[Ep567] Indie Devs Talk PAX East Trends

[Ep567] Indie Devs Talk PAX East Trends

Author: Butterscotch Shenanigans April 8, 2026 Duration: 50:02
Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch
GamesGames & HobbiesArtsComedyCultureHobbiesPhilosophySocietySociety & CultureTechnology

In episode 567 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers discuss their recent experiences at PAX East, the state of game engines like Godot, Unity, and Unreal, and the evolving landscape of game marketing and platform ecosystems. They explore the costs and benefits of conventions, the impact of platform policies, and the future of indie game development.

Support How Many Dudes!
Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudes
Trailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpI
Steam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes

00:00 Cold Open
00:31 Introduction and Welcome
01:09 Reflections on PAX East and Industry Presence
03:48 LudoKit: A Developer Tool for Publishing
08:47 The Value and Cost of Conventions for Indie Developers
11:56 Platform Ecosystems: Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and More
20:01 The Rise of Godot and Decline of Unity in Indie Development
29:41 Challenges of Platform Certification and Closed Ecosystems
39:52 Marketing Strategies: Wishlists, Pre-orders, and Visibility
48:06 The Evolving Landscape of Game Publishing and Industry Trends

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. 

We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com!

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

Official website RSS
Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch
Podcast Episodes
[Ep436] Golden Path [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:00
In this episode, we discuss alien monsters, map merging, and dogfooding. When crafting a tool, which features are necessary (and which ones are not) may seem straightforward… until you use the tool yourself. There will a…
[Ep435] Six-Fingered Conundrum [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:13
This week, we talk about revenue share, licensing, and VR tech. AI and VR can serve as powerful amplifiers, echoing and intensifying the digital symphony around us. But are we conducting a masterpiece or merely amplifyin…
[Ep434] Beyond the Numbers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:33
In this episode, we discuss game engines, publishing platforms, and predicting success. While metrics and statistics have their place, a game’s potential can’t be distilled into numbers alone. There’s no accounting for c…
[Ep433] Unity’s Undoing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:08
This week, we talk about Unity, greed, and the ruins. Corporate greed provides immediate gains for a select few at the expense of everyone else, even an industry’s foundational pillars. End-stage capitalism strikes again…
[Ep432] Underwater Epiphanies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:49
In this episode, we discuss polar bears, horoscopes, and underwater basket weaving. Generalizing your skillset means shifting from mastering specific tasks to cultivating adeptness in critical thinking. When you identify…
[Ep431] Measuring Stick [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:01
This week, we talk about reaction times, tolerance levels, and the bottom line. Even with vast resources at their disposal, big game studios can still stumble when it comes to the finer details. In a world where every pi…
[Ep430] Certified Chaos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:47
In this episode, we discuss dumb humor, reading recommendations, and launch lessons. Launching a game on multiple platforms may seem like a win, but the backend challenges of patching, certification, and maintenance cost…
[Ep429] Micro Jank [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:42
This week, we talk about code navigation, versioning strategy, and good development practices. It costs something to add things that aren't "necessary" to the core gameplay experience. But those little surprises breathe…
[Ep428] Outrage Fountain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:33
In this episode, we discuss Baldur’s Gate 3, bread baking, and player expectations. Success starts with delivering a quality game that players want. Once you’ve nailed the careful balance between innovation and player ex…
[Ep427] Blue Ocean, Red Ocean [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:12
This week, we talk about game systems, proprietary code, and scalability. When talking about scalability, people tend to focus on the "growing bigger" part when the actual focus should be on capability. Sure, you can add…

«1...101112131415161718...56»