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# [Ep539] Store Fees Are Crushing Indie Game Studios

9/24/2025 • 60 min

In episode 539 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers look into how platform fees and distribution monopolies shape the survival odds for indie studios. Alongside updates on Crashlands 2 and Levelhead, they answer listener questions about microtransactions and live service models before zooming out to the bigger question of how developers can keep making games in a crowded, costly marketplace. Support Crashlands 2! Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/crashlands-2/ Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib7fzLf59vo Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1401730/Crashlands2/ Google Play:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bscotch.crashlands2 Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/crashlands-2/id1528199331 00:00 Cold Open 00:28 Introduction and Welcome 01:31 Game Development Updates and Community Engagement 04:40 Levelhead's Marketing Strategy and Community Dynamics 12:13 The Role of User-Generated Content in Game Success 16:41 Innovative Features in Levelhead 19:41 Creating Engaging Marketing Content 20:51 (Listener Question) Microtransactions in Gaming: A Deep Dive 28:06 (Listener Question) The Live Service Model vs. Yearly Sequels 35:25 The Impact of Platform Fees on Indie Developers 44:25 The Rise of Game Launchers 47:12 Epic's Strategy and the Monopoly of Steam 50:14 The Challenges of Indie Game Development 53:16 The Impact of Revenue Cuts on Indie Studios 59:17 The Future of Game Distribution and Indie Survival To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness. If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox. Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

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