He Spent 10 Years On His Game... Was It Worth It? (w/ Jonathan Blow) — Ep 70

I chat with Jonathan Blow about his 10 year project The Order Of The Sinking Star, and the state of the industry. ► Play Order Of The Sinking Star: https://store.steampowered.com/app/49... ► 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: Jonathan Blow Returns & Order of the Sinking Star Demo Launch 00:02:45 Course Promo: Full Time Game Dev Summer Sale 00:03:05 Game Overview: 10-Year Development, Custom Engine & Language 00:05:15 Demo Reception: 91% Positive Reviews & Early Reactions 00:06:07 Uncertainty vs Insecurity Before Launch 00:09:14 Why Review Scores Often Improve from Demo to 1.0 00:11:55 Steam NextFest Dynamics & Audience Behavior 00:13:09 The Rise of "Friend Slop" & Trend-Chasing Games 00:15:14 Jonathan Blow's Perspective on Viral Simpler Games 00:21:02 The Health of AAA vs Indie Industry in 2026 00:25:44 Why AAA Games Have Become 18x More Expensive 00:33:32 Feeling Irrelevant After Long Development Cycles 00:38:06 Standing Out as a Creative Developer (The Paradox) 00:44:13 Processing Demo Feedback: Optimization, Controls & Story 00:54:26 Live-Recorded Soundtrack & Final Polish 01:00:02 Closing Thoughts & Where to Play the Demo