I Quit My Job to Make an Indie Game!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- Support development on Patreon
❤️ / kylebanks
Wishlist Farewell North on Steam
👉 farewell-north.com/steam
Join the Discord
👉 farewell-north.com/discord
I just quit my job as a software engineer to finish my indie game, and I'm terrified! But here's why I did it...
I've been working on this game, Farewell North, for three years now in my spare time. I've worked on it every day, without fail, and I've enjoyed every minute of it! It's made in Unity and Blender, and it's been such a personal journey learning and growing as a developer and it seems a lot of you have resonated with the game which is so exciting.
On the other hand it was time for a change with my day job and I just didn't feel it was the right time to start something new and be able to put my best foot forward, so I decided to take the leap and focus on the game until release.
I have no idea what will come afterwards, but I'm so excited to continue this journey and see Farewell North through the completion!
Farewell North is also going to be at Gamescom this year! Check out the booth in the indie area if you're in Cologne :)
Credits
👉 Farewell North Original Score by John Konsolakis: www.johnkonsolakis.eu
Game Overview:
Restore color to the desolate islands of Farewell North, an open world journey where you play as a collie traveling with his owner. Explore land and sea, uncover hidden paths, evade monsters, and free wildlife to bring color back to the world while revealing an emotional story about saying farewell.
Twitter: / kylewbanks
Website and Email Newsletter: farewell-north.com
0:00 I Quit My Job!
0:53 Why leave my day job?
1:27 Why not get a new job?
2:46 Was this a good idea?
3:26 What comes next?
3:56 Gamedev Updates!
5:39 Team Updates!
6:35 The road ahead...
7:07 Gamescom
#devlog #gamedev #gaming #videogames #indiedev #indiegame #unity #unity3d #madewithunity #indiegames #indiegamedev #gamers - Ігри
Very "cool story bro"! The game has definitely come a long way, best of luck on these final stages of development!
Thanks so much man, appreciate the support ❤️
Im so exited to play the game , we need more developers like you that inspire to make games and overall good people you helped me to start game dev myself and i am sure you helped a lot of people to start game dev over the 3 years
oh wow that's amazing, best of luck on your gamedev journey!
Super exciting! I just quit my job as well - it's intimidating, but I have no doubt you're gonna kill it. Your game looks awesome. Best of luck!
thanks Thomas, and congrats! all the best on your journey
I find myself in a very similar situation. I started developing a video game and I enjoy every second that I spend on it. It got some traction and I take no days off. In my case I have a full time job and I study at university, but I need more time if I want to finish the game. And that's why I am leaving university for a year. I resonate a lot with what you say, it feels like the right time to do it, and if I don´t then I will regret not taking this chance. My best wishes mate! You are not alone.
Wishing you all the best man, you got this!
Nice! The game looks so polished. I'm glad you're able to take a break from work to focus on it. Your story really resonates with me. I'm only a few months into my own game and it's so hard to find time to work on it and not neglect work or the family. I know eventually I should do some devlogs, but it's so hard to use my development time for that!
I'm excited for you to knock this out of the park Kyle!
Thanks so much man, really appreciate it 🙏
So proud of you! Can't wait to see all you achieve ❤
thank youuuuu ❤
Farewell North is an absolute gem of a game, and your journey of its development is a testament to that! I'm so happy to hear you're going full time indie, even if it's just for a little while so you can focus on the game's final components. I think you'll really be happy with this decision on release too when you'll need to put 200% of your attention to the overall release craziness!
Keep up the great work Kyle! You're almost there man!!
You've been a huge inspiration, thanks so much for the support dude 🙏
I watch a lot of devlog series and this game is honestly the one I am the most confident will succeed. Great move !!!
Cool story bro XD
But for real, now that you have tons more time be really careful to not overwork! It’s super easy to happen when you’re passionate about your projected, other than that, enjoy the ride :)
Good for you. Not an easy decision to make. A video discussing your dev programs/tools used would be cool. Good luck!
Good luck! Farewell North isn't my type of game, but I follow along as a fellow indie game developer :)
I too find it hard to find time to make dev logs, as the spare time is so limited and I rather improve on the game.
