I’ve been working on a freeware game called Destroy All Goblins, and I find myself wondering what success looks like for it. As a new game developer, I don’t have fans or much experience with releasing games. I can’t expect to make money or a big splash with such a small game. So what even are my hopes, dreams, and expectations for the project?

Success for DAG is to finish it and release it freely and widely so as many people as possible can play it. That’s the goal! I believe I can accomplish that. And it’ll help establish a baseline of metrics to consider as I work on future projects. I’m also hoping it’ll get my name out there a little and help me make a few friends and fans.

I know I’ll learn a ton from making this game. Heck, I already have. I’m looking forward to sharing what I learn along the way. I’m really viewing the game as a learning experience.

It can be easy to dream big and have high hopes of lots of players and a big community. But it helps me to temper those expectations and be realistic. I’m a new dev with no following and that’s a great thing for someone still getting their footing! Expectations are nonexistent. I can experiment, and I can make mistakes because the stakes are low.

By finishing something larger than a small jam game, I’ll learn about polishing a game and getting feedback from players. I’ll learn about how to release a game on various storefronts. I’ll have a sense of what works and what doesn’t with the games I make. That’s all so valuable. More valuable to me than making a few bucks at this point in time.

Add on top of that a foundation of code for making a 2D action game, and I’ll be able to jump into my next project with a head start. I fully plan to mine the depths of what I can do with a single-screen platformer.

So success is finishing Destroy All Goblins and making it as accessible and polished as reasonably possible. I’ve set a goal to finish it by the end of February. That seems realistic with its limited scope. We’ll see how it continues to go. 😄

If you’re interested in Destroy All Goblins, play it and let me know what you think (it’s free!). I’ve released it in Early Access so people can check it out while I’m still working on it. Your feedback would be so appreciated.

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Thanks for following along! Looking forward to sharing more about Destroy All Goblins as I continue to work on it.