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What Indie Game Publishers Really Think: 15 Years of Industry Insights from Finji's Rebekah Saltsman

Indie game publishing functions as a strategic partnership designed to mitigate the financial, operational, and interpersonal risks inherent in software development.

• Indie publishers typically manage titles with budgets of $2 million or less, focusing on small teams across all genres while providing essential business development, marketing, and operational support.
• Publishers act as mediators for team communication and project health, protecting their own reputation and financial investment by ensuring developers avoid burnout and adhere to platform-mandated schedules.
• When pitching to publishers, developers must demonstrate they can ship by providing realistic schedules, documented budgets with appropriate buffers, and clear team breakdowns to de-risk the project.