I hope it all works out nicely for you and that the bet is worth it (I think it will be!) :)
Cool story bro! It's so cool to see the game reaching its completion and all the progress you have made. Can't wait for the first release!
cool story bro - I look forward to the release.
Please keep in mind that some people are willing to preorder the game.
I know that kickstarter is its own mess, but if you need money to life, keep the option in mind.
Oh I thought you already worked on this full time for a while! Exciting times for you! You know there are a lot of people rooting for you!
Thanks Kev!
I am on vacation right now with my sweet collie and I saw this! I am so excited that when I'll get home the first think I'll do is play the new demo!!!
I am looking forward to every bit I get of this game. Every dev log and especially the thought of playing the game at some point makes me so happy!
Hey, You are my hero I aspire to you, I am making an animated short film and I quit it but you gave me the motivation to start again and also THANKS FOR EVERYTHING.
You can do it! Keep at it, day after day, and it all adds up
No joke this is seriously one of the coolest games I have seen of late. Really reminds of games like The Witness & what remains of Edith Finch, etc. I know it's basically been just you this whole time (and a select few new people), but it really looks like it was made by a whole team! Congrats dude and even though you're not looking for a big payday, I know one is coming for you!
It's a beautiful game no doubt.
This game looks beautiful so far! Found my way here from the Noot game dev challenge, and your project immediately caught my eye. Can't wait to see it finished!
Good for you. I'm so happy for you. I wish you the best in the big jump. I will do everything I can to spread the word.
Also thanks for the inspiration
I’d love to hear your specific journey into game dev :D Like how you got into it and how you learned programming, art, marketing side of it too :D I love hearing about the thought processes and unique experiences of game devs :D I’m a narrative designer myself and I’ve worked with game devs and ttrpg devs too, and everyone is always super passionate!
Cool story bro. But seriously, well done, and a big good luck. And concentrate on shipping! We're rooting for you
It seems like a Herculean task to finish a game like yours. I cut and slashed to finish a tiny game that had zero changes of being commercially successful. I can't even imagine what you have on your plate.
Honestly I had no idea what I was getting myself into haha, lesson learned for next time
Heck ya! I am so excited for this game. So fun to hear your journey, and your passion for your game. So awesome!
cool story bro! Hope the game turns out to be great!
thanks for the support :)
@@kylebanks Just played the demo. It is really good! I haven't played that many games recently but I enjoyed the demo very much! I will be sure to get the full version when that comes out! Only thing is you can a wall that your not supposed to climb and then because the gate is still closed the human can't follow and all the cut scenes don't work but I'm sure you already know about that bug.
IDEA: As the main character is a dog you can add a game mechanic regarding some sort of treat and if you get it your dog learns a new trick like emotes in video games.
That would be really cute
I played your Demo now, so far its a beautiful game, keep up the good work my man!
If there is an area that takes place at night, you could add an achievement where you have to howl/ bark at the moon! Also you are very brave for focusing on your passion project!
Love it!
I just found you game through the Dream Hack section on Steam and was instantly gripped on how much it reminded me of Planet of Lana that I automatically wishlisted it. I love your story and wish you all the success in your endevours with Farewell North. I am very excited to play 😊.
Thanks! I still need to check out Planet of Lana, it looks gorgeous
I played your demo the other day. I loved the cinematography and composition!
Thanks so much! Cinematography is a whole new subject I've learned so much about making this game, I'm finding it's become a topic I'm quite fascinated by so that means a lot
So happy for you! I've been quietly following your progress on Farewell North almost since the beginning. Looking forward to playing it 🎉
Bro out here making a triple A game with cutscenes, dialogues and all that. Not even talking about how gorgeous this game looks. I really love seeing stuff like this I feel like indie shouldn't be just "2D pixel art" we can do more than that with modern tools and of course talented people like you.
