Freaking Cool Indies
Freaking Cool Indies
Podcast Description
Freaking Cool Indies: Your Blueprint to Indie Game Success. More than just a podcast—it's your indie-preneur toolkit.
We cut through the noise to deliver research-backed marketing insights, practical publishing advice, and motivational stories from successful devs. Learn how to craft killer elevator pitches, build thriving communities, and navigate the wild world of game marketing.
We're here to help you not just make games, but sell them. Join us and turn your indie dream into reality.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on indie game development and marketing, covering topics such as creating effective devlogs, mastering elevator pitches, community building, and navigating Kickstarter for visibility, with episodes including hands-on strategies for YouTube analytics and community engagement.
Freaking Cool Indies: Your Blueprint to Indie Game Success. More than just a podcast, it’s your indiepreneur toolkit.
We cut through the noise to deliver research-backed marketing insights, practical publishing advice, and motivational stories from successful devs. Learn how to craft killer elevator pitches, build thriving communities, and navigate the wild world of game marketing.
We’re here to help you not just make games, but sell them. Join us and turn your indie dream into reality.
Hilltop Studios founder Scott Christian and writer Matt Bernard break down how two theatre kids built an award winning indie game, then bet the whole studio on a gothic horror mystery for their next release, Curse of Resthaven.Wishlist Curse of Resthaven: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3796150/Curse_of_Resthaven/Buy Lil' Guardsman: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1924360/Lil_Guardsman/Chapters:0:00 – Cold open: from cozy cartoons to gothic horror1:52 – Why they didn't just make Lil Guardsman 24:56 – Building Curse of Resthaven's mechanics from scratch11:06 – Writing comedy vs horror (and hiring a copy editor)14:43 – The indie funding crunch and the Batman rule for scope20:08 – Designing the demo and the time loop23:27 – Playtesting, UI fixes, and the game's best mysteries28:07 – The three types of mystery clues30:20 – The Mix showcase and finding the right creators41:37 – Toronto's ”Kevin Bacon” and Play It ForwardScott Christian and Matt Bernard are the founder and writer behind Hilltop Studios, the Toronto team behind Lil' Guardsman, an award winning Papers Please style deduction game with acclaimed voice acting and a community that still talks about it. Neither of them came up through a traditional game dev background, they came from theatre and comedy, and it shows in how they build. Their next game, Curse of Resthaven, trades Lil' Guardsman's cartoon tone for a gothic horror mystery wrapped in a colony sim and a seven day time loop.Links mentioned:Button Man by Styrax Studios (Play It Forward pick): https://store.steampowered.com/app/2817960/Button_Man/Viewfinder by Sad Owl Studios, published by Thunderful (Play It Forward pick): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1382070/Viewfinder/🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES📬 Freaking Cool Indies Newsletter: https://freakingcoolindies.com/FCI_newsletters 🎙️ Hangout on the go:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2doPqk8Q9IKstjLDdSMn9nApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freaking-cool-indies/id1824774892❤️ CONNECT WITH ME 🕸️ Website: https://freakingcoolindies.com/🐦 Twitter: / https://x.com/F_Cool_Indies🎵 TikTok: / https://www.tiktok.com/@freakingcoolindies💼 LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/in/marnone/🦋 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freakingcoolindies.com
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.