iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

If you can find a way to keep developing games, and especially if you can keep *enjoying* developing, your success compound over time. Ross the data scientist explains this really well in a YouTube video we did about this! #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

We've been busy making updates to the our market research tools so here are the highlights! Hope you enjoy using them 😊 #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

2 years ago we decided we wanted to pivot from our boring corporate jobs into game development... but to make that a reality, we needed to know whether any of our ideas had any demand from players 🤔 We couldn't find a tool that would answer our questions, so we made one ourselves 💁‍♀️ #gamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Researching Pins and Pegs Fest revealed what might be the first market segment where a unique game is the opposite of what players want 💡 Instead you need to nail a realistic experience #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Why are survival games getting on trains? We took a look at this innovative market segment on Steam in our latest YouTube video... it's very niche, but we're all closet train nerds right? #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Some player reviews are just negative for the sake of being negativ, but guess what? It's ok if some people don't like your game. I'd love to know how you deal with the haterz 💡 #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Don't let negative reviews ruin the whole experience of being an indie game developer and there are ways to deal with them! #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

There are gaps in almost every genre on Steam and cyberpunk games are no exception! The games need much more subtle ways to stand out, and players are really vocal about what they need! #gamedev #indiegamedev #cyberpunk

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

It's Cyberpunk Fest on Steam this week, but what actually is a cyberpunk game? If you're going to make one, what do players expect from you? #gamedev #indiegamedev #cyberpunk

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Mobile base survival games are a REALLY interesting market segment on Steam at the moment... it's full of game developers thinking outside the box, but do you think you could look further? #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

This YouTube video was a lot of fun to film! If you’re making a survival, crafting, automation, logistics/ co-op game, this is how to find market gaps without blindly chasing a trend... and why you might want to consider inserting a train 🚂 Watch it now 👀 buff.ly/clc9li5 #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Surviving as an indie dev is all about balancing risks, safety and getting so comfortable you forget about your dreams... which is why we love Nassim Taleb's Barbell Strategy 🤩 #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

While you wait for our YouTube video on Train games, take a look at this unique game by Simagination 🚂

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

I don't know how to put this, but we're kind of a big deal 💁‍♀️ Thank you so much for featuring our research @bellular.bsky.social! #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Social Deduction Fest was a great opportunity to browse our platform for gaps ... this one is called Immersive Social Deduction Thrillers 🕵️ #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Social deduction games are fun to play, but if you're making one, you risk empty lobbies and becoming a moderator throwing out trolls full time🧌 ...but a unique game called @demonbluff.bsky.social might have solved all those problems 👀 #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

There are things you can't measure in game development, but they might be the most important key to your success #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Only 1 in 5 developers go on to make a second game... so we analysed the data to find out how to be that 1 in 5 👀 Watch it here 💡 buff.ly/oKqxJ9r #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

We learnt a lot from our first game (that we abandoned) including how not to market a game! This is what we'll be doing for our next game ... #indiegamedev #gamedev #indiegames

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

There's no need to spread yourself so thin across social media when you're marketing your game! Here's a different way to think about it... #indiegames #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Why do so few indie games on Steam make real money, and what can developers actually do about it? Watch the full video on Game Oracle's YouTube channel! #indiegamedev #indiegames #gamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Thank you so much to @pcgamer.com and @dualshockers.bsky.social for writing about our research into the impact of using AI in #gamedev! 🥳 It's such a pinch-me moment for us to be featured on huge sites like this 🤩 Links to the articles are in the thread 👇

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

When we did this research we didn't know what we would find & it's a topic that's taken on a life of it's own in the game industry! We'll probably need an update in 2027 to see whether players' attitudes towards AI use in game dev have changed and if any of our conclusions are different 👀

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

This month's Insight Scoop newsletter goes out Thursday 25th June. I've researched the themes behind Steam's festivals and this one covers ocean games, bullet games, and Next Fest. If you're building on Steam, the Next Fest section alone is worth your time! 👉📨 buff.ly/oTHTtIn #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

We researched what successful games like Balatro, Desktop Defender, Dispatch and STARDUST did before, during and after Next fest to make the most of it! #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Our most requested function is now on the map... literally! You can now zoom into the Steam Map to explore each region in more depth 💪 #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Our most Frequently Asked Question: "How do you know where everything is on the map?" Honestly... we use it so much that we've just memorised it! That's not helpful for you though, so we added hover labels. Now you can find any section without clicking on anything! 🗺️ #indiegamedev #gamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

@abandonedsheep.com did everything right before launching Schrodinger's Cat Burglar! We wrote about why in this month's Indie Innovations newsletter which could be in your inbox on Thursday 11th June if you subscribe 👉 buff.ly/oTHTtIn #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Our market research into successful indie games showed that there was one thing that you can do for your indie game marketing that costs you nothing but time... #indiegames #indiegamdev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

