Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch
by Butterscotch Shenanigans
Coffee with Butterscotch is the hilarity-filled weekly podcast of award-winning indie video game studio Butterscotch Shenanigans, best known for its smash hit Crashlands. Grab a drink and tune in every week to learn the ins and outs of game development, productivity and workflows, the business of selling video games, our takes on entrepreneurship and building a small company from scratch, and how to be an unstoppable problem-solving machine. Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Ask us at https://podcast.bscotch.net
Episodes
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[Ep596] Should Our Next Game be 2D or 3D? Singleplayer or Multiplayer? Indie Devs Look at the Data
In episode 596 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into the Steam data behind some of the biggest decisions facing their next game. They walk through what the numbers suggest about 2D versus 3D, multiplayer versus single player, and pricing, while being careful to treat it all as...
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[Ep595] Will GTA6 Wreck Your Indie Game’s Launch?
In episode 595 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers explore the impact of big game releases on indie game launches, examining whether launching alongside major titles affects visibility, sales, and marketing strategies. They analyze platform-specific dynamics, content creator attention…
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[Ep594] Needle in a Haystack Simulator: Are Devs Cooked?
In episode 594 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into the Needle in a Haystack Simulator phenomenon and what it reveals about how game ideas spread, get cloned, and go viral. They explore why a strong, simple premise can trigger a wave of fast followers almost overnight, what AI…
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[Ep593] Top 5 Myths About Steam Wishlists
In episode 593 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers debunk common myths about Steam wishlists and how they influence game success. They explore how external marketing, timing, and understanding Steam's algorithms are crucial for indie developers aiming for success. "How Many Dudes?":...
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[Ep592] How IRON NEST Won Steam Next Fest and Launched With Nearly 1 MILLION Wishlists
In episode 592 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers welcome their first ever podcast guests Nick and Dominik, the team behind IRON NEST. Seth and Sam walk through the entire dev cycle with them, from how they chose the name and built a thriving Discord community to the marketing decisions...
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[Ep591] How To Make An Indie Studio That Makes Hit Games
In episode 591 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into what actually makes a small studio function well over the long haul. Using Butterscotch Shenanigans as the through line, they walk through how their team structure has evolved, how they think about hiring, bottlenecks, and...
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[Ep590] Hackers, Piracy, and Clones - How Should Indie Game Devs React?
In episode 590 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers work through every flavor of people messing with your game, from hackers and exploiters to pirates and outright clones. They dig into what's actually worth losing sleep over, how to think about customer support when players break things…
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[Ep589] The One Skill Holding Back Indie Game Devs
In episode 589 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers make the case that understanding your own workflow might be the most underrated skill in game development. They dig into how invisible bottlenecks and unchecked error rates quietly drain productivity, why most studio problems trace back…
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[Ep588] Can One Screenshot Boost Your Steam Sales by 25%?
In episode 588 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers get into the weeds on Steam store page optimization and what the data from How Many Dudes is suggesting. They break down what swapping screenshots and micro trailers appears to have done for visibility and conversion, where players are...
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[Ep587] Are we in an Indie Golden Age?
In episode 587 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers point out that right now might actually be the best time to be an indie developer. They dig into why smaller, faster games are resonating with players, what the data from How Many Dudes tells them about market dynamics and visibility, and...
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[Ep586] How Should Indie Devs Think about Post-Launch Updates?
In episode 586 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers discuss the current state of game sales, post-launch support strategies, and how community engagement and critical mass influence a game's longevity. They explore the strategic considerations behind post-launch game updates, including…
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[Ep585] How Should Indie Devs React to Negative Steam Reviews?
In episode 585 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into the post-launch data for How Many Dudes, unpacking what Steam review scores, wishlist ratios, playtime histograms, and demo numbers are actually telling them. From there they get into the harder question of what to do with…
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[Ep584] 100,000 Steam Sales in 2 Days - Our Biggest Indie Game Launch Ever
In episode 584 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers are fresh off the biggest launch in Butterscotch history, and they're breaking down exactly what happened. They dig into the numbers behind How Many Dudes hitting 100,000 sales in two days, what drove the momentum, how it compares to…
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[Ep583] The Day Before Launch: Scenario Planning for Indie Game Devs
In episode 583 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers are one day out from the How Many Dudes launch and walking through everything still in motion, from wishlist momentum and embargo management to Steam Deck verification and what the algorithm might actually do. They share how they're...
