Manor Lords is about to hit Steam and become the next big indie game. It’s a medieval city-builder, like Stardew Valley, and it’s already got over three million people wishing for it on Steam. The developer, Greg Styczeń, is getting ready for the big launch.
Tim Bender, the CEO of Hooded Horse, a strategy game publisher, says Greg’s main focus is making the game great and keeping players happy. They’re not overly worried about making tons of money.
Bender explains that while the game is expected to do financially well, that’s not the main goal. They expect about 10-20% of wishlists to turn into sales in the first week, which could mean hundreds of thousands of copies sold. But Bender and Hooded Horse value more than just profits. They believe in treating their staff and customers well.
In the past 18 months, many big companies have laid off lots of staff to chase constant growth, but Hooded Horse has a different approach.
Bender’s wife, Snow, who is the CFO and president, works hard to make sure the company is stable financially. She ensures they have enough money to cover costs each month and set aside extra for unexpected expenses, like the delay of Manor Lords.
When asked about the game’s launch, Bender seems relaxed. He says they’ve put in a lot of work beforehand to make sure everything goes smoothly.
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They’ve focused on marketing, localization, and quality checks. The decision to delay the game for six months was a big one but aimed at delivering the best experience possible.
Instead of rushing the release, they wanted to offer players a really good game. The success of the October 2022 demo during Steam Next Fest got people excited, but Styczeń and Hooded Horse wanted to take their time to make sure Manor Lords was as good as it could be.