[Ep536] What's a Steam Wishlist Worth?

[Ep536] What's a Steam Wishlist Worth?

Author: Butterscotch Shenanigans September 3, 2025 Duration: 1:07:29

In episode 536 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into the misconception that Steam wishlists lose value over time and what that really means for indie game developers. They also explore the risks and rewards of licensed games, share thoughts on keeping life and work in balance, and answer listener questions ranging from preserving online games to the chances of a Quadropus Rampage sequel.


Support Crashlands 2!

Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/crashlands-2/

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib7fzLf59vo

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1401730/Crashlands2/

Google Play:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bscotch.crashlands2

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/crashlands-2/id1528199331

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:46 Thanks to our supporters! (https://moneygrab.bscotch.net)

01:06 The Value of Wishlists (Listener Question)

02:39 Debunking Wishlist Decay

05:24 Analyzing Steam Data on Wishlists

07:10 The Impact of Influencers on Game Development

14:14 Thoughts on Stop Killing Games (Listener Question)

18:52 Skepticism on YouTuber Game Publishers (Listener Question)

29:15 The Challenges of Licensed Games

38:20 Work for Hire and Studio Valuation (Listener Question)

39:04 Quadropus Rampage: A Retrospective (Listener Question)

41:07 Challenges of Free-to-Play Games

49:34 Holistic Approach to Life and Work (Listener Question)

01:02:54 The Importance of Health and Exercise

01:11:29 Closing Remarks and Community Engagement

To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. 

If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! 

Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox


Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net.

★ Support this podcast ★

Pull up a chair and pour something warm. Each week, the folks behind the award-winning indie studio Butterscotch Shenanigans-the creators of Crashlands-sit down to untangle the messy, rewarding, and often absurd reality of making games. Coffee with Butterscotch feels less like a formal broadcast and more like eavesdropping on a freewheeling conversation between friends who’ve been in the trenches. You’ll hear them dissect the nuts and bolts of development, from art pipelines to bug-squashing, but the discussion rarely stays in the technical lane. It veers into the philosophy of creativity, the rollercoaster of running a small business, and the strange habits that fuel productivity. The tone is unfiltered and genuinely funny, because the hosts don’t separate the work from the life surrounding it. This podcast digs into how to solve problems, ship your projects, and keep your sanity while doing it, all served with a heavy dose of camaraderie and self-deprecating humor. It’s a weekly dose of insight and laughter for anyone curious about the stories behind the screen, whether you're a seasoned developer, an aspiring creator, or just someone who enjoys peeking behind the curtain of how things are made.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 556

Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch
Podcast Episodes
[Ep406] Tiny Screaming Raisin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:54
This week, we talk about baby deets, bank run, and sequel names. When choosing the right title for a game, you need to consider the fuzziness of discovery algorithms. If incorporating humor into a game's name can make it…
[Ep405] Gods of Business [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:39
In this episode, we discuss phased stories and the value of advertising. While a marketing campaign can boost visibility and increase wishlist numbers, how do those things translate into actual sales? The crux is that ad…
[Ep404] Peppered And Sprinkled [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:55
In this episode, we dive into motion, data conversion, and the power of AI. Motion is a big source of waste in DevOps. Converting information from one form to another and passing it between people creates the opportunity…
[Ep403] Mind and Body [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:58
In this episode, we discuss constraints, AI systems, and consciousness. Constraints are limits or boundaries that are imposed on AI systems or on our own creative endeavors. There is a two-fold problem of identifying con…
[Ep402] Leading a Heist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:48
This week, we talk about piercing alarms, CPU brains, and AI wars. People typically process one thing at a time when playing a game. If you give them two things to focus on simultaneously, the second thing may not even r…
[Ep401] Era of Noise [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:28
In this episode, we discuss AI tools, infinite Seinfeld, and the consequences of volume. Economies and companies are built to handle infinite scale. The constant want for more has turned into the unending production of c…
[Ep400] Hand in Hand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:44
This week, we talk about happy news, early access, and collaboration. Tools make it possible to design and implement stuff directly without any other input. This might save you time, but you lose the chance to collaborat…
[Ep399] Cash for Cashews [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:30
In this episode, we discuss cashews, Project Zomboid, and knowing your audience. When you find people following along with your work prior to a game’s release, you might be developing in a strange bubble where your inter…
[Ep398] Show Me Your Hands [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:56
This week, we talk about summoning a dragon and a stochastic parrot. If you give an AI some data, it can recognize patterns and generate output with selective randomness. But that doesn’t mean you always get something co…
[Ep397] Stay Ahead Of It [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:59
In this episode, we discuss easter eggs, a snowy wonderland, and the brand-new tagline for the brand-new year! Legacy systems keep the current work going, but one catastrophic event and the whole system collapses. Cleari…