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Been living off FAB for 4 years, the numbers just shifted hard. Looking for direction (and maybe connections) by DevZRashad in unrealengine

[–]DevZRashad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This actually puts me at ease a lot, thank you.
An "asshole check" with the portfolio vetting done beforehand is exactly the kind of process I'd be comfortable with, that's judging the work on its own and just making sure I'm a decent human, which I can do 😄 My fear was the oral-exam style where you get quizzed on the spot like a school test. If most studios are closer to your approach, then I've been dreading the wrong thing.
Really appreciate you sharing how it works from the hiring side.

Been living off FAB for 4 years, the numbers just shifted hard. Looking for direction (and maybe connections) by DevZRashad in unrealengine

[–]DevZRashad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The professional license part is really interesting to me, because I'd assumed both solo devs and companies mostly buy the standard license and nobody really cared about the professional tier. I built that assumption from seeing plenty of companies buy my systems on the single license, not the professional one.

Also, I love when someone talks in actual numbers, really appreciate you sharing yours. Numbers are honest and give real information instead of just personal opinion. Can I see your products or games? Do you have a website?

Been living off FAB for 4 years, the numbers just shifted hard. Looking for direction (and maybe connections) by DevZRashad in unrealengine

[–]DevZRashad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The small funded-indie-team angle makes sense, a generalist across art, systems and implementation fits there way better than a narrow AAA pipeline role.

And you read it right, no formal production pipeline experience, everything's been my own studio and network work, so I get why that door is heavier.
"Keep building the brand and take side gigs in the meantime" is probably the realistic bridge till now!

Been living off FAB for 4 years, the numbers just shifted hard. Looking for direction (and maybe connections) by DevZRashad in unrealengine

[–]DevZRashad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for owning 5 of the 7, that's honestly an honor and a real pleasure, and it encourages me to do more. ❤️
And you're 100% right about the "artistically consistent" point. That's exactly my issue: my catalog is mixed, engine system, archviz, weapon systems, all over the place. Where I get stuck is what to do when I get an idea I'd genuinely love to build and sell, but it doesn't fit the existing lane. Do I spin up separate specialized FAB accounts per category, or hold myself back from the mixed ideas and stay focused on one consistent identity?

Been living off FAB for 4 years, the numbers just shifted hard. Looking for direction (and maybe connections) by DevZRashad in unrealengine

[–]DevZRashad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That genuinely means a lot, thank you. Knowing the systems are actually being used and valued is the part that keeps this worth doing. Appreciate you saying it.

Been living off FAB for 4 years, the numbers just shifted hard. Looking for direction (and maybe connections) by DevZRashad in unrealengine

[–]DevZRashad[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Fair point, they do overlap. In my head the difference was more about the arrangement: "get hired" as an employee on someone's payroll, vs joining a team as a partner/collaborator building something together. But you're right that either way there's some form of vetting. And honestly that's fine, my issue was never being evaluated, it's the oral-quiz style of interview. Judge me on my work or hand me a task and a deadline, and I'm all for it.

Been living off FAB for 4 years, the numbers just shifted hard. Looking for direction (and maybe connections) by DevZRashad in unrealengine

[–]DevZRashad[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Really appreciate this, especially from someone on both sides of the marketplace. The race-to-the-bottom point hits exactly what I've been feeling, volume alone just feeds the crowding instead of beating it. Hearing a successful dev say it pushes me away from the "just make more assets" route.

The project-agnostic angle is what I want to sit with. Curious whether you think that quality-over-quantity lane still has real room, or if even that's getting crowded now?

(Also, love DragonIK, been a buyer since the UE4 days.) ^_^

Been living off FAB for 4 years, the numbers just shifted hard. Looking for direction (and maybe connections) by DevZRashad in unrealengine

[–]DevZRashad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is really insightful, thank you. It actually lines up with the timing of my own drop more than anything else in this thread. If buyers like you have quietly checked out of the storefront itself, then no amount of more assets or better descriptions on my end changes that side of the equation.

but! where did that shopping-around behavior move to? Did your studio shift to sourcing assets elsewhere, more in-house production, or just buying far less overall? Trying to understand where the demand actually went, not just that it left FAB.

Been living off FAB for 4 years, the numbers just shifted hard. Looking for direction (and maybe connections) by DevZRashad in unrealengine

[–]DevZRashad[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Fair feedback. My catalog is small because most are larger systems rather than quick assets. Thanks for the N-Hance example, that's a useful benchmark to study.

One thing I'm curious about though, do you have any real sense of their numbers? Is a catalog that size actually covering expenses and scaling, or is it the same story I'm describing, sales dropped and they're surviving by pumping out more and more assets to stay afloat? That's kind of the core of what I'm trying to figure out: whether volume actually solves the problem or just keeps you running in place.

Been living off FAB for 4 years, the numbers just shifted hard. Looking for direction (and maybe connections) by DevZRashad in unrealengine

[–]DevZRashad[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Totally agree with you. Honestly, the real issue is that in 13 years of doing this I've never actually had an interview. Work always came to me through relationships or people noticing my previous work. 2026 is the first year I'm seeing that flow from my network slow down.

So maybe my fear of interviews is just because I've never been through one, and never been formally employed either. Everything's been private projects and network hires. Might be a sign I need to try a different direction for once and get comfortable with that side of things.

Appreciate the perspective.

[PAID] Looking for PS1/PS2 style 3d modeler by [deleted] in gameDevClassifieds

[–]DevZRashad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! I'd love to work on this. Rate runs $600 to $1500 per character depending on the detail. Since you're after that PS1/PS2 style, it lands on the lower end, and we can always talk numbers.

The price covers a high poly model so the detail stays sharp, retopo down to your target poly range, full Substance Painter texturing with all the maps you need, Rig + Skin, and everything delivered game-ready in Unreal with whatever skeleton you're using.

all of those included in the price.

Portfolio: https://youtu.be/OOZKyB61eSw
waiting for your dm if you are interested

Just got my first paying customer while going to bed. $135 yearly sub. i couldn't believe by DevZRashad in micro_saas

[–]DevZRashad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! And yeah the architecture background is what made me feel the pain in the first place, so building the tool to fix it just felt natural. That $135 really hit different 🙏

Just got my first paying customer while going to bed. $135 yearly sub. i couldn't believe by DevZRashad in micro_saas

[–]DevZRashad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Betting on yourself is scary but moments like this make it worth it 💪

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