#[Ep577] Indie Devs React to Steam's New Personal Calendar

#[Ep577] Indie Devs React to Steam's New Personal Calendar

Author: Butterscotch Shenanigans June 17, 2026 Duration: 1:05:31

In episode 577 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into Steam's new personalized calendar feature and what it means for how indie games get discovered, wishlisted, and surfaced to players. They break down the difference between following and wishlisting, why launch timing still matters so much, and how Steam keeps finding new ways to put indie games in front of the right people. Then they shift into How Many Dudes beta testing, where player feedback is reshaping difficulty tuning and revealing just how differently people approach the same fight.

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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
00:36 Introduction and Welcome
01:35 Steam Changes and Their Impact
04:36 The New Calendar Feature on Steam
07:28 Wishlist Dynamics and User Engagement
10:38 Developer Experience on Steam
13:28  Comparative Analysis of Game Platforms
16:28 Thoughts on Steam's Effectiveness
21:16 The Influence of Game Launch Timing
23:34 Understanding Game Following vs. Wishlisting
26:36 The Unique Position of Steam in Gaming
29:11 The Evolution of PC Gaming
33:52 Beta Testing Insights and Goals
44:37 The Beta Testing Experience
47:34 Feedback Dynamics in Game Development
50:30 Game Mechanics and Player Engagement
54:38 Balancing Game Elements and Player Perception
59:31 The Evolution of Game Characters

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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: 50

Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch
Podcast Episodes
[Ep578] Has AI Ruined Steam Nextfest? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:39
In episode 578 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers discuss whether Steam Next Fest is becoming a victim of its own success, as AI-generated slop and asset flips make it harder than ever for games to get noticed.…
[Ep576] How Many Dudes Beta Begins, and AI Just Got Dumber [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:07
In episode 576 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers kick off the closed beta for How Many Dudes and dig into what they're actually trying to learn from it. Then the conversation pivots hard into the AI hype cycle,…
#[Ep575] Indie Devs Yell At Cloud [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:40
In episode 575 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers are 60 days from launching How Many Dudes and find themselves juggling the final stretch of dev alongside the tedious reality of cloud saving, achievements, and…
[Ep574] Game Devs Discuss Far Far West [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:51
In episode 574 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers check in on the new How Many Dudes box art with some real click-through numbers, then dive into Far Far West, a co-op shooter where you're a robot cowboy fightin…
[Ep573]  How does promo art help sell your game? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:31
In episode 573 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers walk through the evolution of the How Many Dudes box art and what YouTube thumbnails taught them about what actually resonates with players. Turns out the answer…
[Ep572]  Indie Devs Discuss Boss Fight Design [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:29
In episode 572 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers check in on their Steam tag experiments before diving into the tricky problem of designing boss fights. They get into why bosses are less about difficulty and mo…
[Ep571] Is Steam propping up mobile? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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-platfor…
[Ep570] The Parallel Problems of a Game Launch [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:38
In episode 570 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers get into the messy final stretch of shipping How Many Dudes, where winding down development and winding up publishing have to happen at the same time. They break…
[Ep569] Game Devs Talk About Steam Tags For an Hour [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:11
In episode 569 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into how Steam tags actually drive discoverability for indie games, and what tools like GameDiscover.co reveal about whether the right players are finding yo…