When indie video game development collective Sokpop finished its 100th game, it took a while for the achievement to sink in. “I felt like, ‘Woah, we made 100 games. How did this happen? (Three of the four spoke to the edge; Van den Bogaert was not available.)
Well, the group just started by releasing GIFs of their prototypes on Twitter. But after a few years and some encouragement from fans, they realized they had to release the prototypes themselves. In 2018, they launched a subscription model, and five years later, they’re still going. With 100 game releases under their belt, though, they’re ready to make some changes.
“How did this happen?”
When Patreon first launched, subscribers could sign up for $3 a month and get a mini-game every two weeks. The games were also available on the indie storefront itch.io for the same price. Their early works were small, maybe 15 minutes long, and explored an idea or concept that could be created quickly to keep up with the pace of delivery. They are often small spaces to roam around in, with descriptions like “going on a counter adventure” or “exploring the swamp”.
After its first year, the group spoke to the edge around the first 26 games, finding a foothold on Patreon, and figuring out how to make the endeavor sustainable. The biggest change since then, as they say, has been the addition of games to Steam. Koning says it gave them a sense of legitimacy. Teo agrees, in part, though he also mentions another piece of the puzzle. “On the one hand, it made us feel like we started to care a little bit more,” he says. On the other hand, it has also doubled our income.
After the Steam releases were added, they each managed to make minimal wages from their work as part of the group, which splits all the money among the members. Starting around 2020, they no longer have to do additional freelance work to make ends meet.
But around the same time, the games they were making were growing. “The standard stirred up a lot,” says Noss. He mentions that save states and title screens are two big examples of features only seen in later Sokpop games; Tio and Koning add tutorials and settings options. They slowed down their production so that games were released monthly, which gave room for them to become more involved. Recently, they were able to put out a word puzzle, RPG, and a festival celebrating the 100 Greatest Games.
Their ambitions have continued to expand – along with their desire to remain sustainable. After achieving 100 releases, they took the time to assess what they wanted to do next. Their final decision: Make 100 more matches. But maybe not as quickly.
“A few of us were really feeling overwhelmed,” says Teo, who also just became a father and wants to take time out to spend time with his family. Nauss notes that deadlines sometimes became frustrating, especially because they made it hard to catch up if they fell behind schedule.
But in addition to wanting to avoid being overwhelmed, the idea of more freedom is clearly an exciting one for sockpop. Short deadlines often meant games were limited in scope, Tio says, which led to some iteration of ideas, while the group is clearly looking forward to being able to work on larger projects.
But sticking to manageable ranges and experiences is still important to them. “We’re still looking forward to making a lot of games,” Koning says. The four started the group because they enjoyed participating in busy games, collaborating and working quickly to create smaller experiences, and always wanted that to be the focus of their work. Slowing down the pace will allow them to return to that collaboration without feeling like they’re squeezing each other.
“At first, we were really worried about change.”
“When we decided to cancel the monthly schedule, we were like, ‘Is this the end?'” “We were very sad about that,” Teo says. The new goal, then, is a promise to continue and focus on the most enjoyable parts of their regimen.
Fans and patrons of Patreon don’t seem concerned about the low number of games they’ll get either. “I think, in the beginning, we were really worried about change,” Koning says. “But I think the main feedback we got was just, ‘Okay, great, take your time. “
The average download rate of Patreon fans per month for a game was around 50 percent. Collective theories say that some people just want to support them without playing every game, while others can’t actually keep up with the speed of releases. “Maybe that’s why they’re happy,” Koning says. They’re like, ‘Oh, I finally have time to play them. instead of ‘Please stop making toys! There are too many of them!’
They also credit their friendly community for communicating directly with them through gaming videos. This is an evolution of the boy band crust they wanted to put on in their earlier days. Now, they’re not quite sure if the naming is still appropriate.
“When do you stop being a boy group?”
“When do you stop being a boy group?” Koning asks, referring to the fact that they are no longer in their early twenties. For a moment, he wonders if they’re a “manly band” or a “washed-up” before changing his mind: “I think we’re thriving.”
“Maybe just a regular band,” Noss suggests. “But a little more tired. We should take more time.”
Taking more time, avoiding burnout, and focusing on co-op and slightly bigger games: It may take more than five years for Sokpop to make its next 100 games, but it’s clearly excited to get started.