{"games":[{"path":"/games/videoball/","rank":1,"slug":"videoball","title":"Videoball","urlSlug":"videoball","value":"Rogers had substantial public visibility as a critic/journalist/designer and later described Action Button as a game-development and product-design consultation studio; the studio had shipped several small games before Videoball. Sources: https://www.patreon.com/actionbutton/about; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Button_Entertainment."},{"path":"/games/rocketleague/","rank":2,"slug":"rocketLeague","title":"Rocket League","urlSlug":"rocketleague","value":"Before this release, the team context was Psyonix had substantial commercial/contract experience before Rocket League and had already shipped the spiritual predecessor. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rocket-league-celebrates-fifth-anniversary-with-an/1100-6479529/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/252950/Rocket_League/."},{"path":"/games/killerqueenarcade/","rank":3,"slug":"killerQueenArcade","title":"Killer Queen Arcade","urlSlug":"killerqueenarcade","value":"DeBonis and Mikros had substantial commercial/contract experience in NYC game development before Killer Queen; Mikros was founder/CEO of SMASHWORX and Tiny Mantis, with clients including Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, LEGO, and Bloomberg Tradebook, plus prior IGF finalist work. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/road-to-the-igf-joshua-debonis-and-nikita-mikros-i-killer-queen-i-; https://www.gamecraft.it/news/2013/09/17/our-new-york-gamecraft-judges/."},{"path":"/games/nidhogg/","rank":4,"slug":"nidhogg","title":"Nidhogg","urlSlug":"nidhogg","value":"Before this release, the team context was Essen had an established experimental indie reputation before commercial release and received major IGF/IndieCade attention before launch. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/looking-back-looking-forward-with-devs-of-the-independent-games-festival; https://store.steampowered.com/app/94400/Nidhogg/."},{"path":"/games/ftlfasterthanlight/","rank":5,"slug":"ftlFasterThanLight","title":"FTL: Faster Than Light","urlSlug":"ftlfasterthanlight","value":"Davis and Ma were not first-time creators in the broad sense: later interviews describe their earlier AAA work in\nShanghai before settling into small independent development. That prior professional background likely lowered\nexecution risk, especially for tool use, production discipline, and finishing a shippable PC game with tiny technical\nrequirements. Sources:\nhttps://toucharcade.com/2022/08/08/into-the-breach-mobile-interview-subset-games-ftl-nintendo-switch-netflix-games-ipad-iphone/;\nhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/212680/FTL_Faster_Than_Light/."},{"path":"/games/rounds/","rank":6,"slug":"rounds","title":"ROUNDS","urlSlug":"rounds","value":"Before this release, the team context was Landfall was already an established indie studio with a community, creator-friendly game history, and digital distribution experience. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://landfall.se/games; https://store.steampowered.com/app/1557740/ROUNDS/."},{"path":"/games/intothebreach/","rank":7,"slug":"intoTheBreach","title":"Into the Breach","urlSlug":"intothebreach","value":"The team entered Into the Breach with unusually strong indie experience: FTL had already become a major success,\ntaught them about endings, difficulty, announcements, ports, and support, and gave them the money and confidence to\nself-fund a long second project. They also had earlier AAA professional experience before their indie careers.\nSources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/how-subset-games-made-the-jump-from-i-ftl-i-to-i-into-the-breach-i-;\nhttps://www.vice.com/en/article/why-it-took-subset-games-so-long-to-make-a-game-after-ftl-412/;\nhttps://toucharcade.com/2022/08/08/into-the-breach-mobile-interview-subset-games-ftl-nintendo-switch-netflix-games-ipad-iphone/."},{"path":"/games/towerfallascension/","rank":8,"slug":"towerFallAscension","title":"TowerFall Ascension","urlSlug":"towerfallascension","value":"Before this release, the team context was Thorson had made smaller games before, but TowerFall was the first full commercial breakout and then led into a mature indie studio reputation. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TowerFall; https://store.steampowered.com/app/251470/TowerFall_Ascension/."},{"path":"/games/duckgame/","rank":9,"slug":"duckGame","title":"Duck Game","urlSlug":"duckgame","value":"Before this release, the team context was Podbielski had indie-adjacent experience and Adult Swim relationships before the Steam release, though Duck Game itself was the breakout. