Do game developers have additional sources of income outside of Patreon?

[allura404]

I want to ask something I'm curious about, I think this is the right place to open this thread. How do developers make money from these adult games? The only and biggest source of income I know is Patreon etc. subscription platforms. Apart from these, do they have any source of income from which they can earn money?

I look at some developers, although years have passed, they haven't been able to gather much support from such subscription platforms and they still continue to develop their games. If it was an easy job, I would understand that they would continue as a hobby, but I think it's not an easy job. What are the sources of motivation for them to continue? Does it provide an extra income for developers when people download and play the game? (e.g. downloading revenue: from file upload sites like Mega.nz, playing revenue: from game engines like Renp'y)

I have a dream of learning how to make a game and developing a game in the future. If I am going to do this job, I will look at my project as a side job rather than a hobby. I wonder if there are any additional sources of income. Also, some developers who make really high quality games don't get the value they deserve. When I look at Patreon revenues, I have a fear that they will abandon the game soon.

 

[MissFortune]

There's no magic potion for this. Many developers, aside from the luckier ones, work full-time jobs. I'm sure there's a few like me who are going to school, working near full-time jobs + overtime, and making a VN/game. Another dev said it somewhere, but I'm drawing a blank. Making an indie/adult game is 30% making it, the other 70% is marketing and promotion. Games like this live off of word of mouth and putting yourself out there. You don't go into this space expecting to make money right away, it's a slow process before you can make a living off of this - if ever. Those in it for the money typically don't make it past 0.1 or 0.2 and abandon it once they realize it isn't as easy as it looks. You have to be doing this because you want to, not for what looks like an easy cash grab. But it still stands to say that the devs making a living off of this are the exceptions, not the rule.

Patreon, SubscribeStar, and other subscription platforms. Steam, if your game qualifies/falls under their rules, is a valid source of income if you know what you're doing. Itch is a solid platform, as well. Closer to Steam than it is Patreon/SS, and is a bit of a hassle to set up/figure out, but has a sizeable userbase. Some devs have YouTube channels on the side (IT-Roy, Thundorn/GDT, etc.) with tutorials that are able to make some side money with. I'm also aware of a dev or two that actively sells stuff on the Daz store. There are ways to make a living being an indie, its just about how much work and time you have to put into it.

 

[allura404]

There's no magic potion for this. Many developers, aside from the luckier ones, work full-time jobs. I'm sure there's a few like me who are going to school, working near full-time jobs + overtime, and making a VN/game. Another dev said it somewhere, but I'm drawing a blank. Making an indie/adult game is 30% making it, the other 70% is marketing and promotion. Games like this live off of word of mouth and putting yourself out there. You don't go into this space expecting to make money right away, it's a slow process before you can make a living off of this - if ever. Those in it for the money typically don't make it past 0.1 or 0.2 and abandon it once they realize it isn't as easy as it looks. You have to be doing this because you want to, not for what looks like an easy cash grab. But it still stands to say that the devs making a living off of this are the exceptions, not the rule.

Patreon, SubscribeStar, and other subscription platforms. Steam, if your game qualifies/falls under their rules, is a valid source of income if you know what you're doing. Itch is a solid platform, as well. Closer to Steam than it is Patreon/SS, and is a bit of a hassle to set up/figure out, but has a sizeable userbase. Some devs have YouTube channels on the side (IT-Roy, Thundorn/GDT, etc.) with tutorials that are able to make some side money with. I'm also aware of a dev or two that actively sells stuff on the Daz store. There are ways to make a living being an indie, its just about how much work and time you have to put into it.

I've played many games and I have good ideas in mind. I would like to pour these experiences and ideas into a project. For any independent job, of course, we shouldn't expect to earn money immediately, you need to give your time and effort to your work to earn money, but as I said, I know developers who have been doing this for years and continue despite not getting their due. I was wondering if there is another source of income that motivates them, but I guess as you said, there isn't much of a realistic income source other than subscription platforms. I thought they might have a small income from file upload sites and game engines. Thanks for your answer

 

[Saki_Sliz]

It's not just games, its arts in general.

I know a lot of artists who hate their career choice because unless they get hired professionally, it is pretty hard to make money with their art. The same could be said for making games, since it is just another form of art. Just about everyone I've met said they wished or recommend that having a side income or a proper job because making money with art isn't that reliable, and there is only a small overlap between art you like and art that sells. They often wish that they had another income so that they could be more free with their art.

I know in my upbringing, career was the most stressed thing, the most important. I toyed with making games in both highschool, and college, and it took me over a year to finally land a job as an engineer. Funny enough, only after a week of getting a stable job, I finally started my most serious project so far, not only able to hire help, but to also find a pace that I can work at and not burn myself out.

Being well off is a great start, because if you are passionate about it, you don't have to limit yourself. If you don't limit yourself, then when you do start off publishing you work for things like patreon, you have a good collection of assets and work you've done to start showing off.

