Freaking Cool Indies

Freaking Cool Indies: Your Blueprint to Indie Game Success. More than just a podcast, it's your indiepreneur toolkit. We cut through the noise to deliver research-backed marketing insights, practical publishing advice, and motivational stories from successful devs. Learn how to craft killer elevator pitches, build thriving communities, and navigate the wild world of game marketing. We're here to help you not just make games, but sell them. Join us and turn your indie dream into reality.

Freaking Cool Indies is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 34 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Freaking Cool Indies, a business show with 34 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #31

  The AAA UX Framework Indie Devs Never Learn

  Sep 15, 20261h 15mS1

  Former Ubisoft UX director Ruwan Fernando breaks down UX design, UI design, and video game accessibility for indie game developers, and why copying other games hurts your UX.Chapters0:00 - The Real Reason Your Game's UX Matters1:30 - From Indie Studio to Ubisoft, Ruwan's Origin Story4:51 - The Biggest Misconceptions About UX in Games9:53 - The UX Blind Spots Every Dev Team Has19:53 - The 5 Questions Every Indie Dev Must Answer30:19 - North Stars, Constraints, and the Cone of Uncertainty40:53 - The Comparison Paradox, Why Copying Other Games Backfires49:45 - Why Accessibility Is Just Good UX1:01:56 - Building the Canadian Game Awards Accessibility Category1:05:30 - Ruwan's Final Advice and Play It ForwardFollow Ruwan Fernando!LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruwan-f/Website (Go Boldly): https://goboldly.coMentorship (ADPList): https://adplist.org/mentors/ruwan-fernandoLinks mentioned:The Gamer's Brain by Celia Hodent: https://thegamersbrain.com/Can I Play That (accessibility reviews): https://caniplaythat.com/AbleGamers: https://ablegamers.org/The Calling by BuriedCandy: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3830400/The_Calling/Chants of Sennaar: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1931770/Chants_of_Sennaar/WCAG accessibility guidelines: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/Xbox Accessibility Guidelines: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/gaming/accessibility/xbox-accessibility-guidelines/ LINKS & RESOURCES Freaking Cool Indies Newsletter: https://freakingcoolindies.com/FCI_newsletters ️ Hangout on the go:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2doPqk8Q9IKstjLDdSMn9nApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freaking-cool-indies/id1824774892❤️ CONNECT WITH ME ️ Website: https://freakingcoolindies.com/ Twitter: / https://x.com/F_Cool_Indies TikTok: / https://www.tiktok.com/@freakingcoolindies LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/in/marnone/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freakingcoolindies.com

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  Episode #30

  How Two Theatre Writers Built An Award-Winning Video Game (Hilltop Studios Interview)

  Jul 21, 202649 minS1

  Hilltop Studios founder Scott Christian and writer Matt Bernard break down how two theatre kids built an award winning indie game, then bet the whole studio on a gothic horror mystery for their next release, Curse of Resthaven.Wishlist Curse of Resthaven: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3796150/Curse_of_Resthaven/Buy Lil' Guardsman: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1924360/Lil_Guardsman/Chapters:0:00 - Cold open: from cozy cartoons to gothic horror1:52 - Why they didn't just make Lil Guardsman 24:56 - Building Curse of Resthaven's mechanics from scratch11:06 - Writing comedy vs horror (and hiring a copy editor)14:43 - The indie funding crunch and the Batman rule for scope20:08 - Designing the demo and the time loop23:27 - Playtesting, UI fixes, and the game's best mysteries28:07 - The three types of mystery clues30:20 - The Mix showcase and finding the right creators41:37 - Toronto's "Kevin Bacon" and Play It ForwardScott Christian and Matt Bernard are the founder and writer behind Hilltop Studios, the Toronto team behind Lil' Guardsman, an award winning Papers Please style deduction game with acclaimed voice acting and a community that still talks about it. Neither of them came up through a traditional game dev background, they came from theatre and comedy, and it shows in how they build. Their next game, Curse of Resthaven, trades Lil' Guardsman's cartoon tone for a gothic horror mystery wrapped in a colony sim and a seven day time loop.Links mentioned:Button Man by Styrax Studios (Play It Forward pick): https://store.steampowered.com/app/2817960/Button_Man/Viewfinder by Sad Owl Studios, published by Thunderful (Play It Forward pick): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1382070/Viewfinder/ LINKS & RESOURCES Freaking Cool Indies Newsletter: https://freakingcoolindies.com/FCI_newsletters ️ Hangout on the go:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2doPqk8Q9IKstjLDdSMn9nApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freaking-cool-indies/id1824774892❤️ CONNECT WITH ME ️ Website: https://freakingcoolindies.com/ Twitter: / https://x.com/F_Cool_Indies TikTok: / https://www.tiktok.com/@freakingcoolindies LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/in/marnone/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freakingcoolindies.com