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://duckgame.fandom.com/wiki/Duck_Game; https://store.steampowered.com/app/312530/Duck_Game/."},{"path":"/games/limbo/","rank":10,"slug":"limbo","title":"LIMBO","urlSlug":"limbo","value":"The public record shows Playdead as a new studio formed around LIMBO, but not a naive hobby project: it had executive\nleadership, investors, Microsoft distribution pressure, and a growing professional team. The combination of artistic\ndirection and business execution mattered as much as a single auteur concept. Sources:\nhttps://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/hanging-in-limbo;\nhttps://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-limbo-i-hits-1m-sales-mac-version-coming."},{"path":"/games/inside/","rank":11,"slug":"inside","title":"INSIDE","urlSlug":"inside","value":"By INSIDE, Playdead was no longer an unknown art studio; LIMBO had sold over 1 million copies by 2011 and had bought\nthe studio creative freedom. That prior success gave INSIDE brand legitimacy, funding capacity, and an audience that\nexpected a refined follow-up. Sources:\nhttps://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-limbo-i-hits-1m-sales-mac-version-coming; https://playdead.com/company/;\nhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/304430/INSIDE/."},{"path":"/games/ultimatechickenhorse/","rank":12,"slug":"ultimateChickenHorse","title":"Ultimate Chicken Horse","urlSlug":"ultimatechickenhorse","value":"Before this release, the team context was the founders had enough technical/art/design ability to turn a jam into a commercial studio, but this was their defining breakout. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/postmortem-clever-endeavour-games-ultimate-chicken-horse-kickstarter; https://store.steampowered.com/app/386940/Ultimate_Chicken_Horse/."},{"path":"/games/lethalleagueblaze/","rank":13,"slug":"lethalLeagueBlaze","title":"Lethal League Blaze","urlSlug":"lethalleagueblaze","value":"Before this release, the team context was Team Reptile had already shipped Lethal League and built a player base before producing Blaze. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://team-reptile.com/press/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/553310/Lethal_League_Blaze/."},{"path":"/games/planetoflana/","rank":14,"slug":"planetOfLana","title":"Planet of Lana","urlSlug":"planetoflana","value":"Wishfully was a debut studio for this IP, but not a zero-experience hobby group: Game Developer describes members with\nfilm/animation backgrounds and a gradual move from spare-time concept work into a formed studio with specialized\nartists, animators, level design, and co-direction. Thunderful's publishing role also added commercial infrastructure.\nSources:\nhttps://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/exploring-the-art-and-animation-behind-hand-painted-odyssey-i-planet-of-lana-i-;\nhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/1608230/Planet_of_Lana/."},{"path":"/games/killerqueenblack/","rank":15,"slug":"killerQueenBlack","title":"Killer Queen Black","urlSlug":"killerqueenblack","value":"Before this release, the team context was Liquid Bit and BumbleBear had relevant multiplayer/arcade experience, but the home-service problem was distinct from cabinet success. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://www.stridepr.com/2019/02/variety-killer-queen-black-buzzes-to-nintendo-switch-discord-in-q3-2019/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/663670/Killer_Queen_Black/."},{"path":"/games/brawlhalla/","rank":16,"slug":"brawlhalla","title":"Brawlhalla","urlSlug":"brawlhalla","value":"Before this release, the team context was Blue Mammoth had prior online/free-to-play and multiplayer experience before Brawlhalla, then gained Ubisoft resources after acquisition. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/ubisoft-acquires-brawlhalla-developer-blue-mammoth-games; https://store.steampowered.com/app/291550/Brawlhalla/."},{"path":"/games/amongus/","rank":17,"slug":"amongUs","title":"Among Us","urlSlug":"amongus","value":"Before this release, the team context was Innersloth was a small indie studio with prior shipped games, but Among Us became the breakout product. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://www.innersloth.com/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/945360/Among_Us/."