How the coronavirus pandemic is putting indie developers in an even tougher spot

Chris Wright had spent years getting ready to go all-in on developing his own game. He’d saved up while working as a software engineer and test manager at places like Blizzard and Bungie until late last year, when he planned to launch his own studio called Poorly Timed Games. But the global coronavirus pandemic would add an unexpected new meaning to his studio’s name. Wright’s plans were about to change drastically.

“The previous model of building a demo and then looking for a publisher is scary for a lot of folks now,” Wright tells me. “Since there’s no telling if there will be money available in six or nine months, I’ve heard it may be much harder to get funding.” Wright had been hoping to bring on more contractors and find a publisher soon, but that all seems to be a quickly evaporating dream. As the coronavirus epidemic continues to grow, Wright isn’t the only indie developer worried about the future.

Uncertain times

If you were on the edge, this is going to sink you. It’s going to sink a lot of people.

On the evening of March 15th, Steam surpassed 20 million concurrent users, setting a brand new record. It’s broken that record every week since, hitting 24 million on April 4. That sudden surge is widely attributed to the fact that many countries are on lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19. With governments ordering their citizens to stay inside, people are turning to games to pass the time.

Despite that huge surge in players staying home due to the COVID-19 outbreak, game developers all over the world are worried about their projects and studios. Several indie developers I’ve spoken to, especially ones who are earlier in their independent careers or trying to start a new project, are struggling to find funding and plan for the future.

“One thing that’s become an unknown is what we’re doing next,” Alex Rushdy, the CEO of 13AM Games, says. The Toronto-based studio recently grew to 12 developers after it successfully launched Runbow in …