
IndieGameBusiness®
Candid conversations with veterans of all aspects of the business side of games. We firmly believe that great games from all developers need the support they deserve to succeed. This podcast exists to provide that support.
IndieGameBusiness® is produced by The Powell Group, a video game consulting firm specializing in business development, marketing, and licensing. Our CEO has been in the industry for 20 years and closed countless publishing and licensing deals. The Powell Group monitors over 3,500 game developers and 750+ publishers.
Latest episodes

Oct 15, 2022 • 1h 2min
Government Grants and Contracts for Indie Game Studios
COVID aid for small digital businesses has vanished, but did you know there’s many obscure grant programs and government contracts indie studios might actually qualify for? Learn how to put together a business profile as a studio, how government funding differs from publishers, and what you need to put in your proposal to secure a bid!
#gamedev #gamedevgrants #indiegamedev #gamedeveloper

Oct 15, 2022 • 1h 2min
Getting Diversity and Culture Right in the Game Industry
WRKS Games is a fully remote game developer and publisher of independent games, with a high performance 32 hour work week, a broad international spread of people from predominantly under represented groups and have a 0% volunteer attrition rate in 4 years. Getting this right is not hard, I will show you how we did it.
This is a summary of how to build a resilient, cost effective sustainable game development company in the 21st Century. The attendees should be able to walk away with a blueprint on how to get remote cultures and HR right that can be implemented and executed in their companies.

Oct 14, 2022 • 1h 16min
Is There a Magic Formula for Marketing Your Game w/Marcela Torres from Joystick Ventures
Join us as we talk with Marcela Torres, CMO of Joystick Ventures and we will discuss if there is some kind of magic formula to marketing your game.
The topics we will discuss are:
1. Branding/Marketing/Sales are not the same thing.
2. Is pushing wishlists effective?
3. Content needs to add value (define that value yourself).
4. There's no one formula for all games.
Follow Marcela on Twitter: twitter.com/marcetorresg
Connect with Marcela on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marcelatg/
To learn more about the show or our online business matchmaking events for indie developers visit: indiegame.business
Indie Game Business is produced by The Powell Group: powellgroupconsulting.com
Watch the official live stream: twitch.tv/indiegamebusiness
Join the Indie Game Business Discord: discord.gg/indiegamebusiness
The Twitters to follow -
Indie Game Business: twitter.com/BusinessIndie
Powell Group Consulting: twitter.com/PowellGrp
Jay: twitter.com/Powell_Jay
INDIE: twitter.com/TheRealIndie
Thank you so much to Trip Wire Presents for sponsoring Indie Game Business!
Follow TripWire Presents on Twitter: https://twitter.com/twpresents
Check out TripWire Presents website: https://www.tripwireinteractive.com/#/
#gamedev #indiegamedev #gamedeveloper #indiegamedeveloper #gamebusiness #videogamemarketing #marketingyourvideogame #gamemarketing

Oct 14, 2022 • 1h 5min
Investing in Indie Games
On today's Indie Game Business, we have Ivan Carillo from Joystick Ventures and we will be discussing investing in indie games.
The topics covered will be.
1. Joystick Ventures Fund.
2. Why invest in indie games?
3. When is a good time for a studio to consider investment?
4. What is the best way to approach investors?
Follow Ivan on Twitter: twitter.com/krriyo
To learn more about the show or our online business matchmaking events for indie developers visit: indiegame.business
Indie Game Business is produced by The Powell Group: powellgroupconsulting.com
Watch the official live stream: twitch.tv/indiegamebusiness
Join the Indie Game Business Discord: discord.gg/indiegamebusiness
The Twitters to follow -
Indie Game Business: twitter.com/BusinessIndie
Powell Group Consulting: twitter.com/PowellGrp
Jay: twitter.com/Powell_Jay
INDIE: twitter.com/TheRealIndie
Thank you so much to Trip Wire Presents for sponsoring Indie Game Business!
Follow TripWire Presents on Twitter: https://twitter.com/twpresents
Check out TripWire Presents website: https://www.tripwireinteractive.com/#/
#gamedev #indiegamedev #gamedeveloper #indiegamedeveloper #gamebusiness

Oct 14, 2022 • 1h 2min
Free demos! The secret to instant visibility!
Looking to get more visibility on your Indie Game? Recently clever developers have discovered that creating a free version of their game can radically increase their visibility.
In this extremely practical talk with actionable steps that you can take to create a demo that can earn you thousands of wishlists.
Attend this talk to:
See actual examples of real games that have benefited from this strategy
Hear practical tips on how to make a demo that sells
Learn how to promote your demo so that shoppers will find it.
Understand the stats that tell you whether your demo is effective

Oct 14, 2022 • 1h 1min
Found in Translation: Cultural Takeaways for a Global Era
Chris will talk about his decade-plus experience in working in Japan for all manner of organizations, spanning public and private sectors, start-ups and multinationals, and how it shaped his own philosophy on company culture and individual career development.
We’ll also dive into how that philosophy is applied at Genvid, a globally distributed company with over 150 full-time employees in the US, Canada, UK, the EU, and Japan. #localization #gamedevculture #gamedev #indiegamedev

Oct 13, 2022 • 1h 1min
Fostering a People First Studio
Our relationships with our studios and the way we work for them are changing at a rapid pace.
For many, working from home has surfaced and emphasized how removed we are from our studio goals and teams, and it can leave us feeling undervalued, overtaxed, and disconnected - feelings that aren't healthy for the team member or the studio!
I believe this can be alleviated by taking a People-First approach to studio building and leadership - people as the co-pilots of the plane, not just the fuel. I'll address what people first is and isn't, and ways to incorporate it into your studio or production strategy.
Takeaway: Attendees at any point in their career will be better equipped to identify, work towards and/or advocate for a People First way of working. #gamedev #gamestudio

Oct 13, 2022 • 59min
Fireside Chat with Liz Pate, COO of Tripwire
Liz will talk about her background and how she came to be COO of Tripwire, along with what a COO does and why they are important for game studios (especially ones who want to grow and sustain).

Oct 5, 2022 • 58min
Communicating Science Through Play
With today’s technology, we should be able to advance education by teaching high-level science topics to the public. What's taking so long, and how can we use technology to make learning fun and reach new audiences? Join a panel discussion with an interdisciplinary team who created Microscopya, a science communication game exploring the beautiful universe inside the human cell.
Panelists include Dr. Beata Mierzwa (molecular biologist and science artist), Matthew Cooney, MSc (conservationist and science communicator), Michael Butler, MEIM (game developer and founder of Atelier Monarch Studios), and Jamie van Dyck, B.A. (composer and guitarist of Earthside). The panel will be moderated by Dr. Melanie Stegman (Game Design Faculty at Maryland Institute College of Art and founder of Molecular Jig Games).
This project was made possible through the IF/THEN She Can Change The World Project Grant, with additional funding from the COMPASS Outreach Grant of the American Society for Cell Biology. #gamedev #videogamedev #science

Oct 3, 2022 • 1h 1min
Calling all leaders, even if you don't think you are one, you need to be one!
But you can only have ONE LEADER, RIGHT?! How can everyone be a leader on a small team? Simple, Small Team - Stuff to do - Everyone takes ownership and gets it done! How to set up smaller remote teams so that everyone has autonomy, ownership, and direction. Create a highly functioning team of owners and drivers even if they are just used to IC (individual contribution).
#gamedev #indiegamedev #gamedevelopment