Haha thanks so much for the kind words 😊
have an achievement where the dog jumps off somewhere relatively high into water, and name the achievement "its raining..."
its raining cats and dogs would be the pun there idk just shooting an idea
Ahaha I like it 👌
I Hope everything goes well for you and I look forward to playing the game!
yo mate, what a legend. goodluck for your game. youve got my support
Thanks for the support 🙏
power to you my brother best of luck
It's simply incredible, everything about your personal experience, the decisions you have been taking and you talk without filters about the risks and the fear behind it, thanks for the sincerity, being an indie developer and even more daring to be one giving up everything to focus only on your own dream, deserves the greatest respect, fabulous. I have recently played the Demo and it left me speechless, the environmental sensations, immersive, the music, the background of the narrative, the level design itself... I hope to see the final result of all this, and I think I'll have to take with me a pack of cloths to dry the tears (in a good way) before this fantastic work of art that is happening. Cheer up, you are a great reference for many, a great Developer, I really identify myself to a great extent with this videogame.
A big hug and thanks for Crear Farewell North, soon I will be working on a review and I will quote the game and you of course.
I made the same decision with you. I was a student and working on a full time game dev job. I did have a game to finish in my head (with my classmates) so i decided to quit and commit it full time. Exactly like you, i said "This game won't have any success %99 but i'll regret if i wouldn't take this change %100." At the end of the story our game wasn't sucessfull at all but it was the most rewarding times in terms of learning. And i'm sure if the things are not gone well, you would still find a job so it's not the end of the life. And i got to say you have waay better game than us so i'm sure it's gonna be great. All i want to say is you wouldn't regret and it would be great!
That's a very brave decision, Kyle! One that I could never make myself :(
I've often questioned whether I should take that step, but I've never been able to do it. The thought of uncertainty paralyzes me! However, I find it truly admirable and I wish you an amazing time being able to fully focus on your passion project! Looking forward to play the new version of the demo :)
Thanks man! I never really expected to take this leap but the stars aligned and it just made sense. Definitely appreciate that feeling of uncertainty and paralysis though, it's not an easy one to make. Keep doing what you're doing and who knows!
very proud of you mate! best of luck!
2:06 This both pierced my soul and made me laugh so hard 🤣
It's been a long road watching this project take shape, I hope you're proud of what you've made. You've put so much work into this game and I can only hope for the best as you near completion. But more than anything, congrats on making this project man, it's inspired so many people to give this whole "game dev" thing a shot and thats amazing! great work mate, good luck, get some rest.. try not to stress too much, I know releasing can be stressful but I promise it'll go alright. God speed mi amigo
Good luck ! You got it !
thanks so much!
Cool story bro! I've been following the devlog for a long time and it really exciting to see how far it went, especially since the end is so near! Keep it up! 🎉
really appreciate the support!
Cool story bro! haha. Congrats on going full-time 👏Looking forward to playing Farwell North.
thanks Lasse! Always appreciate your support, hope you're well :)
@@kylebanks doing well. Just in a prototyping loop at the moment. Struggling to commit 🤪 but at least learning a ton
Good luck with your choice and I hope you'll be able to keep doing what you like while not worrying about the paycheck.
This game is something I really I like as it goes in a different direction than every other game who has to be either confrontational or RPG (but including lots of confrontations) or about sports.
I am honestly not sure I would buy the game (not much time to play) but I would definitely watch other play it on twitch.
Take your time! The game looks amazing, I'm sure you can do it!
Cool story bro!
Fantastic to see you take this step. I hope you can get the game to where it needs to be and it's successful enough for you to keep it going. Good luck!
Thanks! If Farewell North is successful enough to find the next game that would be pretty incredible 🤞
enjoyed your vlogs and looking forward to playing! Wishlisted as soon as I saw it! Best wishes on what you are doing now and in the future :)
Wow, this is so inspiring! Recently one month ago I also made the decision to quit my job and focus on creating a prototype of my game for a few months and try to get funding so I can make it my fulltime job. It's really tough and scary, I feel you on that one, but as long as you stay consistent and productive for the game things will definitely go well! I've been following farewell north for a year now and I've tried the demo earlier this year, it's an absolutely beautiful game already and the demo left me teary. I can't wait to see what the final product will look like! I think your channel is very underrated, you definitely deserve have a whole lot more views and subscribers than this.
Aw thank you so much, and congratulations on the big jump for you as well! Keep at it and I hope you crush it!
always loved media that uses color in a unique way, so i can't wait to see you finish this amazing project!
Congrats! Good luck with life from here on.
Actually, seriously I love what you're doing. The game is looking amazing, and taking time to commit to get the last lot of the game done and to a place where you can release it is only going to make the final product that much more magical, and something you can really be proud of. Love it!
