The working producer's handbook
Practical frameworks, best practices, and industry intel to help game producers ship on time and on budget.
Industry Intel
View all 11 →The Steam Top 15 Tracker: What Players Are Actually Playing
Most market research decks I see in pitch meetings quote Steam numbers that are six months old. The table below is the live version: the top 15 games on Steam ranked by peak …
How Do Indie Games Make Money? The Main Revenue Models Compared
Steam Revenue Calculator: Estimate Your Game's Earnings on Steam
Game Revenue Share Calculator: Split Revenue the Right Way
Project first-week, first-month and first-year Steam sales from your wishlists, using published conversion benchmarks.
PM Frameworks
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Perforce vs Git for Game Development: Which Version Control to Use
Most game studios get this decision wrong not because they lack information, but because they benchmark against the wrong kind of project. Teams that migrate from Git to Perforce …
Which Game Engine Is Right for You? Take the Quiz
Why Scrum Fails in Game Pre-Production
Agile Methods That Actually Work for Game Teams
production
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Console Certification Checklist: Get Your Game Ready for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Cert
Certification is the one test in game development you cannot argue with. A platform holder plays your build against its technical requirements, and if it fails, it does not ship. …
Document Game Systems: A Team Guide to Rules and Mechanics
Best Game Engine for a Solo Developer (2026): Godot vs Unity vs Unreal vs GameMaker
How to Set Up a Build Pipeline for a Game: Unity, GitHub Actions and GameCI
Turn a launch or start date into phases, milestones, cert and Steam deadlines, with a protected buffer. Export to your calendar.
Project Management
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Best Documentation Tools for Game Studios: 5 Options
Most studios don’t fail at making games. They fail at remembering how they made them. I’ve watched this happen more times than I’d like to admit. A lead designer …
How to Estimate Task Time in Game Development (and Stop Being Wrong)
How to Organize a Game Studio Task Backlog That Supports Decisions
Kanban Boards: The Project System Indie Studios Actually Need
careers
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Game Producer Interview Questions: 40 With Answer Guides
Game producer interviews are mostly scenario questions. The interviewer describes a situation, often one their team is living through, and listens for how you think: what you ask …
Technical Producer vs Game Producer: Key Role Differences
Game Production Degree vs Self-Taught: Which Path Gets You Hired?
How to Write a Game Producer Resume That Gets Interviews (With Examples)
Every Steam sale, Next Fest and deadline for 2026 and 2027, plus a checker for when your game can discount.
publishing
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Steam Sale and Next Fest Dates 2026-2027: The Developer Calendar
Valve publishes its event calendar months ahead, and almost every date on it changes what a developer should be doing. This page collects every seasonal sale, Steam Next Fest and …
How to Market an Indie Game on a Budget: Where the First $1,500 Should Go
How to Plan a Steam Next Fest Demo: Timeline, Scope and Deadlines
Steam Wishlist Calculator: Estimate Your First-Week Sales from Wishlists
Role Identity
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The Core Skills Every Game Producer Needs
You’re three weeks from alpha, the build is broken, your lead programmer just went silent on Slack, and the art team is asking whether they should keep working on assets that …
Why Game Producers And Film Producers Do Different Jobs
How Creative Directors And Producers Actually Work Together
Level Up Your Game Producer Career: Associate to Executive
An interactive pre-certification checklist covering the areas every console platform tests.
Team Psychology
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Preventing Burnout on Game Dev Teams: Practical Steps for Producers
Your lead programmer hasn’t taken a real day off in eleven weeks. She’s still hitting deadlines, her code still ships clean, and when you ask how she’s doing, she …
When Passion Becomes a Studio's Biggest Liability
Critique Your Game Without Crushing Your Team
Building Better Game Teams: Guide to Managing Introverts and Extroverts
22 verified grants, tax credits and rebates for game studios, filterable by region, type and stage.
budgeting
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Game Development Grants and Tax Credits (2026): 22 Verified Programs
Public money for games exists in more places than most developers realize, but it is scattered across national film institutes, provincial agencies, tax authorities and engine …
Revenue Share vs Salary for Game Contractors: How to Evaluate a Rev Share Offer
How to Apply for a Game Development Grant: A Step-by-Step Guide
Indie Game Budget Estimator: Calculate Your True Development Costs
40 game producer interview questions with what each one tests, strong-answer guides, red flags and a timed practice mode.
milestones
First Playable Milestone Checklist for Game Producers
When a team blows its first playable milestone, it is rarely for lack of talent. More often, nobody agreed on what “first playable” meant until two weeks before the …
What Is a Content Complete Milestone in Game Development?
Publisher Deal Milestones: A Game Dev Roadmap
Ship Your Game On Time: The Milestone Planning Guide
Estimate the real budget and timeline to ship your indie game, including the costs teams forget.
planning
Game Development Schedule Planner: Free Milestone and Roadmap Tool
A game schedule is a list of promises about when specific things will be true: the core loop is fun, every feature works, all the content is in, the build passes certification. …
Games as a Service Roadmap: Build Your Live Game Plan
Buffer Time in Game Schedules: How Much You Need and Where to Put It
How to Create a Game Development Schedule: A 7-Step Process
Estimate Steam sales and revenue before launch from wishlists, or after launch from your review count.
strategy
How to Handle a Delayed Game Launch: Publisher, Players, Team and Platforms
Most games slip at some point, and a delay on its own rarely sinks a project. What does damage is handling it badly: a publisher who hears about it from a press story, players left …
Contract Basics for Indie Game Developers: Agreements, Clauses and Red Flags
Build Your Game Studio's Revenue Model From Day One
Launch Your Indie Game Studio: The Complete Roadmap
Work out fair revenue splits for contractors, partners and small teams.
Team Management
Creative Conflict on Game Teams: When Disagreements Drive Better Games
Picture three months into production on a mid-sized game. The art director wants painterly, impressionistic environments. The lead level designer wants readable silhouettes and …
How to Give Feedback to Game Artists: A Producer's Guide to Better Art Reviews
Keeping Your Game Team Motivated: Strategies That Actually Work
How To Hire Your First Game Developer
Compare 12 game engines by language, 2D/3D focus, pricing, royalties and difficulty.
trending
The Itch.io Hardship Bundle Turning Layoffs Into Mutual Aid
After a summer of studio closures and layoffs, game developers did something concrete for each other. On July 25, 2026, Necrosoft Games launched a pay-what-you-want itch.io bundle …
Shipped and Fired: What Ubisoft Barcelona Reveals About Studio Labor
What Going Independent Actually Means for Double Fine and Compulsion Games
What Game Pass Economics Actually Cost Studio Developers
This week's most-played games on Steam, with owners, concurrents and pricing.
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