No Time, No Budget, No Problem: Finishing The First Tree
TLDRDavid Whaley, creator of 'The First Tree', shares his journey of developing an indie game while working full-time and raising a family. Despite a limited budget, he leveraged public assets and Reddit marketing to achieve success, with the game earning significant revenue and recognition. Whaley emphasizes the importance of consistent posting, finding a game's hook, and the personal connection in marketing, ultimately leading to a full-time indie development career.
Takeaways
- 🌳 David Whaley created 'The First Tree', a game about a fox searching for her cubs, paralleled by a human story of a son reconnecting with his father in Alaska, inspired by his own loss.
- 🚀 Despite a full-time job, raising kids, and supporting his partner's art career, Whaley managed to develop the game, demonstrating the feasibility of balancing personal and professional life in indie game development.
- 💰 The game was made on a shoestring budget of $10,000, covering all aspects including website, conventions, and music, highlighting the importance of resourcefulness and cost-effective strategies.
- 🔧 Whaley utilized publicly available assets and prototyping to save time and money, emphasizing the value of leveraging existing resources to expedite development.
- 🎓 His first game, 'Homas', taught him valuable lessons about game development and marketing, illustrating the benefits of learning from initial projects to improve future endeavors.
- 📈 Whaley's marketing strategy involved consistent posting and engagement on platforms like Reddit, showcasing the effectiveness of persistent and strategic content sharing.
- 🎨 The game's art style was achieved by modifying stock assets, demonstrating how personal creativity can be integrated into pre-existing resources to create a unique aesthetic.
- 🎵 Music was sourced from stock libraries, with composer Josh Cramer's work being pivotal, underscoring the impact of music in enhancing the emotional resonance of a game.
- 📊 Whaley's approach to marketing included focusing on visuals and creating a compelling narrative, which helped in gaining traction and visibility for the game.
- 🏆 The success of 'The First Tree' on Steam led to opportunities for console ports and further validation of the game's appeal, illustrating how initial success can open doors for broader distribution.
Q & A
What is the game 'The First Tree' about?
-The First Tree is a third-person exploration game about a fox looking for her missing cubs. It also tells a parallel story about a son reconnecting with his father in Alaska. The game was created to express the emotions of the developer, David Whaley, after losing his own father to a heart attack.
What challenges did David Whaley face while developing 'The First Tree'?
-David Whaley faced numerous challenges including a limited budget, balancing full-time work with game development, raising two kids, and supporting his partner's art career. He also had to manage the development process without much money and during nights and weekends.
How much did it cost to develop 'The First Tree'?
-The development of 'The First Tree' cost David Whaley $10,000, which included expenses for the website, conventions, music, and everything else. The game was developed over 18 months, primarily during nights and weekends.
What was the initial revenue generated by 'The First Tree' in its first year?
-In its first year, 'The First Tree' generated a gross revenue of $150,000. This revenue was later used to fund the console port of the game with the assistance of DO Games.
How did David Whaley manage to market 'The First Tree' effectively?
-David Whaley used a strategy of consistent posting and engagement on platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Tumblr. He also focused on creating high-impact content like GIFs and trailers, and leveraged the visibility of the game on Steam and other platforms to drive sales.
What role did Reddit play in the marketing of 'The First Tree'?
-Reddit played a significant role in the marketing of 'The First Tree'. David Whaley was able to get a GIF of the game on the front page of Reddit, which resulted in about 3 million views and 200,000 Steam page visits. This helped in gaining significant traction and visibility for the game.
What was David Whaley's strategy for finding time to develop the game?
-David Whaley found time to develop the game by hiring neighborhood teens to watch his kids, allowing him to work full-time and still have about 10 hours a week for game development. He also made sure to work on the game every single day, aiming for at least a 1% progress each day.
How did David Whaley use publicly available assets in the development of 'The First Tree'?
-David Whaley used publicly available assets as a springboard to save time in development. He modified and incorporated these assets into his game, adding his own creative twist to them. This approach helped him finish the game more quickly and with less resources.
What were some of the lessons David Whaley learned from his first game 'Homas'?
-From his first game 'Homas', David Whaley learned the importance of not launching at midnight, not changing launch dates last minute, and the necessity of having an email list and social media presence. He also learned the importance of including popularly requested features like trading cards and subtitles from the start.
What advice does David Whaley give for marketing an indie game?
-David Whaley advises indie game developers to focus on creating a compelling hook for their game, sharing GIFs and trailers as early as possible, and consistently posting content on social media platforms. He also emphasizes the importance of engaging with the community and being sincere in their interactions.
Outlines
🎮 Indie Game Development Success - The First Tree
David Whaley shares his journey developing 'The First Tree,' an indie game that became successful despite being a side project with limited resources. He discusses the game's themes of a fox searching for her cubs and a son reconnecting with his father, inspired by his personal loss. Whaley highlights the game's success at events like PAX West and its launch on Steam, which cost only $10,000 and resulted in significant revenue. He emphasizes the importance of marketing, particularly on Reddit, and the role of luck and consistent effort in his game's success.
