Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Show HN: I got laid off from Meta and created a minor hit on Steam

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

1–10 of 379 posts

Show HN: I got laid off from Meta and created a minor hit on Steam

#1

Post by newobj »

I was at FB/Meta from late 2013 to early 2023, mostly working in the compiler/runtime spaces. I got hit in the spring 2023 layoff wave. I immediately started making games in my newfound free time (a lifelong interest, and I even worked in AA(A?) back ca. ~2000), and in October 2023 I stumbled upon the idea of a roguelike pachinko/plinko game inspired by Luck Be A Landlord. Things snowballed quickly, I started talking to publishers, then worked like crazy through all of 2024, almost the hardest I've ever worked in my career, and launched the game in December 2024. It's sold ~200,000 units in its first 10 weeks on Steam. So it's no Balatro, but I'd still say it did very well :) AMA?

(my game is Ballionaire: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2667120/view/5264614...)

Re: Show HN: I got laid off from Meta and created a minor hit on Steam

#2

Post by billconan »

Congratulations! The game looks amazing—its quality is truly impressive.

I'm currently feeling burned out. I have an app idea and a prototype that I believe could turn into a viable project to support myself. However, I don't have the courage to quit my job—I’m afraid of the anxiety that comes with paying rent and insurance without a steady paycheck. I do have some savings to sustain me for a while, but I'm unsure if taking a break to recharge, learn new things, and build something I'm passionate about (which could potentially become profitable) is a good idea? I'm also worried about how a long gap on my resume might be perceived when I look for a job in the future.

I'm also interested in making video games, but I often get discouraged by the sheer amount of artwork required—something I struggle to handle and afford. How did you manage the artwork side of your project?

Re: Show HN: I got laid off from Meta and created a minor hit on Steam

#3

Post by newobj »

billconan wrote: post #2

Congratulations! The game looks amazing—its quality is truly impressive. I'm currently feeling burned out. I have an app idea and a prototype that I believe could turn into a viable project to support myself. However, I don't have the courage to quit my job—I’m afraid of the anxiety that comes with paying rent and insurance without a steady paycheck. I do have some savings to sustain me for a while, but I'm unsure if…

Thanks Bill :)

I can relate to the first thing you mentioned, and I never really took action. Layoff was thrust upon me, with the privilege of a severance, and I had been working for decades, so I figured "why not try now?" I'm not sure if I ever would have been brave enough to proactively try, but that's just me. Video games in particular are brutal, economically, and not something I would ever recommend someone take a risk on in hopes of a payday.

Regarding art: don't get distracted by art. The original prototype of Ballionaire was made using Twemoji -- you can see a video of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwIwcGewZME Later I switched from Twemoji to images sourced from https://www.flaticon.com/ When I signed a publisher, I was lucky enough for them to hook me up with an in-house artist. I knew the style I wanted (the style you see in the game) and luckily the artist Hanja absolutely nailed it.

I would recommend avoiding art as long as possible if it's not your strength. You will go much further on making something feel really fun then making art that's one click above terrible. If you get traction, the art can come later. For future prototypes I am working on straight up text mode (or near to it, in like stock Godot UI) right now.

Re: Show HN: I got laid off from Meta and created a minor hit on Steam

#4

Post by switz »

200,000 units is a far cry from just a 'minor hit' - congratulations!

During the project, what was the biggest instinct you had that was ultimately validated by its success, but still surprised you? What was a lesson you learned that you didn't expect? How was working with a publisher? What did they do right and what did they do wrong?

Re: Show HN: I got laid off from Meta and created a minor hit on Steam

#5

Post by newobj »

billconan wrote: post #2

Congratulations! The game looks amazing—its quality is truly impressive. I'm currently feeling burned out. I have an app idea and a prototype that I believe could turn into a viable project to support myself. However, I don't have the courage to quit my job—I’m afraid of the anxiety that comes with paying rent and insurance without a steady paycheck. I do have some savings to sustain me for a while, but I'm unsure if…

btw this was the moodboard I put together for the artist -- https://www.canva.com/design/DAF1ZIStuTY/j66Hl6xPyMNU6cfRsw2...

imho even if you can't make art, it's good to have inspirations for a coherent vision that hopefully you'll be able to articulate to someone!

Re: Show HN: I got laid off from Meta and created a minor hit on Steam

#7

Post by fdlaks »

Looks awesome, congrats on your success 200k sales is a huge achievement!

What factors led you to seeking out a publisher, was it mostly getting art for the game or did the publisher bring more to the table that made you decide it was worth it?

What advice would you have given yourself just starting out knowing what you do now?

What did you get stuck on the most when making the game? I know a lot of people who have great ideas for games but a lot of the ideas don't translate well into being able to realistically do them in the game because of complexity. Did you ever have ideas that you thought would be really cool to do but it ended up being too hard / time consuming to do?

How close was the functionality of the game when you released it to what you had envisioned at the start? Did you go through any major design changes while developing it?

Re: Show HN: I got laid off from Meta and created a minor hit on Steam

#8

Post by monideas »

You should make a youtube series or a long series of blog posts explaining your journey from a personal perspective, the emotional ups and downs on working on this instead of getting a new job, from a technical perspective, and from a business perspective. What types of skills did you have to learn, what were the technical challenges, what pieces of code are you particularly proud of. What was your marketing strategy?
Post reply on HN