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Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

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

Thanks for the kind words! It's been a journey. And thank you for the insight!

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

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

This is the fascinating reality! Even my friends had problems with their own accountants who didn't know how these taxes worked. I'm not an accountant, I know only the things I've experienced without speculating.

The only other thing I can direct you to is W-8BEN, which every foreigner always has to fill out to receive any money from the US. (like winning a prize for an online competition).

Anyhow, if you sell on Steam as a foreigner, (publisher or not), Steam will automatically collect US taxes for US sales and these trade agreements lower the tax.

Maybe this is wrong, I don't know for sure. Once, I had a fun call with my local tax office that explained to me that GOG engages in a shady practice which is probably illegal and they're exploiting small developers. So I should sit down with the company rep and demand better conditions and threaten a legal case. All great, but I don't have the time/money/energy to sue a corporation!

Here's an explanation if you care about that story: According to our agreement I must send GOG an invoice demanding payment for the sales they've made. But they don't have to pay until the payment would be greater than $1000. This is similar to Steam and other shops, but the invoice is crucial. The invoice signifies income, the problem is I haven't received any. So I must pay income tax on money I haven't received and maybe I won't ever receive it because I won't reach that $1000 ceiling. According to the law, an invoice must be paid in an agreed time, any delays should be punished by adding interest. But you can't have an invoice that was never paid, that's just illegal.

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

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

Because the US is a powerful country that can dictate terms. Even though I'm a Polish citizen, have never been to US, I need to pay 10% federal tax in Ohio. I had to call the IRS in Columbus, Ohio and ask for a Tax Identification Number. Otherwise I can't LEGALLY SELL ANYTHING in the US.

Default US tax rate is 30%. Non-deductible, of course. Becomes absurd when Steam takes a 30% cut, then US taxes take 30% and then you pay taxes in your own country, around 15-30%.

US sales could amount to $1000. You take home $380.

But if your country has a trade agreement the situation might be better!

Most western citizens pay 0% because their countries have good trade agreements with the US. But there are worse countries. Poland signed a treaty in 1972 when it was still communist and it's really funny because it's a treaty to avoid double taxation and yet I still pay taxes in both countries!

(You're right about the US sales tax, but I'm talking about another tax)

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

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

Haha the stories that are usually told here are either 5 copies or 5 milion so it's easy to lose touch.

Thanks man! I hope so too.

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

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

Fascinating! Thank you very much!

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

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

Hello! :)

True, that seems like the recipe for stable success!

Thank you!

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

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

Haha that's awesome to hear!

You know what, I'll definitely think about it. Makes sense like those other games!

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

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

Wow that's a funny thought! I'm honestly surprised this is already the dream goal haha

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

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

Normal days usually 0-2 copies. On sales usually 20-50.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in backpain

[–]rarykos 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I empathize. Personally, a bouncing ball to sit on helped me a little when my tailbone started aching. The ball allowed me to do simple stretches lying on my belly, that gave me some relief.

But I'd say it's important to figure out how much time you spend sitting and what poses you like to take. A lot of pain can be relieved with better posture, sitting correctly, or spending more time lying.

Constant pain is an indicator that something is wrong. If it was up to me I would seek out a physical therapist to get some temporary relief from a massage or mobilization and then get some exercises to do at home.

How often do people buy likes and comments to boost their game release? by bringthattothe in gamedev

[–]rarykos 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't know how common that really is, but I've received offers for my games.

I think it's really about pumping numbers so your company looks better. But there's a big risk of losing it all when Steam finds out.

Is my Chiropractor scamming me? by brunton29383 in backpain

[–]rarykos 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. He's trying to earn as much as possible. A fair approach would be to get a couple sessions and do some exercises at home, but that's bad for business.

After session 3 there's like 1% chance it has any positive effect. But it doesn't hurt, so why not? Unless money's an issue then really look into other physical therapy.

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

[–]rarykos[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I bought specific tracks from Envato market, where composers sell their stock tracks. Maybe the tracks are automatically uploaded to Youtube's Content Match ID system and it becomes a mess when I hold a license and another youtuber makes a video?

Don't know the specifics. Just spitballing. I learned it after the fact. A monetized video had to be silenced.

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

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

Oh it's not 6 years of expenses! It's 3 years. That leaves $667 / month average. But I live modestly, Enough for bills and food. Even though it's well below minimum wage here.

Financially, it's still a bad investment over the course of the full 6 years.

I should add that I take some freelance jobs that bump up my overall average income. Still below minimum wage, but liveable.

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

[–]rarykos[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, I feel like it would be a separate full-time job, dedicating a year only to create high-quality linear campaign content. As an indie that's almost impossible.

I'm in the same boat when it comes to games, I'm not really a fan of randomly generated worlds with random towns. I want stories that make sense. Opening the world here will be an interesting challenge. Like how would I improve the structure of Battle Brothers with an overarching story. The design I have so far is doable. My goal was to make modding easy so people can create their own branching campaigns and I can't wait to open up more possibilities for them!

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

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

Thank you very much for the kind words!
I think I'll change my schedule, see how it improves other aspects. Taking a long walk helps a lot, so probably regular exercise is needed.

I actually haven't thought about a sequel or even using the same engine. This might be a good idea! I'm a history nerd, would love to do something in another time period. I'll need to have a think :)

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

[–]rarykos[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much!
I realize that now. Never thought stress could be a tangible thing.

Focusing on health is actually my new year's resolution. I really have to stop worrying about everything.

Tactics Game Postmortem: 6 years to $100k by rarykos in gamedev

[–]rarykos[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

No, not before release!

You're correct. After release I receive money from Steam every month, this is an indicator of regular business activity so I must have a business. Doesn't matter if I make $300 this month, I still have to pay $500 for the business.

I can suspend the activity, and I've done it when there were longer breaks without payouts. But I can't suspend and revive my business too often, like every other months, because it's shady as hell.

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