 

[anne O'nymous]

Apart from these, do they have any source of income from which they can earn money?

As said by others, their "real job", or their wife/girlfriend's job when they are lucky and she earn enough for two.

If it was an easy job, I would understand that they would continue as a hobby, but I think it's not an easy job. What are the sources of motivation for them to continue?

I guess it's mostly the passion. As hard as it can be, and it is, there's still the priceless gratification you get when your baby come to life and a part of the public like it.

Does it provide an extra income for developers when people download and play the game?

No. There's hosting sites that will pay for each download of what one have uploaded, but they are banned here. As for the game engine, none will pay you by use, it's more the opposite.

Also, some developers who make really high quality games don't get the value they deserve. When I look at Patreon revenues, I have a fear that they will abandon the game soon.

If the game is effectively of high quality, no, they'll probably not abandon it. Perhaps they'll not do a second one, but the chances that they finish this one are high.
It need time and dedication to make an average game, so imagine the amount of efforts they put in theirs. One don't put so much effort on something to abandon it ; they love their story/game, and they'll go to its end, for them if it's not for the public.

Funny enough, only after a week of getting a stable job, I finally started my most serious project so far, not only able to hire help, but to also find a pace that I can work at and not burn myself out.

It's not funny, it's realistic.
It's a hobby and you know that your life don't depend on it and its success. It's way more peaceful to do it that way. It don't protect you from the stress, but since your life don't depend of this, you'll deal better with it.
The worse that can happen to you is that making a game is not for you... well, you're an employed engineer, it's already a good achievement in one's life.

[...] then when you do start off publishing you work for things like patreon, you have a good collection of assets and work you've done to start showing off.

This can seem ridiculous, but the more I think about it, the more it feel like a mandatory step for someone who want to start.
There's only one braindrop (WVM author, who reached US$ 5000 in its first month) in a lifetime, and it already happened. Therefore, if you've previous works to show, perhaps even a finished game, whatever how small and ridiculous it can be, it can be a plus. It will show that you haven't awakened one day and decided to make a game out of a whim. For you, it's something more serious, and I believe that it's reassuring for those who will perhaps want to pledge for you.

 

[Tompte]

I have a full time job as a game developer since about 14 years now. I'm not developing adult games to make money. It's more of an extended hobby/outlet to me. In my day-to-day work I only touch a small part of a much bigger machine and I can be much more loose and experimental with my own projects, and it's actually a really good way to stay sharp.

My honest opinion is that Patreon isn't a very good place for game development. I'd elaborate but that'd be too long a post and off topic and I'd probably piss a bunch of people off. (In brief, I've seen too many unserious actors, good intentions be damned, and personally I'd much prefer a stable job). But I say this as someone who's never had to resort to crowdfunding so I'm an outside observer at best.

If you want a job in the games industry use your free time to learn and make games/demos, or art (preferably sfw). If you want to use Patreon to support you during that time that's fine but be honest to your patrons. Any experience is good experience and game companies much prefer to hire people who won't require a ton of training.

 

[Saki_Sliz]

It will show that you haven't awakened one day and decided to make a game out of a whim. For you, it's something more serious, and I believe that it's reassuring for those who will perhaps want to pledge for you.

That's one thing I've been constantly wondering about, how to first present myself and my project.

While I have shared a little bit of what I do here and there, its mostly only 1 on 1 between people. I haven't really put myself out there, mainly because a lot of everything I do is amateurish and experimental. I don't show much because I don't want to show how amateurish my art is, that's because my real strength is programming, which is all 'dark work' and not that flashy. I'm not artsy, skilled, or a writer, so I kept the project simple in that it just needs to be a well developed project. But then, that is the issue. As you say, its good to see someone with experience, to see that the project isn't just some pipe dream, and to see that some time has been put into the project. However, that's just what I'm planning, to one day decide that I'm ready to go public, set up all the websites, and show up out of no where with a clean front. I've been wondering how well that would go, or how long it will take before I start to gain traction, since my research indicates that I'll probably spend 2 months or so doing marketing for the project to try to get a community started for it.

 

[anne O'nymous]

I'm not artsy, skilled, or a writer, so I kept the project simple in that it just needs to be a well developed project. But then, that is the issue. As you say, its good to see someone with experience, to see that the project isn't just some pipe dream, and to see that some time has been put into the project. However, that's just what I'm planning, to one day decide that I'm ready to go public, set up all the websites, and show up out of no where with a clean front.

But it's the "hey it's time to show this to the public" that will come "out of a whim", not the project itself. From my point of view it's totally different.
You aren't waiting to have enough content, but to be ready for this release. And here, "being ready" cover more than the game itself. You're waiting to have a clear view on the future, knowing that you'll have the time to promote your game and to works on it regularly enough. This while also waiting to be satisfied by what you already have.
Those are things that people starting a game on a whim don't think about.