This is a conversation with Stephen Huang from @isto_inc. They made games such as "Get to Work" and "Atrio: The Dark Wild", each game more successful than the last. Sptephen tells his story and shares his best advice on how to grow your game dev success long term.Links to my Guests➤ On YouTube: @isto_inc ➤ Get to Work on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2706170/Get_To_Work/➤ Atrio: The Dark Wild on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1125390/Atrio_The_Dark_Wild/Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/0:00 - Intro0:52 - From Microsoft to making the first game2:49 - Disjoint’s gameplay4:28 - Paid mobile launch flop6:25 - $30k total; hard lessons and humility10:45 - Starting Isto Inc; choosing automation-survival (Atrio)13:50 - Why picking a good idea is so hard15:29 - Atrio architecture (Zenject)17:58 - COVID, starting the YouTube19:56 - Early Access launch21:54 - A lucky break: Atrioc and the Xbox exclusive deal23:58 - 1.0 goes a bit better25:04 - Atrio postmortem: hook too abstract26:06 - Art/style didn’t signal the automation audience27:32 - "We didn’t validate early" (and why that hurt)30:06 - Learnings for next time34:36 - From Atrio to Get To Work; the key‑remapping fiasco36:42 - Building Isto Core: reusable systems40:35 - Pitching Atrioc: data, strategy, and a rage game idea44:49 - How they got Atrioc to care (Reddit bits, rapport)46:43 - Standing out in easy‑to‑make genres49:44 - Get To Work explained: a flowy rage platformer54:32 - Story focus and landing CDawgVA01:02:06 - Skipping Next Fest for streamer momentum01:05:55 - Wishlists via YouTube and what streamers value01:12:00 - Launch plan: hold Atrioc; run a speedrun contest01:14:36 - Designing the Hat sequence for streams01:18:37 - Many paths to success; regional surprises (KR/China)01:21:11 - 3‑part postmortem framework01:25:57 - YouTube vs Steam01:27:16 - Engineering the speedrun comp—and the viral video01:32:33 - YouTube as insurance; leveraging big videos for sales01:35:55 - Build your channel vs courting creators01:47:08 - Short‑form vs long‑form videos01:48:34 - The “Idea Gap”: from “cool” to “I must play this”01:50:52 - Pivoting the next game; streamers as partners01:54:25 - The four most streamable genres01:58:58 - Next up: online co‑op multiplayer02:01:17 - Think long‑term; add one big skill per game02:05:28 - ClosingMy game "Thronefall":➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#OverviewMy game "Will You Snail":➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrKFor the game developers among you:➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