Looking Back

Hey, thanks for stopping by.

This post is a loose reflection on my last year making games.

2025 was, in practice, my second year developing games with some consistency, while still balancing it with my main job as a web developer, which continues to take up most of my time.

Throughout the year, I published projects almost exclusively as submissions for the Godot Wild Jam, which remains a space I truly enjoy. It is where I learn the most about mechanics, art direction, and, most importantly, where I receive the most valuable creative feedback.

Still, I felt the urge to step outside that comfort zone. I wanted to meet other devs, experiment with different formats, and try longer projects. The GWJ format (9 days) is great, but it naturally limits the depth you can achieve.

Experiments Outside the Comfort Zone

My first attempt was joining a monthly jam, the Boss Rush Jam. The start was exciting, as usual, but by the second week I had completely lost my energy. I realized how much I miss the feeling of “letting a creation go” at the end of a short jam. I ended up returning to the GWJ, with the idea of maybe continuing a project after submission.

After that, I published two games, Hereditary Marks and Lifetime Journey. They were interesting experiences and my first attempts at the action genre, but the feedback was just ok, and I did not feel motivated to continue working on either of them.

Then came Fogbound Sea. The first version was well received by my jam peers, so I decided to try something different and take the project outside the jam, with the idea of eventually releasing it on Steam. I underestimated how much I rely on constant feedback to stay motivated, and after a few weeks of development without that short-term response, I abandoned the project.

Returning to Familiar Ground

Once again, I returned to my base: the Godot Wild Jam. This time, I developed a base-building game inspired by King of the Bone Pile, which at that point was my most well-received project.

Song of the Hollow Mother, my submission for GWJ 83, quickly became my most viewed and played game, more than doubling my previous browser play record (from around 1k to 2.5k). For the first time, I felt I had created something that truly resonated with other people, including those outside my usual bubble.

I decided to continue development after the jam. At this point, I need to thank my wife, Julia, and my longtime friend Rafael, who both encouraged me to take this step. They know how much these projects bring purpose and joy to my routine.

Skybound Colonies and the Steam Leap

That is how Skybound Colonies was born. The idea was to expand on the foundation of Hollow Mother, adding new mechanics such as multiple islands, trading, districts, and broader systems

I created my Steam account, paid the fee, and perhaps because of that commitment, I achieved something new for me: finishing a game outside of a game jam. Skybound Colonies was first released on itch about two months after Hollow Mother, alongside its “coming soon” Steam page.

This phase brought an important lesson. Outside the jam environment, visibility drops sharply. On itch, the game received a few generous contributions (thank you so much to everyone who bought the experience or tested the demo), but it quickly disappeared from the new releases pages. On Steam, the number of wishlists grew far more slowly than what I had seen in projects from friends and acquaintances.

It became clear that the game’s presentation needed improvement. I reached out for help and ended up working with RoamingOwl, a very talented artist I met, unsurprisingly, through the Godot Wild Jam, to create a stronger capsule for the Steam page.

Closing the Year

In December, I worked on two short jam projects, Crown of the Lambs and Amber Meadow, mostly as creative breathers. At the same time, the pressure I put on myself to release Skybound Colonies kept growing. On December 30th, I realized it no longer made sense to wait. Even if the game turned out to be a complete failure, I needed to close that chapter to move forward. So I released it.

I am writing this on December 31st. The results have not changed drastically from one day to the next, but I feel that I have finally closed this chapter. I am heading into 2026 with a lighter mind, full of ideas and a strong desire to keep creating.

I am still defining my goals for the next year, but I want to release more games outside of game jams and, even challenge myself with 3D projects, something that is still very new to me.

I wish an amazing year to everyone reading this, and I hope you are able to pursue your own projects and dreams, no matter how big or small they may be 🥰

PS: Special thanks to Thomas, and to everyone else who shared their gamedev experiences and conversations with me throughout the year. Those were incredibly important to me.