We're always banging on about market research (can you blame us?!) but that's because it's good for all sorts of inspo... especially marketing inspo! You can use our platform to find similar games and find out what worked for them instead of starting from scratch! #indiegames #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Trying to film our festival insights on location sounds more glamorous than it actually is... #indiegamedev #gamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Indie game developers are no different to what we would traditionally see as artists, they take the same inspiration from the ocean like painters, authors and film makers #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Not every ocean game wants to scare you. ABZU has no dialogue. In Other Waters has no combat. Beyond Blue feels more like a documentary than a game. Sometimes the best hours in gaming are the quietest ones. 🌊 #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Steam won't market your game for you, you have to do it yourself... so here's how over 60 successful indie game developers marketed their games on social media 💪 #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

AAA studios make ocean levels. Indie devs make ocean nightmares. DREDGE. Barotrauma. Subnautica. Three small teams. Three games that use the deep sea better than anything with a $100M budget #gamedev #indiegamedev 🎮

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

If insights into innovative indie games isn't enough for you, we've launched Insight Scoop to bring you all the insights from our research into Valve's Steam festivals every month + the best market segments for each genre from our Game Gap tool 💪 Sign up 👉 buff.ly/O69iCed #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Weird games are winning on Steam. But the ones that actually sell aren't just chaotic, they have a hook you can explain in a sentence. We recently dug into Dungeon Munchies as a case study, but what's your favourite "outlier" game and why does it work? #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

There's a pattern in underperforming games: they try to serve too many players at once. Developers keep adding features for different audiences & the game ends up doing too much for anyone to love. We're working through this ourselves. How do you decide when to stop adding features? #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Our Steam Map has evolved! Every now and again we completely refresh our map of every game on Steam to make sure that similar games are accurately clustered together 💪 What do you think that this one looks like? I think it looks like Ferdinand the Bull... or a minotaur? #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Deckbuilders Fest isn't just a sales window. Spend a few hours looking at what's getting wishlisted, what's moving copies, and what's getting ignored despite decent production. #indiedev #gamedev #steamfest

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Iris and the Giant. Dicey Dungeons. Alina of the Arena. Shroom & Gloom. None of these were built to fill a gap in the market. They were built because the developer was fixated on one idea. That fixation is readable. Players feel it. #indiedev #gamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

The deckbuilder genre isn't saturated. It's a framework that indie devs keep reinventing. Slay the Spire proved the market. It didn't close it. The question for any dev building one right now: does your version have a reason to exist? #indiedev #gamedev

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Reposted by Game Oracle

Ross Burton @rossburton.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

We just released v6 of Game Oracle. A lot of changes in this release, building on a lot of lessons learnt. Read all about it in our latest devlog: www.game-oracle.com/blog/v6-devlog

game-oracle.com

V6 - Finding Our Way Back

Game Oracle v6 is live. New image search, a smarter Game Gap, better data, and lessons learned. Here's what changed and what's coming next.

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

We're really proud of our newsletter celebrating the latest Indie Innovations (highly rated unique games) 🥳 This month we look at April's top 3: 🧗 Idols of Ash by @leafygames.bsky.social 🔣 Find Your Words by @capybaragames.com 🐕 Pratfall by @quadhead.bsky.social Subscribe 👉 buff.ly/O69iCed

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Trends come and go... and these trends have definitely gone! 💀 Our map of trending opportunities on Steam shows dead trends as big black holes which is a fitting metaphor for what might happen if you publish a game here 👀 #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

We took a look at our map of trending opportunities on Steam to bring you the Top 3 💡 These are types of games that players are loving, but developers aren't making at the moment! #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

We made a map of the trending opportunities for new games on Steam 💡 The bright spots show where there is currently a high demand from players, but not a lot of releases from developers. A great opportunity to jump on a trend that players actually want more of! 🥳 #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

We made a map of player demand on Steam 🎮 The bright spots show the most common types of games that players are wishlisting and buying right now 💡 It's based on our Steam Map which groups similar games together 🗺️ #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

We made a map of release volume on Steam 💡the bright spots show the most common types of games that are being released by developers 👀 Why? It'll help you to see which trends are becoming over-crowded right now and help you find opportunities to stand out from the crowd 🙋‍♀️ #gamedev #indiegamedev

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Game Oracle @game-oracle.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

We could see developers hopping on trends left right and centre, but what if you could see when a trend was dead or dying, and where new trends were emerging? That would be quite helpful wouldn't it?! So we used our Steam Map to make 3 maps of current trends on Steam... and now they're yours 💘

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