How many games can you make before you grow old and die in solitude? Upcoming game developer life sim has you tackle taxes, all-nighters and self-growth 

Japanese indie developer Kan Kikuchi announced the realistic life simulator Life of a Lonely Indie Game Developer. The upcoming title is scheduled to launch sometime in 2024 for PC (Steam) and will support English. 

Under the guise of cute pixel art graphics, Life of a Lonely Indie Game Developer asks some hard-hitting questions – such as ‘How many games do I have in me before I die?’ and ‘What if they don’t sell?’ The game puts you in the shoes of an indie game developer destined for solitude – with no prospects of getting married, making friends or even setting up a company. 

The game focuses on time and money management as much as it does on game development. There is no predetermined objective – your character is bound to grow old and die (bringing the game to an end), and you choose whether to focus on grinding for your passion projects, getting rich, or living a healthy and long life. 

Much like in real life, you will need to take care of rent, taxes, and other expenses, and if you can’t cover them with the profit from your games, you will need to take out loans, gamble or do part-time work to make ends meet. 

On the other hand, to improve as a game developer, you can train in various skills, such as programming, graphics and scenario writing. Honing your personality can make you more motivated, better at powering through all-nighters and more likely to get a raise. You will be able to make games of all kinds of genres and scales, but your time is limited. 

Screenshots on the title’s Steam store page indicate that you will be faced with reviews of your games (negative ones included), that overworking can result in an expensive trip to the hospital and that you will be given a detailed “obituary” at the end of the game, describing your career and achievements. 

If this sounds too close for comfort, Life of a Lonely Indie Game Developer will also come with a “Winning Mode” in which you start out with some alleviating factors, such as owning property, being less susceptible to stress and having immortal pets (oh yeah, your pets can die in this game too). 

Life of a Lonely Indie Game Developer is scheduled to launch in 2024 for PC (Steam).