I discovered Nethack and Rogue some 25 years ago and ever since then I have wanted to make my own roguelike game. On Friday I followed through on that youthful dream and shipped Asterogue, yay!

This game won’t sell. I have been around the indie games scene long enough to know its a crap-shoot. To make a successful indie game you have to execute at peak performance, do everything right, and then you still roll the dice on success. I’ve seen stone cold geniuses build glorious works of art and watch them get zero downloads. A single tear rolls down their cheek one week after launch and tiny pixellated violins play a chiptune version of Mozart’s Requiem.

My game won’t sell and that’s ok. I am at peace with it after all of these years of game jams and side projects. It is the way of things. I’m just happy to have had the chance to fulfill this dream.

I had so much fun making Asterogue. I’ve never worked harder on a side project. I publically committed to an October 30th release, and I’ve done it. I built the thing I dreamed of making since I was a kid, and I am simply grateful to the universe that this opportunity was within my reach.

I want to thank the people who took a chance and bought the game. It’s amazing to me that our tiny club of people who like this kind of game has more than one member. You guys rock!

I also want to thank from the bottom of my heart the people who tested the game and gave me feedback. It’s an honor when somebody is willing to sacrifice their time to try out something you built, and I really appreciate it. It’s your feedback that made this the best possible game I could make in the time allocated. Thank you.