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[Ep582] How to Design a Game That Markets Itself
In episode 582 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers share what they've learned about designing games that are easy to talk about before they're even finished. With How Many Dudes days from launch, they dig into how scope, platform focus, and building around shared human experiences can set…
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[Ep581] 1 Year of Indie Game Dev in 1 Hour
In episode 581 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers recap the full year-long journey of How Many Dudes. From a GMTK game jam entry to a bean burrito short that hit 900k views, blowing past 100k wishlists by January, and everything in between. They break down what actually moved the needle,...
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#[Ep580] Anatomy of a Steam Game Launch - Indie Devs Reveal Their Launch Strategy
In episode 580 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers pull back the curtain on exactly how they're launching How Many Dudes, covering everything from timing, influencer outreach, trailer creation, to post-launch strategies. They discuss how they navigate the complexities of game marketing,...
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[Ep579] Xbox, PS5, Steam Machine, & GTA6 - are they charging too much?
In episode 579 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into the pricing on Valve's new Steam Machine and how much of today's hardware costs comes down to components, inflation, and tariffs versus companies testing what the market will bear. From there, they turn to the cost of making a…
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[Ep578] Has AI Ruined Steam Nextfest?
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. They explore what Steam can realistically do about it, why the economics of...
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#[Ep577] Indie Devs React to Steam's New Personal Calendar
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…
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[Ep576] How Many Dudes Beta Begins, and AI Just Got Dumber
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, unpacking why GitHub Copilot's switch to usage-based billing just handed a...
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#[Ep575] Indie Devs Yell At Cloud
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 store integrations. They dig into why every platform manages to turn...
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[Ep574] Game Devs Discuss Far Far West
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 fighting skeletons and it somehow all works. They dig into what makes it click, why...
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[Ep573] How does promo art help sell your game?
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 wasn't to make something epic but to make something gloriously dumb. They...
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[Ep572] Indie Devs Discuss Boss Fight Design
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 more about spectacle, and what it actually takes to make a culmination moment...
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[Ep571] Is Steam propping up mobile?
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…
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[Ep570] The Parallel Problems of a Game Launch
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 down why localization turns a simple task like screenshots into a sprawling...
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[Ep569] Game Devs Talk About Steam Tags For an Hour
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 your game. The conversation turns on a deceptively simple question: not what…
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[Ep568] How Many Dudes Release Date Announced!
In episode 568 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers announce How Many Dudes Launch Date! They share their insights on game release strategies, balancing game mechanics, and upcoming features. They discuss the importance of timing, marketing, and player agency in creating a successful indie...
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[Ep567] Indie Devs Talk PAX East Trends
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...
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[Ep566] Game Devs Talk About Tooltips for 55 Minutes
In episode 566 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers delve into the complexities of implementing effective tooltips in video games. They explore technical challenges, design principles, and the importance of clear, consistent communication to enhance player experience.. Support How Many...
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[Ep565] Indie Devs Discuss DLSS 5
In episode 565 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into Nvidia's DLSS 5 and what AI-driven graphics enhancements actually mean for developers and players alike, then turn a critical eye on who the AI hype cycle is really serving, players and devs, or the tech companies and C-suites...
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#[Ep564] We're Solving Self-Publishing on Steam
In episode 564 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers get into the real friction behind self-publishing on Steam and how they're building their way out of it. They introduce LudoKit, a tool designed to wrangle store pages, localization, and credits management without losing your mind…
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[Ep563] What platforms should Indie Game Devs focus on?
In episode 563 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers discuss indie game success of Slay the Spire 2, Next Fest postmortem and launch strategies. They explore the evolving landscape of platform support, control schemes, platform creep in the gaming industry, and strategic platform choices…
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[Ep562] The Xbox Shakeup & Next Fest Wishlist Numbers
In episode 562 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers talk through the leadership shakeup at Xbox and how shifting platform priorities ripple out to indie studios. From there, they share details from their own Steam Next Fest experience, breaking down the wishlist spikes, traffic patterns…
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[Ep561] Indie Devs Discuss "Mewgenics"
In episode 561 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into Mewgenics, exploring its development history, gameplay quirks, and the ways players actually engage with it. The game becomes a springboard for a broader look at how UI, quality-of-life choices, and genre-blending shape player...
