Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch

Butterscotch Shenanigans
  • 5.0 (15)
  • Video Games
  • Updated Weekly

Coffee with Butterscotch is the hilarity-filled weekly podcast of award-winning indie video game studio Butterscotch Shenanigans, best known for its smash hit Crashlands. Grab a drink and tune in every week to learn the ins and outs of game development, productivity and workflows, the business of selling video games, our takes on entrepreneurship and building a small company from scratch, and how to be an unstoppable problem-solving machine. Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Ask us at https://podcast.bscotch.net

  1. 4d ago

    [Ep578] Has AI Ruined Steam Nextfest?

    In episode 578 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers discuss whether Steam Next Fest is becoming a victim of its own success, as AI-generated slop and asset flips make it harder than ever for games to get noticed. They explore what Steam can realistically do about it, why the economics of publishing are shifting under everyone's feet, and what it actually takes to build the kind of studio track record that cuts through the noise when algorithms start failing you.  Support How Many Dudes!Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudesTrailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpISteam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes 00:00 Cold Open00:30 Introduction and Welcome03:37 The Evolution of Demos on Steam06:28 The Impact of AI on Game Development10:28 The Rise of Asset Flips and Slop Games14:22 The Future of Game Discovery on Steam18:37 The Philosophy Behind Steam's Store Policies28:53 The Cost of Entry for Game Publishing34:54 The Impact of AI on Game Quality38:49 The Challenge of Game Discovery42:48 The Existential Threat to Steam47:54 Future of Game Publishing and AI Regulation50:38 Navigating AI Accusations in Game Development55:01 The Importance of Building a Studio Following01:00:03 Marketing Strategies for Indie Games01:05:07 The Role of AI in Game Development01:09:16 The Future of Game Discovery on Steam To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness.  If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello!  Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox.  We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com! Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 9m

  2. Jun 17

    #[Ep577] Indie Devs React to Steam's New Personal Calendar

    In episode 577 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into Steam's new personalized calendar feature and what it means for how indie games get discovered, wishlisted, and surfaced to players. They break down the difference between following and wishlisting, why launch timing still matters so much, and how Steam keeps finding new ways to put indie games in front of the right people. Then they shift into How Many Dudes beta testing, where player feedback is reshaping difficulty tuning and revealing just how differently people approach the same fight. Support How Many Dudes!Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudesTrailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpISteam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes 00:00 Cold Open00:36 Introduction and Welcome01:35 Steam Changes and Their Impact04:36 The New Calendar Feature on Steam07:28 Wishlist Dynamics and User Engagement10:38 Developer Experience on Steam13:28  Comparative Analysis of Game Platforms16:28 Thoughts on Steam's Effectiveness21:16 The Influence of Game Launch Timing23:34 Understanding Game Following vs. Wishlisting26:36 The Unique Position of Steam in Gaming29:11 The Evolution of PC Gaming33:52 Beta Testing Insights and Goals44:37 The Beta Testing Experience47:34 Feedback Dynamics in Game Development50:30 Game Mechanics and Player Engagement54:38 Balancing Game Elements and Player Perception59:31 The Evolution of Game Characters To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness.  If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello!  Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox.  We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com! Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 6m

  3. Jun 10

    [Ep576] How Many Dudes Beta Begins, and AI Just Got Dumber

    In episode 576 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers kick off the closed beta for How Many Dudes and dig into what they're actually trying to learn from it. Then the conversation pivots hard into the AI hype cycle, unpacking why GitHub Copilot's switch to usage-based billing just handed a hundred-times-larger bill to the developers who went all in, and what that says about where this whole thing is headed. Support How Many Dudes!Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudesTrailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpISteam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes 00:00 Cold Open00:29 Introduction and Welcome01:22 Closed Beta for How Many Dudes08:15 Game Balancing: Challenges and Techniques12:25 Evaluating Enemy Strength and Player Progression18:27 Beta Test Goals and What They're Looking For27:00 Pivot to AI and the Tech Landscape29:32 How LLMs Actually Work32:08 Agentic Programming Explained37:08 The AI First Company Myth40:02 Slot Machine Development44:18 GitHub Copilot's Usage-Based Billing50:34 The Dependency Trap53:11 Where This All Ends Up57:15 The Cost Reckoning Begins01:00:01 What Comes After the Collapse To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness.  If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello!  Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox.  We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com! Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 5m

  4. Jun 3

    #[Ep575] Indie Devs Yell At Cloud

    In episode 575 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers are 60 days from launching How Many Dudes and find themselves juggling the final stretch of dev alongside the tedious reality of cloud saving, achievements, and store integrations. They dig into why every platform manages to turn straightforward tasks into elaborate obstacle courses, and what that actually costs developers in time and sanity when the deadline is creeping closer. Support How Many Dudes!Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudesTrailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpISteam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes 00:00 Cold Open00:29 Introduction and Welcome03:08 Navigating Cloud Saving Solutions09:02 User Authentication and Data Management12:15 The Frustrations of Platform Requirements15:17 Rumpus: A Custom Solution for Cloud Saving18:03 The Impact of Privacy Regulations on Development28:55 The Challenge of User Data Management32:20 The Importance of Achievements in Gaming36:22 Navigating the Complexities of Achievement Systems42:10 The Manual Labor of Achievement Setup49:12 Frustrations with Platform Limitations01:00:19 The Challenges of Google Play Achievements01:05:11 Developer Time Wasted by Big Tech To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness.  If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello!  Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox.  We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com! Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 7m

