How To Make Indie Games In 2026 w/ Jonathan Blow — Full Time Game Dev Podcast Ep. 061

I chat with the legendary Jonathan Blow about how indies can make games in 2026. ► Wishlist Order of the Sinking Star: https://store.steampowered.com/app/499170/Order_of_the_Sinking_Star/ ► Get 50% off my game dev course: https://fulltimegamedev.mykajabi.com/full-time-game-dev-sale ► Watch the reveal trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WypRrVplpao Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro: Jonathan Blow's 10-Year Journey on Order of the Sinking Star 00:01:58 Ad Read: Full Time Game Dev Program (50% Off for New Year's) 00:03:05 Marketing Indie Games in 2026 vs. Past Eras 00:04:04 Pricing Games in a Changing Industry 00:06:44 Value, Gameplay Hours, and Sophistication in Pricing 00:09:56 Revenue Split: PC vs. Console Over Time 00:13:32 Platform Discoverability and Indie Priorities (Steam Focus) 00:16:59 Why Partner with a Publisher in 2026 00:19:18 Burn Rates, Budgets, and 10-Year Development Costs 00:22:24 Art Fidelity and Shaders in Order of the Sinking Star 00:23:52 Art Team, Costs, and Scale of Levels (~900 Screens) 00:25:59 Art Directives and Custom Engine/Language Origins 00:30:45 Why Create a Custom Programming Language (JAI) 00:37:03 AI, Coding Languages, and Future of Programming 00:45:16 Debugging with AI Tools and LLM Limitations 00:55:39 Game Pitch: Combining Worlds and Mechanics 00:57:38 Demo: Overworld, Territories, and Basic Mechanics 01:00:56 Editor Overview and Gameplay/Art Integration 01:02:41 Engine Features: Free Release, Water Effects, and Painting 01:06:18 Camera Views, Cutscenes, and Level Perspectives 01:08:38 Building Islands: Meshes, Blending, and Decals 01:12:23 Optimization: Draw Calls, Inanimates, and Rendering 01:15:46 Debug Modes, Vertex Colors, and Material Blending 01:18:47 Lighting: Maps, Probes, and Dynamic Shadows 01:23:35 Deeper Pitch: Fun Through Combining Elements 01:26:42 Gameplay Analogy: Mastering and Merging Worlds 01:29:29 Character Abilities and Combo Puzzles 01:31:59 Overworld Progress and Integrated Puzzles 01:35:07 Game Scale, Multiple Endings, and Beating the Game 01:36:47 Outro and Wishlist Call-to-Action 01:37:42 Ad Read: Full-Time GameDev Program (Repeated)