Indie Game Joe and I discuss his rough game launch, and how it somehow sold millions. ► Play Joe's Games: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/DigitalCybercherries ► Get 50% off my game dev course during the massive Summer Sale: https://fulltimegamedev.mykajabi.com/full-time-game-dev-sale ► Wishlist Twisted Tower: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1575990/Twisted_Tower/ ► Joe's Refund Article: https://x.com/IndieGameJoe/article/2074608931486519430 ► Joe's Discord Server: https://discord.gg/indiegamejoe *For absolute clarity, Joe's two games in the Don't Scream Franchise did a combined total of million copies. Chapters 00:00:00 Intro: Indie Game Joe's Wild Journey 00:02:55 Who Is Indie Game Joe? Marketing + Game Design 00:05:22 Joe's Background: From Painter to Game Producer 00:08:58 Imposter Syndrome in Game Dev & Content Creation 00:12:47 Thomas on His Own Fears Before Twisted Tower Launch 00:14:22 The Viral Steam Refunds Blog Post 00:16:08 Why Steam's Refund Policy Is Actually Great for Indies 00:22:33 The Power of Flexible Refunds & Buyer Trust 00:26:04 Value-First Mindset & Reciprocity in Games 00:32:37 Friend Slop, Pricing & Opportunity Cost 00:37:43 Hooks: Where Marketing & Game Design Meet 00:43:20 The Trinity Hook (Visual + Mechanical + Story) 00:48:51 Promise vs Gimmick – Making People Feel Something 00:54:31 Juice, Feedback & Satisfying Gameplay Moments 01:00:53 Creating Viral Moments Through Intentional Design 01:05:36 Why Feelings Stop the Scroll on Social Media 01:11:15 Do Steam Reviews Actually Impact Sales? 01:12:19 Don't Scream Together – The Disaster Launch Story 01:20:35 Recovery, Updates & Lessons Learned 01:23:58 Final Thoughts & Advice for Indie Devs