'There are some truly abysmal deals for games that do not deserve that.'
The rising tide of indie developers becoming indie game publishers and funders has been a fascinating development for the world of video game dealmaking. While all of these small studios would be entitled to keep their winnings close and exclusively fund internal projects, a number have chosen to strategically share their wealth, offering deals that improve funding competition in the world of independent game development.
This run of publishers has introduced a new set of experienced developers to the world of term sheets, negotiations, and redlining—and over the last year, developers-turned funders speaking to Game Developer have described what they've seen like something out of a horror movie. Innersloth co-founder and programmer Forest Willard, who also oversees the company's Outersloth fund, is one such founder shocked at the state of affairs his peers are enduring.
Now he's (cautiously) raising the alarm bell for other devs. In a conversation at Seattle Loves Indies Creator Expo (SLICE) 2026 Willard offered Game Developer an update on Outersloth's funding efforts, as well as some frank thoughts about the dealmaking environment for game developers. According to him, he's reviewed a number of deals other developers are signing to make their games, and says there are "truly abysmal deals for games that do not deserve that."
" But there's another level of success that he "wishes and hopes for everybody:" to actually make earn money on a game after it releases.
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