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[Ep560] Will Google Genie destroy the Games industry?
In episode 560 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers check in on demo performance, wishlist growth, and what live events are actually doing for visibility. By comparing what has actually generated traction with what just sounds exciting, they unpack what real leverage looks like for an…
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[Ep559] Indie Game Dev Questions: Meme Games, Optimization, Dev Diets, and Typed Languages
In episode 559 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers explore how memes shape durable game ideas, why performance work becomes its own kind of design problem, and how staying fed and functional matters just as much as clean code. They dig into the flexible strengths of GameMaker, the…
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#[Ep558] How Many Dudes: Designing Games For Success
In episode 558 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into how community engagement is shaping the ongoing development of How Many Dudes, from reacting to feedback to refining what players latch onto. They talk about the role luck plays in getting eyes on a game, and how fast iteration...
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#[Ep557] Are Steam demos the new Early Access?
In episode 557 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers share updates on How Many Dudes, touching on the demo’s strong performance, upcoming localization, and ongoing community management. They dig into the feedback they’re getting, how it shapes balance and feature decisions, and what they’re...
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[Ep556] How to succeed on Mobile as an indie: Our "How Many Dudes?" strategy
In episode 556 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers talk about How Many Dudes riding the waves of Steam discovery and what they’ve learned about keeping that Wishlist train rolling. From premium price woes to free to try realities, they explore what it takes to bring one game to two very...
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[Ep555] How Many Dudes Hits 100k Wishlists & 2026 Predictions
In episode 555 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers unpack what the How Many Dudes demo is teaching them about speed, feedback, and player expectations. They talk about influencer momentum, the challenges of balancing once players latch onto specific builds, and why moving fast matters…
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[Ep554] How Many Dudes: Demo Launch Numbers
In episode 554 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers celebrate the launch of the How Many Dudes demo and the surprise explosion past 50,000 wishlists. They break down what worked, from shipping the demo during the Steam winter sale to leaning hard into YouTube Shorts, influencers, and...
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[Ep553] Butterscotch Shenanigans 2025 Year In Review
In episode 553 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers take stock of a wild year at Butterscotch Shenanigans, starting with the launch of Crashlands 2 and everything that came after it. They talk about testing woes, localization headaches, and the emotional rollercoaster of reading reviews....
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[Ep552] How to think about Steam Demos as Indie Devs
In episode 552 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers celebrate a big personal milestone before diving into why demos matter more than ever for indie games. They break down how demos drive visibility on Steam, why they work best as hype-builders rather than pure conversion tools, and how...
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[Ep551] Flailing Toward Success in Indie Game Dev
In episode 551 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers talk about why flailing is not a failure mode, it’s the strategy. They unpack how progress in game development, marketing, and life often comes from trying lots of things without knowing which will work, then slowing down as signals start...
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[Ep550] Are ads worth it for indie game devs?
In episode 550 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers take a hard look at online ads and why they rarely deliver the wishlist conversions indie devs hope for. They break down misleading metrics, misclicks, and the high cost of chasing visibility through paid channels. The conversation also...
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[Ep549] How to use Youtube Shorts to market your indie game
In episode 549 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into how short-form video fits into indie game marketing and why it should be part of development from the start. They talk about tools, storytelling, and the strange logic of YouTube Shorts and TikTok, then get into what engagement...
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[Ep548] When should you start marketing your indie game?
In episode 548 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers talk about what it means to market an indie game from the start of development instead of treating it as an end-of-project task. They cover the four P’s, the rise of short-form content, and how paying attention to your audience can guide...
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[Ep547] Xbox vs Steam Machine: Who Wins?
In episode 547 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into Valve’s new Steam Machine and how it stacks up against Xbox’s push toward an “everywhere” platform. They explore why Steam slipping into the console space feels natural while Xbox showing up on PC and mobile still raises…
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Topics in this show
About this show
Coffee with Butterscotch is the hilarity-filled weekly podcast of award-winning indie video game studio Butterscotch Shenanigans, best known for its smash hit Crashlands. Grab a drink and tune in every week to learn the ins and outs of game development, productivity and workflows, the business of selling video games, our takes on entrepreneurship and building a small company from scratch, and how to be an unstoppable problem-solving machine. Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Ask us at https://podcast.bscotch.net
Hosted by
Butterscotch Shenanigans