  5. May 27

    [Ep574] Game Devs Discuss Far Far West

    In episode 574 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers check in on the new How Many Dudes box art with some real click-through numbers, then dive into Far Far West, a co-op shooter where you're a robot cowboy fighting skeletons and it somehow all works. They dig into what makes it click, why the Joker system is smart, and whether it can stay fun as the min-maxers inevitably show up. Support How Many Dudes!Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudesTrailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpISteam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes 00:00 Cold Open00:28 Introduction and Welcome01:16 How Many Dudes Box Art11:26 Far Far West Nail or Whiff25:05 Exploring the Game Mechanics29:36 Rogue-like Elements and Progression35:17 Design Aspects and Player Experience40:10 Balancing Fun and Challenge47:53 Overall Impressions and Recommendations To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness.  If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello!  Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox.  We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com! Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

    47 min

  6. May 20

    [Ep573] How does promo art help sell your game?

    In episode 573 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers walk through the evolution of the How Many Dudes box art and what YouTube thumbnails taught them about what actually resonates with players. Turns out the answer wasn't to make something epic but to make something gloriously dumb. They close out with a look at trademarks, what they actually protect, and why registering one might matter more than you'd think. Support How Many Dudes!Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudesTrailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpISteam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes 00:00 Cold Open00:20 Introduction and Welcome05:45 The Challenges of Building a Game Studio Reputation08:46 Player Expectations and Game Content11:46 Steam Controller's Scream15:25 The Fragility of Gaming Hardware17:22 Creating Effective Promo Art22:00 The Evolution of Game Marketing34:47 Learning from Community Engagement39:31 (Listener Question) HaoteeHatooie: Do you trademark your game names? 42:50 The Importance of Consumer Protection in Trademarks45:46 Navigating Trademark Applications and Challenges49:46 The Role of Trademarks in Game Development54:49 The Legal Landscape of Copyright and Trademark To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness.  If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox.  We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com! Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

    58 min

  7. May 13

    [Ep572] Indie Devs Discuss Boss Fight Design

    In episode 572 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers check in on their Steam tag experiments before diving into the tricky problem of designing boss fights. They get into why bosses are less about difficulty and more about spectacle, and what it actually takes to make a culmination moment feel earned. Support How Many Dudes!Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudesTrailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpISteam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes 00:00 Cold Open00:20 Introduction and Welcome03:12 Listener Feedback and Game Updates08:58 Steam Tagging Experiments and Game Discovery12:04 The Impact of Tags on Game Visibility15:05 The Challenge of Boss Fights in Game Development20:10 Designing Boss Fights: The Challenge of Custom Code22:04 Creating Memorable Boss Encounters25:41 Balancing Difficulty: The Art of Boss Design28:48 The Kilipede: A New Tier of Challenge39:07 The Complexity of Boss Mechanics49:43 Balancing Fun and Challenge To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness.  If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox.  We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com! Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

    47 min

  8. May 6

    [Ep571] Is Steam propping up mobile?

    In episode 571 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers dig into whether Steam has quietly become the discovery engine that keeps mobile gaming afloat and what that means for indie devs trying to build a cross-platform strategy. They walk through the realities of mobile pricing, broken app store algorithms, and why chasing discoverability on Google Play or the App Store often feels like shouting into a void. Support How Many Dudes!Official Website: https://www.bscotch.net/games/how-many-dudesTrailer Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQM1SceEpISteam Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3934270/How_Many_Dudes 00:00 Cold Open00:21 Introduction and Welcome01:40 Achievements Development and Ludokit Overview13:40 Mobile Strategy and Pricing Decisions27:45 The State of Mobile Gaming Discoverability29:49 The Role of Steam in Game Success32:48 Cross-Platform Strategies and Pricing38:57 The Impact of Subscription Services on Game Sales43:49 Algorithmic Challenges in Mobile Game Marketing51:50 Final Thoughts on the Future of Indie Games To stay up to date with all of our buttery goodness subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts (apple.co/1LxNEnk) or wherever you get your audio goodness.  If you want to get more involved in the Butterscotch community, hop into our DISCORD server at discord.gg/bscotch and say hello! Submit questions at https://www.bscotch.net/podcast, disclose all of your secrets to podcast@bscotch.net, and send letters, gifts, and tasty treats to https://bit.ly/bscotchmailbox.  We also built Ludokit, a tool for managing store pages, promo art, localization, achievements, credits, fonts, change logs, and more. Check it out at https://ludokit.com! Finally, if you’d like to support the show and buy some coffee FOR Butterscotch, head over to https://moneygrab.bscotch.net. ★ Support this podcast ★

    51 min
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5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Coffee with Butterscotch is the hilarity-filled weekly podcast of award-winning indie video game studio Butterscotch Shenanigans, best known for its smash hit Crashlands. Grab a drink and tune in every week to learn the ins and outs of game development, productivity and workflows, the business of selling video games, our takes on entrepreneurship and building a small company from scratch, and how to be an unstoppable problem-solving machine. Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Ask us at https://podcast.bscotch.net

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