[Ep571] Is Steam propping up mobile?

[Ep571] Is Steam propping up mobile?

Author: Butterscotch Shenanigans May 6, 2026 Duration: 51:12

In episode 571 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into whether Steam has quietly become the discovery engine that keeps mobile gaming afloat and what that means for indie devs trying to build a cross-platform strategy. They walk through the realities of mobile pricing, broken app store algorithms, and why chasing discoverability on Google Play or the App Store often feels like shouting into a void.

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
00:21 Introduction and Welcome
01:40 Achievements Development and Ludokit Overview
13:40 Mobile Strategy and Pricing Decisions
27:45 The State of Mobile Gaming Discoverability
29:49 The Role of Steam in Game Success
32:48 Cross-Platform Strategies and Pricing
38:57 The Impact of Subscription Services on Game Sales
43:49 Algorithmic Challenges in Mobile Game Marketing
51:50 Final Thoughts on the Future of Indie Games

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: 100

Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch
Podcast Episodes
[Ep531] Comfort Chaos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:07
This week, we talk about webcams, worldbuilding, and wrist savers. When your camera starts following you around and your keyboard looks like a boomerang, you know you’ve crossed into true ergonomics. Every set up tells a…
[Ep530] Surgeon’s Checklist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:21
In this episode, we discuss talks, toys, and templates. A checklist may look like busywork, but a well aimed set of questions is often the only thing standing between smooth handoffs and a never ending game of creative t…
[Ep529] Aging Forward [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:26
This week, we talk about decades, board games, and labor capture. First they said AI would save you time. Now it just bills you for every second it spends doing your job worse than you could. Ah yes, classic late stage c…
[Ep528] Iterative Axe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:06
In this episode, we discuss cuts, cuts, and more cuts. Cutting features is a critical part of shaping a game. Before launch, when you’re free from player expectations, you can step back and think about what’s working and…
[Ep527] Shifting Expectations [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:55
This week, we talk about game updates, publishing pain points, and shifting expectations. For a small indie, launching a game feels like a wild experiment. But with a bigger team, it’s a high-stakes balancing act, with c…
[Ep526] Crashlands 2: Hardcore Scramble [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:18
In this episode, we discuss the Crashlands 2 Update and the visibility tax. Marketing sounds easy: cut a trailer, toss up a post, and call it a day. But it’s more like lining up dominoes; the trailer, localized assets, s…
[Ep525] Fiddle With Knobs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:30
This week, we talk about Crashlands 2 patch 1.2, the Switch 2, and the Bscotch universe. Some game worlds begin with lore, maps, and timelines. Others emerge backwards, stitched together from mechanics, vibes, and the we…
[Ep524] Watercooler Chat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:19
In this episode, we discuss game libraries, game mods, and the point. Doing this podcast every week doesn’t come anywhere close to paying the bills, but that’s not why we do it. A studio isn’t a content machine chasing d…
[Ep523] Hat Rotation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:51
This week, we talk about studio hats, game dev tools, and learning new languages.Wearing multiple hats isn’t just a metaphor—it’s the daily reality of a small studio. When roles shift and responsibilities blur, the real…
[Ep522] Generated Chaos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:28
In this episode, we discuss generated faces, internet noise, and brotherly dynamics. A strong sibling bond doesn’t mean zero conflict. It means noticing drift before you’re miles apart and trusting each other enough to r…