Saturday Super Edition! Interview with Indie Game Movement Podcast

DICE was always for the elite of the industry. If you know about the poker game and golf tournament then you know what’s up. But The Game Developer’s Conference now called GDC: Festival of Gaming. It led me to this minor rant about the show no longer being accessible to indies and no longer a platform for the media to discover them.

Who are you and why did you start the Indie Game Movement podcast?
I'm Andrew Pappas, founder, marketing strategist, and analyst at Rengen Marketing, where I help studios and developers better connect with their audiences through clear, player-first marketing strategies. I started the Indie Game Movement podcast because I saw a real need for helpful, honest content that could guide indies through the challenges of marketing and building their studios. But more than that, I wanted to give back to the community in a bigger way, and learn from others who bring interesting, sometimes unexpected perspectives to the industry.

What type of developers or games do you like to cover?
I don’t focus on a specific type of dev or studio. What I’m really looking for are people in the industry who bring a unique or thoughtful perspective to the work they’re doing. Whether it’s creative, strategic, or personal, if there’s insight in how they approach their craft, that’s what I want to explore.

What role do you think solo developers and small indies play in the industry?
They play a hugely significant role. Solo devs and small teams have a level of flexibility and creative freedom that larger studios often can't afford. That allows them to take risks, risks that lead to fresh, bold experiences that are both exhilarating and deeply personal. Today, we’re seeing games that offer creative outlets for players and developers in ways we wouldn’t have imagined possible 10 or 15 years ago. It’s not just about trends or clever takes on familiar genres, indies are actively challenging how both players and the industry define what games are and what they mean. And honestly, if that’s not remarkable, I don’t know what is.

What do you think is the most important thing an indie game can do to rise above the noise? Speaking as a strategist and analyst, it comes down to doing the research and really understanding your audience. The more you know about the kinds of experiences players care about, the better positioned you are to create something that resonates. But that has to go hand-in-hand with passion. You need to care about what you're making. Passion on its own won’t help you stand out. It can actually put blinders on and hide problems until it’s too late. At the same time, having all the data or insight in the world won’t help if you lack the drive or skill to act on it. If you want to stand out, it’s about leading with passion and strengths, while doing the work to truly understand and care for your audience. That’s what gives a game its edge.

What are common mistakes indie games make in marketing themselves?
There are plenty, but the big one is not starting early enough. That includes understanding your audience from the start, or even just holding off on full development until you’ve really found the fun in the core experience. Doing that alone can prevent a whole chain of common missteps: focusing too much on features, overlooking the core value of the game, and spending resources on things that don’t move the needle. Without that early clarity, it’s easy to end up burned out, or worse, facing tough decisions later like whether to keep going or pull the plug. Marketing can’t fix foundational issues, but starting early helps you avoid them altogether.

Andrew can be found at Regen Marketing when not podcasting. Check them out.

Links To Remember

All the best links that usually disappear into the Reddit ether only to be reposted by the most diligent Redditors and game development and marketing gurus. Link to the website archive of these great resources (GDMR)

LINKS

Festivals, showcases, influencer and media showcases and their submission windows.

All the best links that usually disappear into the Reddit ether only to be reposted by the most diligent Redditors and game development and marketing gurus. Link to the website archive of these great resources (GDMR)

Have a win, a learning, a question, or an opportunity worth sharing? Send it in. If it helps the community, we’ll surface it with credit. [email protected]