59:36 Viewer Question: What Makes a Good Game Trailer?Follow UsCory Connor Game ReferencesIRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator Mazey Village Re:Night ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library! Supermarket Chaos Scritchy Scratchy Rollin’ Ravioli Palworld Shelldiver A Game About Feeding a Black Hole Puzzle Milk Tea Gamblers Table How Many Dudes?

0:00 Intro
2:14 Forecasting Launch Success and the First 72 Hours
6:30 Validating Games and Finding Early Playtesters
15:12 Designing for New Players and the Right Audience
29:54 Game Jams, Steam Next Fest, and Indie Discoverability
40:56 Building an Effective Playtesting Process
48:12 Interpreting Feedback and Reading Player Behaviors

Follow Us
Cory https://store.steampowered.com/developer/thornity
Connor https://sundaybrunchstudios.com/blog

Referenced Games
A Game About Feeding a Black Hole https://store.steampowered.com/app/3694480/A_Game_About_Feeding_A_Black_Hole/
The Walking Trade https://store.steampowered.com/app/3398110/The_Walking_Trade/
Balatro https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/
Just Keep Fishing https://store.steampowered.com/app/4601160/Just_Keep_Fishing/
Mining and Dwarves https://store.steampowered.com/app/3987230/Mining_and_Dwarves/
Orb Breaker https://store.steampowered.com/app/4261030/Orb_Breaker/

Referenced Books
Nudge by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690485/nudge-by-richard-h-thaler-and-cass-r-sunstein/

Additional References
Min-Maxing Your Steam Launch — A Game Dev Podcast with Jonas Tyroller — https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/e/min-maxing-your-steam-launch/
How to Market a Game https://howtomarketagame.com/2025/11/04/the-optimistic-case-that-indie-games-are-in-a-golden-age-right-now/
Incremental Games Database — https://www.incrementaldb.com/
Steam Next Fest — https://store.steampowered.com/sale/nextfest
Godot Wild Jam — https://godotwildjam.com/
Ludum Dare — https://ldjam.com/
GMTK Game Jam — https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-game-jam
Dream Dev Podcast — https://www.youtube.com/@DreamDevPodcast