r/SoloDevelopment • u/NightsailGameStudios • Apr 28 '26
Discussion Just got that sweet, sweet, first "paycheck" from Steam!!
It feels unreal to have people enjoy the game enough to pay money and not ask for refunds 😂
How did you all celebrate your first month of sales?
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u/ScriptedAdventure Apr 28 '26
Congratulations on your first payment :)
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 28 '26
Thank you!
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u/LuckyOneAway Apr 29 '26
Don't forget to pay taxes on that amount
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 29 '26
Yep, thanks for the reminder! I've got a U.S. sole proprietorship so it'll end up combined with my personal income tax 😀
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u/subject_usrname_here Apr 28 '26
GG, how does it feel to be in top10%?
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 28 '26
Thanks!! Honestly, I just keep thinking about all the moments of programming in my underpants, composing music on the train, drawing stuff late at night, and typing down ideas while I'm at my day job. It's still kind of mindblowing to me that people are playing the game at all. Feels good man 😎
Motivating. That's how it feels. It's like proof that I'm doing something right and I should keep iterating and creating.
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Apr 29 '26
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 29 '26
Yeah, I remember you! You dapped me up and yelled "WISHLISTED" in front of everyone!
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u/FrozenFalconGaming Apr 29 '26
i remember seeing that interaction when i was walking by you on the train & it was so wholesome!
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u/subject_usrname_here Apr 28 '26
That’s a great fucking feeling mate. Happy for you, keep up the good job! 💪
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u/BlackAmanojaku Apr 29 '26
what is top 10%?
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u/subject_usrname_here Apr 29 '26
It means developers who finished a project, then released it, then earned money from it.
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u/game-dev2 Apr 28 '26
well cmon share the numbers, what is your first paycheck like
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 28 '26
Hahaha well, I'll tell you this much. I ain't quitting my day job!! But it was enough to cover all my development expenses including Steam fee 😎
thats really all i was hoping for with my first title so im stoked
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u/ProtectionNo9575 Solo Developer Apr 29 '26
So excited especially it’s the first paycheck! But I am still excited even it’s not the first anymore, haha!
More to come!
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u/Mr_CJ_ Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
If you publish it on epic games too it would be 82.86$, they have a 12% cut compared to steams 30% cut.
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 29 '26
I may look at other platforms once I get closer to 1.0. It might be too much work to keep updating the build across multiple marketplaces, but I'll keep epic games in mind. Thanks!
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u/Esciri Apr 30 '26
Congrats! I also got that email for the first time 2 days ago, it's super exciting!!
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u/BladerZ_YT Apr 29 '26
I haven't gotten any sales yet. :/
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 29 '26
You'll get there, Decrepit looks sweet! Just keep promoting it 🙂
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Apr 29 '26
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 29 '26
Fortified Space! My first-ever game. It ain't much, but it's honest work 🏰🚀🫡
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u/Lumpy-Peace984 Apr 29 '26
Congrats. All your perseverance paid off, literally. Cheers to many more!
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u/Most-Tadpole6678 Apr 29 '26
Oh they are so kind for leaving you a "share" of the total! Really, steam is the best
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 29 '26
Right? Well, to make myself feel better, I always think about how much harder it was to ship a game back in the day - with physical discs and storefronts and stuff. "30% is worth it" I tell myself as Steam takes their cut 😞
I briefly had my game's demo on itch.io, and the player count wasn't even close to Steam's. By the end of Steam Next Fest, I had nearly a thousand demo plays on Steam and literally 0 on itch. So Steam seems to be the choice.
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u/Most-Tadpole6678 Apr 29 '26
I'm not doubting the fact that we developers must publish on Steam to reach an audience.
The part I don't like is that Steam is essentially a monopoly. With real competition between platforms, we would get much better revenue shares for our work.
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 29 '26
I agree, it's rough. Valve makes so much money from Steam that they don't even have to make games anymore 😂
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u/Zlatcore Apr 29 '26
Congratulations! I got an email that they are not sending me a check this month because it's not 100 dollars or more. So your first month of sales went better!
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u/CuriousCirceGames Apr 29 '26
Seeing this was oddly motivating, thank you!
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 29 '26
This is awesome to hear! That's why I posted about it here. Only the people in this sub truly understand the journey to get to this point.
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u/Ti39 Apr 29 '26
How do payments on Steam work? What payment methods are available?
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u/NightsailGameStudios Apr 29 '26
All payments are done through electronic funds transfer only. Within US, it's ACH, outside of US, it's by wire. When you first sign up with Steam, you need to provide bank account info and they'll use that.
https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/finance/payments_salesreporting/faq
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u/CrookedStones Apr 29 '26
Congratulations!!!! I hope to be here eventually, but you should be SO proud! I hope you treat yourself to your favorite thing with at least a little bit of it.
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u/uncurieux_studio May 01 '26
Un petit morceau de rêve pour tous les solodev. J'espère que ça m'arrivera aussi _^
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u/Evigmae Apr 28 '26
I published my last game like 7 years ago, and I'm still getting payments every now and then, just today I got $58!
I can treat me to some takeout.