Indiepocalypse Pledge Drive Commission Collection 5

On January 3rd to mark the 60th (issue) Anniversary of Indiepocalypse I will be hosting the 5th annual Indiepocalypse Pledge Drive. The show will air from 9am-5pm ET on indiepocalypse.com/radio. This year the drive and this bundle will be live for one week from January 3rd - 10th!

This special bundle of games newly commissioned for Indiepocalypse (from issues 50-59) will only be available during the Pledge Drive and the money spent on this bundle will be distributed among every unprofitable issue released to this point.

Let's see if this thing can break even?!

Don't forget to scroll to the bottom for the physical editions of Indiepocalypse on pledge-drive-only sale for anyone pledging over $10 (plus S&H)!

Purchasing this collection also enters you into a drawing to win a lifetime subscription to Indiepocalypse. It's nigh-infinite value! (currently $915)

THE SCHEDULE (all times ET)

9-10 AM Intro
10-11 AM Touhou 101
11AM-12PM Andrew grapples with the GQ top 100 game list in an attempt to excise it from his brain
12-1PM Experimental Short Film hour with Bianca Delmar
1-2PM The new issue comes out! (free space)
2-3PM Let's play some Indiepocalypse games! (free space)
3-4PM Cassidy and Andrew talk over the 2025 Eat3 Press Conference
4-5PM Video Game Small Press Workshop with Xenon and Ash K
5 PM It's over now

As I'm sure you can tell by the size of the goal (and the nature of the goal itself), Indiepocalypse is a deeply unprofitable project. Fortunately (and perhaps obviously) the goal of Indiepocalypse is not to make a lot of money. But it is partly built on the idea that more people ought to be able to make at the very least more than $0 making games, especially without having to move towards making traditional commercial games.

That's also why the goal is so high! Realistically, the money I have person lost funding Indiepocalypse these last 5 years is closer to $15k (which is something like, -$250/month. not bad honestly) but the Indiepocalypse pledge drive is most importantly a way to try and ensure that all contributors get get paid royalties at least once a year. That means the pledge is treated like any regular Indiepocalypse sale, with 80% of sales going to contributors

An important thing to note about this and (likely) all pledge drives is that the continued existence of Indiepocalypse is never dependent on them. Indiepocalypse is a way to get more attention and money for developers and the pledge drive is just a yearly, flashier way of doing that.

Fun Royalties Fact!

To date, Indiepocalypse has paid ~$37,000 in royalties to contributors!

GOALS

The overarching goal is "break even" but that is lofty (unattainable?) and there are other things 0 and $77k that I could do if I had the money. For this year's pledge drive I want to try reaching for two goals.

Goal 1: Writing! ($20k)

For a time I was writing regular features for games in Indiepocalypse but both because I am a regular human with finite time, do not think of myself as the best writer, and admittedly would like to make more games, these features have fallen to the side. I would really like to hire a writer (and/or number of freelancers) to write about games in Indiepocalypse and profile contributors. Having the anthology is all well and good, but I also want people to play, think, and have earnest feelings and opinions about these games, not just collect them all.

Goal 2: Higher commissions! ($30k)

This one is self-explanatory and was my only goal on patreon when it had goals. I just want to pay people make the commissioned games more money up front. Simple as that!

how to use the subway (WIN) by q1

"how to use the subway" is a little portrait of transit with a subway system that's freshly cooked up whenever you boot it up. in it you can wait for the train... wander... get lost... get bored... people-watch... listen to music.

The purple hike (WIN) by Paulette

The purple hike is a Bitsy color 3D game, contemplative and dreamlike, without dialogue, that tells a personal story.

Please, stay away (WIN/MAC/Linux) by tipsheda

You were told to stay away from this party. They don't like you. You show up anyways.

Eider Cake (WIN/MAC) by Ayu Koyama

It's the feast day of your patron saint, and a recipe has gone missing.

ANY SAND (WIN/MAC) by hexcavator

a point-and-click vignette recollecting a future-present that almost wasn't. ANY SAND is vaguely autobiographical, inspired by Palestinian resistance & resilience, & owes its name to Rasha Abdulhadi's words & work

HURT ME, PLEASE. (WIN) by Jude Pinto

HURT ME, PLEASE. is an experimental walking sim about power, abuse, and obsession. draw blood in the air to reveal hidden symbols and sate your captor.

In Sun-Drenched Gardens (WIN/MAC/Linux) by Emma dumplingsquid and Carrie Z.

A narrative maze. Lost in Her Sun-Drenched Majesty’s verdant and terrible gardens, with only the dubious guidance of flowers, a sole reveler seeks to escape. In a crowded train car, two strangers meet, talk a while, and then part.

Who is Johnny Sixgun? (WIN/MAC/Linux) by Siobhan Dent, Percy Harris

Who is Johnny Sixgun? is the surreal first chapter to the story of the world's biggest Hooters fan: a shitpost epic adventure through the depths of a fractured psyche.

Calcification (WIN/MAC/Linux) by Elliot White

You are alone in your lord's divine sanctum. No heroes have come for you to slay, nor duties to fulfill. Your body is becoming stone, your vigil never ending. Fulfill your fate.

Calcification is an exploration of waiting, losing faith, and watching all around you turn to dust. After the failure of the villain’s plan, you play as a boss in a dungeon. Abandoned by the interest of heroes you languish awaiting a fate that will never come. Using RPG Maker, it it flips the traditional structure of fantasy RPGs on its head. It answers the question "what is that Souls boss' life like when you gave up on the first level?"

My Garden (WIN/MAC/Linux) by bulboka

I take care of my garden

I'm looking for a quiet place

I'm looking for a way to sleep every night

I'm looking forward to the snow

I'm not looking into the fire

I'll see how it ends