So... 8 years. Eight years Iāve been chasing this dream of just making games full-time. And now it actually might be happening? I think? Hope so.
Hi! We just hit 50,000 wishlists. Thatās huge. Like, huge huge. And I owe that to every single one of you ā so seriously, thank you. ā¤ļø
Since this is kind of a big deal, I wanted to write something personal. No PR fluff, just... me.Iām Rostislav. Just some indie dev. Trained as an architect, did arch-viz for a few years, then decided I wanted to make games instead. Because Iāve always lived and breathed them, you know? But playing games and making them? Completely different beasts. Probably not the smartest decision Iāve ever made. And yet here I am... honestly a little scared, not gonna lie.You know that joke about Dom Toretto from Fast & Furious, every movie heās like āthis is my last race,ā and then thereās another one, and another, and another? Yeah. Thatās basically been my indie career for the last 8 years.Iād make games while working my day job. Went to game management courses. Put together a team. Made games with them. Our last project? Two years of work with an amazing group of people. Sold 670 copies. Previous games had about 3,000 wishlists combined, which, in big studio terms, is basically zero. After each release Iād tell myself: āokay, thatās it, stop, this isnāt working.ā And then... some time would pass, and Iād start the next one anyway. I honestly donāt know why I canāt quit. Itās definitely not money, I had my job for that. Something inside just keeps dragging me back into the void of creation.So at some point I decided to go all in. Quit my job. Living off savings now, working on what you know as Tiny Shop: Make It Cozy. A chill little shop sim with no timers, no deadlines, just you fixing up your space however you want and enjoying the ride. The idea actually came from my architecture background, I worked with interiors and spaces a lot, and I always loved that cozy feeling you get from just... arranging things right.First year of dev, wishlists trickled in slowly. Every thousand felt like a win. Iād think āfinally! somethingās actually working!ā But with each thousand came more anxiety too. Deeper into development I went, and every new idea, every mechanic made the game bigger and bigger. And that weight? It didn't shrink.More people waiting now. Feels like a whole small town counting on me to deliver something great. And I really, really want to.So Iām working every single day now, weekends included. And the to-do list just keeps growing. When we crossed 35K, it finally hit me: this is a real shot. People actually care about this game. But joy and fear are growing at the same speed.I look at games like Urban Jungle, Tiny Bookshop, Leaf Corner, and I think āthey did it better. Better numbers, better mechanics, better everything.ā Logically I know itās dumb to compare like that. But I canāt stop myself. Intellectually I get it, every game is different, every dev has their own path. The original plan was simple: make a small, nice game. A solid cozy project. Nothing more.But when tens of thousands of people are waiting for your creation? It stops being just a passion project. It becomes serious. Real serious.I canāt release a broken game. I wonāt. Thatās exactly why I teamed up with Spaghetti Cat, to get support, experience, and a fresh set of eyes so I donāt get tunnel-vision. That gave me some confidence.Still, thereās always that little voice: āwhat if I canāt finish everything I want?ā āwhat if it drags on too long?ā āwhat if wishlists donāt convert and itās all a bubble?ā Yeah. All that fun stuff.Why am I telling you all this? Because I want you to know: I dreamed (and still dream) of making a game that actually reaches people. A game that lets me create without having to stress about putting food on the table. Maybe thatās naive. But letās be real, who doesnāt have a dream like that?And now I can see it happening. Your feedback, playtest results, time spent in the demo, these wishlists... itās all pointing that way. Like someone smart once said, be careful what you wish for. Everythingās on the line now. And it all comes down to me. Make a good game = sales. Mess up = probably wonāt get another shot at this.
So Iām more serious than Iāve ever been. You get that? THIS IS FREAKING SERIOUS.
My girlfriendās been here through all of it, patiently listening to me ramble about this stuff pretty much every single day, telling me itāll be okay. I owe her so much. I donāt know how much she actually believes it, but without her support I wouldāve mentally collapsed already.So hereās what I want to say to her and to all of you: I donāt know how this ends. Huge success or total flop. But what I do know is that Iām going to give it everything Iāve got to make a warm, kind, engaging game. Iāll always be honest with you. Always listen and read your feedback.Whatever the finale looks like, and weāre getting close, Iām sincerely pushing for a good release. Scared, stressed, but showing up every day to work on this game.Those 50,000 arenāt just a number to me. Theyāre people who trusted me. Who are waiting. If youāve been through something similar, or are going through it now, drop a comment. I honestly want to know how others handle this.