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  Episode #29

  A Games Journalist Explains Why Most Indie Game Pitches Get Ignored

  Jul 7, 202644 minS1

  MobileSyrup Gaming Editor Bradly Shankar breaks down exactly what makes a journalist cover your indie game, from the GIF that saves them time to the embargo timeline that nearly sank a launch.Chapters:0:00 - Welcome Bradly Shankar, MobileSyrup's Gaming Editor0:54 - How journalists actually find their stories2:10 - What makes an inbound pitch stand out2:48 - The GIF trick that makes a journalist's life easier4:56 - Why your personal story matters more than your game13:39 - Anatomy of the perfect press email16:24 - Should you tag journalists on social media?22:09 - Timezones, mass emails, and the follow-up rules26:02 - Horror story: the 007 First Light embargo disaster31:07 - What to do after your article goes live35:10 - Play It Forward: shouting out Hilltop Studios Bradly Shankar is the Gaming Editor at MobileSyrup, where he's spent close to a decade covering Canadian indie games, tech, and streaming for outlets including MobileSyrup, The Financial Post, and BetaKit. His team has shrunk from seven people to three over the past year, which means he has to be sharper than ever about which pitches actually earn his attention. What you'll learn:- Why a GIF at the top of your email beats a two-minute trailer link- How including your estimated playtime builds trust with a reviewer- Why your personal story can matter as much as your game's features- Why the channel you use, email, DM, or a relevant tag, matters less than being direct- How to keep a press email tight while still linking out to everything a journalist needs- Why timezone awareness and follow-up wording can make or break a pitch- How much lead time to give before an embargo, and the disaster that happens when you don't Follow Bradly Shankar!MobileSyrup: https://mobilesyrup.com/Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/bradshankar.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/bradshankar🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES📬 Freaking Cool Indies Newsletter: https://freakingcoolindies.com/FCI_newsletters 🎙️ Hangout on the go:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2doPqk8Q9IKstjLDdSMn9nApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freaking-cool-indies/id1824774892❤️ CONNECT WITH ME 🕸️ Website: https://freakingcoolindies.com/🐦 Twitter: / https://x.com/F_Cool_Indies🎵 TikTok: / https://www.tiktok.com/@freakingcoolindies💼 LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/in/marnone/🦋 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freakingcoolindies.com#indiegames , #indiedev , #gamedev , #gamejournalism, #gamesmediatamil , #indiegamemarketing , #canadiangames, #gamedevtips , #pressreleases , #videogames , #indiegamedevelopment, #mobilesyrup, #pitchingjournalists, #gamemarketing , #indiegamedevelopment , #gamesindustry , #podcastforgamedevs