Thanks Shane!
amazing video. your dedication and honesty really touched me
keep going bro
I’m tired and can’t think well but very cool vid bro. I love everything you’ve done and are doing, and I can’t wait to see more ❤
I’m excited to see more content I’m glad you’re so dedicated! Can’t wait for release, whenever that may be :)
Cool story bro
Cool story bro!!🐕
🙏🙏
Good luck! Envy you for the courage 😊
Not sure if it's courage or naivety but thanks haha
Congrats on going full time. I expect you’ll have a successful launch and get to continue being a full time dev as long as you’d like. Your game looks like a banger.
Very proud of you. (Btw I saw farewell north pins at a real life game jam, I was taking part in and got really surprised . It’s following me…)
You are such a brave person. All the best for the game, and I hope that it will be a success when you release it! 😄
I wish you great luck with doing this full time. I went that direction myself a while back. I couldn't make a different decision, so I understand your passion. I do really hope it works out for you! ;)
I didn't know there was a demo already on steam, went to download it immediately! I'm very excited for more devlogs here and congrats on making that big decision :)
Your super determined ! Respect :)
Thanks! 😀
Holy cow! This passion project looks beautiful.
I started on my passion project in UE5 not too long ago, also using a non-human player character.
It's been so fun figuring out how to get certain mechanics or design elements to work with a non-human/quadruped.
I'll probably end up playing through your video backlog for a little inspiration while I'm working, if you don't mind. 😅
Oh nice, good luck with your project! Quadrupeds bring all their own special challenges but they're definitely fun to play 😊
@@kylebanks Thanks, and yup! One of my favorite games growing up was Ōkami, I instantly fell in love with it and some of the cool mechanics it has.
Then I played Stray when it released and it fully inspired me to go ahead and start becoming a dev to make something I'm passionate about as well.
I was only really able to do that due to a motorcycle accident that medically discharged me from the military, so now I get VA disability. Blessing and a curse I guess... life long chronic issues, but I get to freely pursue my dreams. 🤷♂️
Excited to play the new demo!
So excited to play farewell north when it comes out!
Thank you 😊
Good luck man, I just downloaded the demo and will try it out :)
Hope you enjoy!
Much respect to you for making that tough decision. Super happy to see how you're still so excited about the game, and that it's nearing completion (sort of haha)
Great video!
also cool story bro
Thanks so much man 🙏
Cool story bro! Love your videos and I’m looking forward to more.
Thanks for the support! Looking forward to being a little more consistent with them
Cool story bro - also "I'm 33 wondering how many devlogs I've got left" made me 👀.
So sorry Rob, just a little casual existential dread humour 😅
Cool story bro 😅. Seriously, though, all the best for this final push.
Thanks a ton!
Welcome to the boat brother. Game dev is personal, its lots of work but there is an end.
Awesome video!
Thanks!
Keep it up man! Stay strong!
Thank you!
Cool story bro. I wish you the best of luck.
Thanks, I'm gonna need it 😄
really looking fwd ;)
Let’s goooooo!!! I’ve been waiting for the next devlog! (First btw)
first confirmed 🥇
@@kylebanksCongrats on the job! I look forward to seeing more of this journey. 😄
Another great game and i cant wait to play!
you are an inspiration to noob devs like me . Thanks man. I'm getting
the game
Aw I'm so glad, keep at it!
Cool Story Bro :). I really like this game's idea, And the direction you took with it's art, environment and shaders as well. I know good things are in the way for this game and hope it's gonna kill it when it releases.. ✌✌
Cool story bro! Good luck :)
Appreciate it!
Cool story bro, doing the same thing you are doing and it motivates me a lot to see you
you got this!
Good luck!
I'm really happy for you. I hope you'll enjoy every moment of it :)
Dude cool story bro, my man 😝
Cool story bro 😎
Thank youuu 😎
Cool story bro😅 can't wait to play.
Can't wait to get it out there!
We all can imagine the amount of work on each part of this game .. you did a great job!
Glad you think so, thanks!
I love the art style
Wish you best of luck bro❤
Thank you 🙏
Cool story bro 💯
cool story bro!
cool story bro
Cool story bro :D
Cool game bro 👊
Cool story bro :)