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 - Intro
0:52 - From Microsoft to making the first game
2:49 - Disjoint’s gameplay
4:28 - Paid mobile launch flop
6:25 - $30k total; hard lessons and humility
10:45 - Starting Isto Inc; choosing automation-survival (Atrio)
13:50 - Why picking a good idea is so hard
15:29 - Atrio architecture (Zenject)
17:58 - COVID, starting the YouTube
19:56 - Early Access launch
21:54 - A lucky break: Atrioc and the Xbox exclusive deal
23:58 - 1.0 goes a bit better
25:04 - Atrio postmortem: hook too abstract
26:06 - Art/style didn’t signal the automation audience
27:32 - "We didn’t validate early" (and why that hurt)
30:06 - Learnings for next time
34:36 - From Atrio to Get To Work; the key‑remapping fiasco
36:42 - Building Isto Core: reusable systems
40:35 - Pitching Atrioc: data, strategy, and a rage game idea
44:49 - How they got Atrioc to care (Reddit bits, rapport)
46:43 - Standing out in easy‑to‑make genres
49:44 - Get To Work explained: a flowy rage platformer
54:32 - Story focus and landing CDawgVA
01:02:06 - Skipping Next Fest for streamer momentum
01:05:55 - Wishlists via YouTube and what streamers value
01:12:00 - Launch plan: hold Atrioc; run a speedrun contest
01:14:36 - Designing the Hat sequence for streams
01:18:37 - Many paths to success; regional surprises (KR/China)
01:21:11 - 3‑part postmortem framework
01:25:57 - YouTube vs Steam
01:27:16 - Engineering the speedrun comp—and the viral video
01:32:33 - YouTube as insurance; leveraging big videos for sales
01:35:55 - Build your channel vs courting creators
01:47:08 - Short‑form vs long‑form videos
01:48:34 - The “Idea Gap”: from “cool” to “I must play this”
01:50:52 - Pivoting the next game; streamers as partners
01:54:25 - The four most streamable genres
01:58:58 - Next up: online co‑op multiplayer
02:01:17 - Think long‑term; add one big skill per game
02:05:28 - Closing
My 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#Overview
My 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/G3mRDrK
For the game developers among you:
➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