Dev tools · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to PlayWell - Portrait of a Successful Solo Game Developer, Eric Barone of Stardew Valley
Made Stardew Valley a huge success by himself. Here's how.
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. PlayWell - Portrait of a Successful Solo Game Developer, Eric Barone of Stardew Valley launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.
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- 2IG
I was at FB/Meta from late 2013 to early 2023, mostly working in the compiler/runtime spaces. I got hit in the spring 2023 layoff wave. I immediately started making games in my newfound free time (a lifelong interest, and I even worked in AA(A?) back ca. ~2000), and in October 2023 I stumbled upon the idea of a roguelike pachinko/plinko game inspired by Luck Be A Landlord. Things snowballed quickly, I started talking to publishers, then worked like crazy through all of 2024, almost the hardest I've ever worked in my career, and launched the game in December 2024. It's sold…
2025 · its alternatives →
- 3AF
I've seen some interests in (simulation) video games here on HN so I thought I'd share a short version of our story. More than 6 years ago, me and my friend from university were playing around with an idea of making a game we always wanted to play. We worked on it on weekends but the progress was quite slow, especially due to so many dead ends and wasted effort. Eventually however, we solidified our direction and decided to take the risk to resign from our well paid SWE jobs and work on it full time. It took more than a year but yesterday we have finally released it on Steam:…
2022 · its alternatives →
- 4CV
I'm a Unity 3D refugee, certified expert, started in 2005 when it was a two man-band with Joachim and David. I've been lucky enough to make a good living out of Unity with my own consultancy over the years making data visualisation applications (Wind Energy) and innovation projects (Visualising accounting data for Wolters Kluwer etc.). Godot is pretty amazing in my opinion. Wrote this game over a few days and was productive in Godot basically instantly. I couldn't get up and running in Unreal despite trying a few times. It's my ambition to start a niche agency developing 80's style games of…
2023 · lfgslots.com · its alternatives →
- 5HV
2015 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 6MA
hi all, I've always wanted to make my own game, but couldn't afford a thousand-dollar adobe (flash+photoshop) license. I'm not a talented programmer, have no degree in CS. But I understand some elements of design. So I got me a copy of ImpactJS, and after about 5 months of steep learning curve (at least for me), I managed to come up with a game. I also integrated it with a highscore and badge system, similar to what you get at Kongregate. You need to login with Google/OpenID to earn badges/scores. link is: http://www.hotbazooka.com/privatejoe hope to hear some feedback/questions from you guys!
2011 · hotbazooka.com · its alternatives →
- 7
- 8GC
2014 · gamedevs.com · its alternatives →
- 9G
2013 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 10
Soren Johnson on designing a non-combat competitive RTS
2016 · its alternatives →
- 11
Reflections on an epic Kickstarter campaign for a tiny game
2016 · its alternatives →
- 12FM
2013 · cannonade.net · its alternatives →
- 13
- 14GO
2010 · gamification.org · its alternatives →
- 15
- 16
Fresh and verified playtesters for your Indie Game
Mar 2026 · playtester.gg · its alternatives →
- 17PO
2015 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 18
- 19
Comparing video game development and PR to board games
2016 · its alternatives →
- 20
- 21
We discuss life-sim games & Stardew Valley
2017 · its alternatives →
- 22HM
2019 · data.mo.ee · its alternatives →
- 23
Interviews and play testing with designers and publishers
2016 · its alternatives →
- 24
Creating terrific games with rich themes
2016 · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →