Cliff Harris has been making independent games for over two decades, building and cult classics like Democracy, Gratuitous Space Battles, and Kudos long before indie development became what it is today.

In this episode of About Game Dev, we talk about his journey through the uk games industry, how a WWII history book inspired Gratuitous Space Battles, why he believes it became the first auto-battler years before the genre exploded in popularity, and what it was like watching that happen with very little recognition.

We also dive into game design, indie publishing, AI, building sustainable studios, and the lessons Cliff has learned from more than 20 years of making games.

If you're interested in game development, design, or the realities of building a long-term career as an indie game developer, I think you'll really enjoy this conversation.

Check Out Cliff's Games 👉🏻 https://store.steampowered.com/developer/positech/

▶️🚕 Wishlist Cabs Of Chaos - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2923770/Cabs_Of_Chaos/

▶️ Support The Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/GameDevGuide

In this episode of About Game Dev, I sit down with Code Monkey — one of the most well-known Unity educators on YouTube.

Hugo has helped countless developers learn Unity through his extensive library of tutorials and courses, but he's also spent years making and releasing his own commercial games on Steam.

As two developers who spend a lot of time teaching online, we discuss the trade-offs between spending months working on a game versus consistently producing content, the realities of making a living independently, and how to set realistic goals when trying to build a sustainable career in games.

▶️ Check out Game Dev Practice Lab - https://gamedevpracticelab.circle.so/gamedevpracticelab
▶️🚕 Wishlist Cabs Of Chaos - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2923770/Cabs_Of_Chaos/
▶️ Become A Patron - http://www.patreon.com/GameDevGuide

In this first BANGER of an episode, I sit down with Luke Muscat (designer of Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride) to talk about his journey through the games industry. We discuss his time at Halfbrick Studios, where he helped create two of mobile gaming's biggest hits, his first startup that was eventually acquired by Snapchat, and his transition to becoming an independent developer and YouTuber.

We also dive into the development of his latest title, Normal Golf Game, along with lessons learned throughout his career, game design philosophy, tooling, and what it really takes to build successful games.