Black Shell Media Blog
Check out marketing tips, development advice and more, authored by our team of expert writers, marketing professionals and industry veterans!
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Business | Developer Spotlight | Game Design | Game Development
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Check out the Indie Insider podcast for interviews with industry veterans and experts!
7 Companies Every Game Developer Should Work With
The thing about game development that isn’t mentioned as often as it should be is that many developers, especially in the indie sector, are highly skilled… at development. They know how to add God Rays in a game, how to use Unity and Unreal Engine, and even how to...
The Name’s RuPaul, Dream Daddy: What Happens When Quirky Hooks Meet Memorable Gameplay
I remember being about thirteen and playing the third expansion pack for The Sims, titled The Sims: Hot Date. It had come out a few years before, but I'd been too young to be truly interested. However, teenage me, who kept falling for a new boy each week, was suddenly...
How to Market Your Indie Game: 7 Channels to Consider Post-Launch
As the Content Marketing Specialist here at Black Shell Media, whenever I’m not helping indie developers with their marketing schedules and plans, I’m creating content that can help them on their journey, from articles and whitepapers to graphic design, social media...
How to Effectively Implement a Monthly Subscription Model for Your Game
Despite the popularity of video games and their ability to stay continuously appealing, developers are still unsure how to profit off of their hard labor. This had led to a lot of experimentation with price cuts, sales, bundles, and, most noticeable of all,...
Lessons from the World’s Greatest Athlete: Ashton Eaton Says Game Devs Have to “Struggle Against Mental Weights” to Grow and Succeed
Raghav Mathur spoke on a panel at Betacon 2017 in Portland, OR. He had the chance to interview Ashton Eaton, Olympic decathlete and organizer of Betacon. Black Shell Media: How did you go about choosing which people you wanted to invite for Betacon? Were you doing...
Standing Out from the Crowd: How to Sell Your Mobile Game Without Google Play or iTunes
Mobile game developers know that there are two giants fighting for their hearts, minds and yes, their money: Google Play and the iTunes App Store. Both offer apps, music, books, film, TV series, and games, but come from humble beginnings. Apple’s store began in 2008...
Indie Insider #43 – Anthony Palma, CEO of Jump
This week's guest: Anthony Palma, CEO of Jump, the upcoming on-demand video game subscription service! Topics discussed: Creating a Netflix-like subscription service focused on indie games The art of developing a business model and growth model The pros and...
The Worst E3 Ever? 15 Lessons to Take Away from E3 2017
June 13-15, 2017 marked an interesting time for the gaming industry. It was E3, the annual event that celebrates gaming and showcases what players can look forward to in the next year. But this year, something was off. It was less about what gamers want, and more...
How to Create Realistic Characters in 10 Steps
Let's face it—stories in games are often overlooked. As long as the gameplay and mechanics are intact, players don't outright need substance. Even during development, the story isn't a driving factor. Everything, including the characters, are written around the design...
How to Sell Your Game Across Platforms
So you've finally created your indie game. This is usually the part when you get a chance to fully congratulate yourself. You just accomplished something amazing, something you set out to do—and you deserve credit for it. However . . . your work isn't quite done. The...
Fraud in the Gaming Industry
Fraud is everywhere, from retail stores to digital marketplaces. Shoplifters alone account for 27 million (1 in 11) crimes in the United States. Large and small retailers deal with it, and so do you as a game developer. Because, frankly, it goes far beyond your...
How to Manage Taxes as an Indie Developer
Disclaimer: I am not a certified accountant or a lawyer, and none of this may be constituted as legal or financial advice. Seek guidance from a CPA or attorney for details specific to your situation. This article is meant as a general overview of global taxes, not an...
On The Subject of Trade-Offs
This is a guest post from Justin Fischer of Breaking the Wheel. Check out his site and follow him on Twitter for more awesome content. Decision making under uncertain conditions is a routine task for any company. But its ubiquity does not make it any easier. And, too...
The Top 5 MMORPGs of All Time
First thing's first, this list is strictly all about MMORPGs. The reason for this is that there is just too much controversy over what the term MMO entails. Yes, MMOs are massively multiplayer, and yes, they are played online. They come in several forms, including...
Indie Insider #42 – Dan Butchko, CEO of Playcrafting
This week's guest: Dan Butchko, CEO of Playcrafting, the organization providing in-person classes, courses, and events across America for both aspiring and established game developers! Topics discussed: Running a for-profit company with a non-profit mindset An...
The 7 Best Launchers to Use for Game Delivery and Updates
Making your players wait for content is one of the best ways to hurt potential sales of your game. That includes slow downloads, laggy installs, and additional updates. Players want your game and updates, but waiting goes strictly against everything they’re used to....
Top 5 Payment Processors in the Games Industry
E-Commerce is a huge topic in this digital age. It allows people to purchase items straight from their computers, smartphones, and tablets, all without having to get dressed and drive to the store. In fact, according to CPStrategy, 96% of Americans shop online now,...
Best Practices: Game Websites and Landing Pages
Steam has long since exceeded 125 million concurrent users, all of whom are exposed to well over 10,000 games. The year 2015 saw the largest growth, with as many new games added as the past 10 years combined. With an average of $24.5 billion in annual video game sales...
Should You Self-Publish or Work With a Publisher for Your Next Indie Game?
Are you wondering if you should self-publish or traditionally publish your next video game? You’re not alone. Around 4,000 games were released on Steam in 2016 alone. Every single one of those developers had to sit down and ask themselves if they really had what it...
Where Are HTML Games Heading in the Future?
Hypertext Markup Language, better known as HTML, has been used to create web pages and applications since 1993, but where is it headed now that we’re slowly approaching a new decade? Considered a cornerstone for the World Wide Web, HTML makes it possible for web...
Indie Insider #41 – Rocky Kev, Serious Game Devs Only
This week's guest: Rocky Kev, founder of the Serious Game Devs Only community and creator of the Bytesized educational video series for game developers! Topics discussed: Tackling debt as an indie game developer Why periods of video game apathy can be a...
After the Launch: What to Do After You Release Your Game
So you have finally finished your game and released it on Steam. Congratulations! All those months, or years, of grueling work in the early hours of the morning are over and players all over the world are finally enjoying your game. There’s nothing left to do but sit...
How Steam Employs DRM & What That Means For Your Game
Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a corporate attempt at fighting piracy by controlling exactly how and when you use media. There are, approximately, 10,742,489 kinds of DRM and copy protection out there, with almost every company or format having their own take on...
Indie Insider #40 – Dirk Knemeyer, Host of The Game Design Roundtable Podcast
This week's guest: Dirk Knemeyer, host of The Game Design Roundtable podcast and Creative Director of Artana, a tabletop game company! Topics discussed: How to bounce back when your company or idea crumbles around you Finding your personal alignment Dealing...