He Made Games For Twenty Years... And Finally Went Viral (w/ Jake Birkett) — Ep 69

I chat with the creator of Forbidden Solitaire, Jake Birkett, about how he finally made a hit indie title after 20 years! ► Play Forbidden Solitaire: https://store.steampowered.com/app/34... ► Get 50% off my game dev course during the massive Summer Sale: https://fulltimegamedev.mykajabi.com/... ► Wishlist Twisted Tower: https://store.steampowered.com/app/15... Chapters 00:00:00 Intro & Course Promotion (Full-Time GameDev) 00:02:22 Previous Podcast Theme: Sustainable Small Games 00:03:07 Forbidden Solitaire Success - First Impressions 00:04:23 Jake's Background: 21 Years Making Solitaire Games 00:05:55 How Forbidden Solitaire Started (Night Signal Collaboration) 00:08:24 Launch Strategy That Anyone Can Use 00:09:01 Early Trailer Test & Concept Validation 00:09:57 Continuous Marketing, Events & Wishlist Building 00:10:32 Private Demo for Streamers (Halloween) 00:12:37 Public Demo Launch & Results 00:13:35 Using AI (Grok) to Analyze Demo Reviews 00:16:58 Demo Feedback Loop & Refinements 00:19:28 Wishlist Growth & Pre-Launch Confidence 00:20:02 Pre-Launch Anxieties (Reviews, Bugs, Sales) 00:23:25 Launch Day Experience & Sales Reaction 00:26:23 Post-Launch Sales Trajectory & Recovery 00:30:16 Secret Sauce: Why This Game Exploded 00:31:09 Market Fit - '90s Horror Aesthetic on Steam 00:33:26 Built-In Fanbase + Night Signal Audience 00:34:45 Genre Mastery + Twists (Solitaire + Horror + Meta Story) 00:38:25 How to Make an Overwhelmingly Positive Game 00:43:21 Handling Negative Reviews & Repetition Feedback 00:45:36 Common Reasons for Bad Reviews (Boring, Mismatched Expectations, Bugs) 00:46:48 Analyzing Demo Playtime Data on Steam 00:50:11 Building on a Successful IP (DLC, Sequels & Focus) 00:52:24 The Power of Focus in Game Development 00:57:16 How the Good Idea Was Born (Luck + Experience) 00:59:14 Final Thoughts & Congratulations