🌲 Balancing Game Development with Full-Time Work and Parenting
The speaker details the challenges of finding time to develop 'The First Tree' while working full-time and raising two children. He and his wife hired neighborhood teens to help with childcare, allowing him to dedicate about 10 hours a week to game development. Whaley discusses the sacrifices made, such as reduced leisure time, and the benefits of learning from his day job at a VR company, which helped him overcome technical challenges in game development.
🛠️ Leveraging Public Assets for Efficient Game Development
David Whaley talks about his strategy of using publicly available assets to save time and resources during game development. He explains how this approach allowed him to focus on adding his own creative twists to the assets rather than creating everything from scratch. Whaley also discusses the benefits of prototyping and the importance of daily progress, even if it's just 1%, to maintain momentum and motivation throughout the development process.
🎨 Achieving Consistency with Stock Assets and Music
The speaker shares his experience in achieving a consistent art style in 'The First Tree' by modifying and customizing stock assets. He also discusses the collaboration with composer Josh Cramer, who provided music for the game at an affordable cost. Whaley emphasizes the importance of visuals in marketing and the strategy of creating a website, trailer, and Steam page early on to gather organic wish lists and data on what resonates with the audience.
📈 Marketing Strategies for Indie Game Success
David Whaley outlines his marketing strategies for 'The First Tree,' focusing on creating a hook, developing a consistent art style, and leveraging social media platforms like Twitter, Tumblr, and Reddit. He explains the importance of having a human connection in marketing, sharing personal stories, and using data gathered from social media to create a compelling trailer. Whaley also discusses the significance of getting on the new and trending tab on Steam to increase visibility and sales.
🏆 From Hobbyist to Full-Time Indie Developer
The speaker reflects on his journey from creating 'The First Tree' as a hobbyist to becoming a full-time indie developer. He credits the successful Steam launch for opening opportunities like the console port and mentions the importance of marketing concurrently with development. Whaley shares lessons learned about what can be compromised in game development and the value of a successful launch. He concludes with a heartfelt message from a player who found solace in his game, emphasizing the impact of finishing and sharing a game with others.
🤝 Building Relationships with Artists and Musicians
David Whaley discusses how he found the music for 'The First Tree' by licensing stock music from platforms like pond5, music bed, and audiojungle. He explains that there was no initial personal connection with the composer, Josh Kramer, but after the game's success, they formed a partnership. Whaley also talks about the importance of having a personal Twitter account for marketing and the value of being genuine and relatable in marketing efforts.
🔍 Analyzing Successful and Unsuccessful Marketing Posts
The speaker analyzes what made some of his marketing posts successful and others not, attributing the success to having a human connection and being specific and sincere in the posts. Whaley suggests that being vague or lacking a personal touch can hurt the effectiveness of marketing efforts. He emphasizes the importance of celebrating personal achievements in game development, as it resonates with the audience's dreams and aspirations.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡The First Tree
💡Indie Game
💡Game Development
💡Marketing Strategy
💡Reddit Traction
💡Stock Assets
💡Personal Connection
💡Steam
💡Console Port
💡Social Media Blitz
Highlights
David Whaley, creator of 'The First Tree', discusses the challenges and successes of developing an indie game with limited time and budget.
'The First Tree' is a third-person exploration game with a narrative about a fox searching for her cubs and a son reconnecting with his father.
The game was a personal project for Whaley, inspired by his own experience of losing his father to a heart attack in 2010.
Despite working full-time and raising two kids, Whaley managed to complete the game, which was showcased at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and PAX West.
The game's development cost was $10,000, including website, conventions, and music, and it grossed $150,000 in its first year.
Whaley utilized Reddit for marketing, achieving significant traction and even making the front page, which resulted in 3 million views on a gif and 200,000 Steam page visits.
Consistency in posting and learning from each post's performance over 18 months contributed to the game's marketing success.
Whaley's first game, 'Homas Where One Starts', taught him valuable lessons about game development and marketing, leading to better strategies with 'The First Tree'.
Publicly available assets and prototyping were essential in saving time and resources during the development of 'The First Tree'.
Whaley emphasizes the importance of working on the game every day, even if it's just a small task, to maintain momentum and motivation.
Using stock assets required Whaley to modify and make them his own, which helped in maintaining a consistent art style.
The game's marketing strategy involved creating an email list, leveraging social media, and focusing on high-impact strategies with limited time.
A successful launch on Steam led to opportunities for console ports and further validation of the game's potential.
Whaley's experience shows that even with limited resources, it's possible to achieve success in the indie game development scene.
The emotional connection players had with 'The First Tree' demonstrates the power of personal storytelling in games.
Whaley encourages other indie developers to finish their games, as they can have a significant impact on players' lives.
A Q&A session reveals insights into Whaley's approach to marketing, use of stock music, and the importance of a human connection in game development.
Transcripts
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