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  Episode #28

  How Game Devs Win With Shorts in 2026 | Jestr CEO

  Jun 30, 202655 minS1

  Short form video is how game devs win in 2026. Jestr CEO Mahdeen Abrar breaks down how to use YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels to get your game discovered, with 1.2 billion views and 700 campaigns behind the strategy.Mahdeen Abrar is the CEO and co-founder of Jestr, a creator marketplace that connects indie and AA studios with vetted creators who make shorts about their games. In under a year, Jestr has launched 700+ campaigns, generated 115,000+ social posts, driven 1.2 billion+ views across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts, and paid out $3M+ to creators. In this episode we get into why ten videos at 100k beat one at a million, why he would never spend your budget on a single creator, the $500 starter plan, text hooks, the biggest short form myths, and how studios of any size can finally get seen.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎮 ABOUT JESTRWebsite: https://www.jestr.gg/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jestr.ggInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jestr.gg/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jestr-gg👤 CONNECT WITH MAHDEENLinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/mahdeenabrar━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ CHAPTERS0:00 – Intro: how discovery got democratized3:20 – Meet Mahdeen & the origin of Jestr7:45 – Becoming a short form factory10:45 – Gamescom and the Fireshine breakthrough18:50 – TikTok vs Instagram vs YouTube Shorts23:20 – Why Mahdeen doesn't link out to Steam24:30 – Ten videos at 100k beat one at a million28:20 – Text hooks and finding your format30:30 – How small studios win with their own content36:30 – The biggest short form myths38:00 – One topic, seven videos: the weekly system41:55 – The $500 starter plan48:30 – Play It Forward & final advice━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES📬 Freaking Cool Indies Newsletter: https://freakingcoolindies.com/FCI_newsletters 🎙️ Hangout on the go:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2doPqk8Q9IKstjLDdSMn9nApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freaking-cool-indies/id1824774892❤️ CONNECT WITH ME 🕸️ Website: https://freakingcoolindies.com/🐦 Twitter: / https://x.com/F_Cool_Indies🎵 TikTok: / https://www.tiktok.com/@freakingcoolindies💼 LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/in/marnone/🦋 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freakingcoolindies.com#gamedev #indiedev #shortformvideo #youtubeshorts #tiktokmarketing #gamemarketing #indiegames #jestr #nintendo #steam #steamwishlist

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  Episode #27

  A Games Recruiter Reveals How to Actually Get Hired

  Jun 23, 20261h 19mS1

  A games recruiter who has made 500+ hires breaks down how to actually get hired in game dev right now: why mass applying online is a trap, how to network without feeling salesy, and the interview hack that makes studios want to say yes.💪 7 Day Marketing Challenge:https://freakingcoolindies.com/resources/🩵 Follow Patryk!Website/Newsletter: https://patryksuchy.com/8Bit: https://8bitplay.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patryksuchy/📖 Chapters:0:00 - The games industry is rough right now1:30 - Why devs feel invisible to recruiters4:00 - The signal you send to the world6:30 - Why nobody teaches you career management9:30 - Stop confusing "I do this" with "I want this"13:00 - Why listing every skill kills your CV19:00 - Networking without feeling salesy or needy26:00 - It's not who you know, it's who knows you30:30 - Does LinkedIn actually matter for game devs?34:00 - Stop applying online (do this instead)50:30 - The interview hack: solve their problem live1:07:30 - How to follow up without being annoying1:14:00 - Play It ForwardPatryk Suchy sits on both sides of the hiring table. He is the lead recruiter at 8Bit, where he has personally interviewed and hired hundreds of game devs for studios around the world, and a career consultant who has coached countless developers into landing jobs at their dream studios. With 10+ years in game dev, 7+ in recruitment, and 500+ hires made, he knows exactly what makes a candidate stand out and what gets them passed over.In this episode, Patryk pulls back the curtain on the entire hiring process. He explains why the "Frankenstein" CV that lists every skill you have actually works against you, how to send a clear signal about the one problem you solve, why building relationships before you need them is the single biggest lever in your career, and the interview approach that has candidates solving the company's problem live on the call.If you are tired of firing application after application into the void that is LinkedIn and hearing nothing back, this one is for you.🧠 What you'll learn:- Why being invisible to recruiters comes down to an unclear signal, not a lack of talent- How to pick one direction and position your CV around solving one problem- The Friday 10-minute habit that builds your achievement list for raises and interviews- How to network without feeling salesy, starting with people you already know- Why mass applying is "reverse spam" and what to do instead- The single biggest interview hack: find the company's real problem and solve it on the call- How to follow up after an interview without coming across needy🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES📬 Freaking Cool Indies Newsletter: https://freakingcoolindies.com/FCI_newsletters 🎙️ Hangout on the go:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2doPqk8Q9IKstjLDdSMn9nApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freaking-cool-indies/id1824774892❤️ CONNECT WITH ME 🕸️ Website: https://freakingcoolindies.com/🐦 Twitter: / https://x.com/F_Cool_Indies🎵 TikTok: / https://www.tiktok.com/@freakingcoolindies💼 LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/in/marnone/🦋 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freakingcoolindies.com

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