},{"path":"/games/repo/","rank":18,"slug":"repo","title":"R.E.P.O.","urlSlug":"repo","value":"Before this release, the team context was semiwork had shipped/maintained earlier indie work before R.E.P.O., so the breakout built on existing studio capability. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://newzoo.com/games/r-e-p-o; https://store.steampowered.com/app/3241660/REPO/."},{"path":"/games/peak/","rank":19,"slug":"peak","title":"PEAK","urlSlug":"peak","value":"Before this release, the team context was both Aggro Crab and Landfall had established indie experience and communities before PEAK. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://newsletter.gamediscover.co/p/how-peak-sold-45m-copies-in-less; https://store.steampowered.com/app/3527290/PEAK/."},{"path":"/games/mecchachameleon/","rank":20,"slug":"mecchaChameleon","title":"MECCHA CHAMELEON","urlSlug":"mecchachameleon","value":"Before this release, the team context was public sources reviewed do not establish extensive prior commercial experience for lemorion_1224. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/co-op/meccha-chameleon-flies-by-7-million-sales-in-under-2-weeks-as-steams-latest-viral-hit-continues-to-go-to-the-moon-devs-celebrate-by-teasing-a-japan-themed-map/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/4704690/MECCHA_CHAMELEON/."},{"path":"/games/balatro/","rank":21,"slug":"balatro","title":"Balatro","urlSlug":"balatro","value":"Before this release, the team context was LocalThunk was not publicly positioned as a famous prior commercial game auteur; Playstack supplied publisher experience and launch support. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/balatro-sells-5-million-copies-after-end-of-year-spike; https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/."},{"path":"/games/vampiresurvivors/","rank":22,"slug":"vampireSurvivors","title":"Vampire Survivors","urlSlug":"vampiresurvivors","value":"Before this release, the team context was Galante had software experience including gambling-industry work, which informed feedback/reward pacing even though the final product avoided exploitative monetization. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://games.creative.barclays/resource-hub/games/industry-insights/how-vampire-survivors-became-a-hit-when-creator-poncle-was-ready-to-give-up/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/1794680/Vampire_Survivors/."},{"path":"/games/slaythespire/","rank":23,"slug":"slayTheSpire","title":"Slay the Spire","urlSlug":"slaythespire","value":"Before this release, the team context was the founders had professional software/game-adjacent experience before quitting jobs to work on the project full time. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://www.geekwire.com/2024/seattle-studio-mega-crit-reveals-sequel-to-surprise-indie-game-hit-slay-the-spire/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/646570/Slay_the_Spire/."},{"path":"/games/hades/","rank":24,"slug":"hades","title":"Hades","urlSlug":"hades","value":"Before this release, the team context was Supergiant was already an acclaimed independent studio with multiple successful shipped titles before Hades. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://www.supergiantgames.com/blog/hades-now-out-of-early-access/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/."},{"path":"/games/noita/","rank":25,"slug":"noita","title":"Noita","urlSlug":"noita","value":"Before this release, the team context was all three founders had major prior indie credibility before forming Nolla Games. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://nollagames.com/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/881100/Noita/."},{"path":"/games/laserleague/","rank":26,"slug":"laserLeague","title":"Laser League / Laser League: World Arena","urlSlug":"laserleague","value":"Before this release, the team context was Roll7 had notable commercial indie success before Laser League, especially with precision action games such as OlliOlli. That means the game should not be read purely as a naive first attempt; it had accumulated craft, tool, publishing, or community advantages. Sources: https://www.pcgamer.com/laser-league-returns-as-free-to-play-laser-league-world-arena/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/570460/Laser_League_World_Arena/."}],"group":"origin","kind":"dimension","label":"Prior commercial / professional experience","paths":{"html":"/dimensions/priorcommercialprofessionalexperience/","json":"/dimensions/priorcommercialprofessionalexperience/index.json"},"presets":["origin"],"rank":5,"schemaVersion":1,"slug":"priorCommercialProfessionalExperience","urlSlug":"priorcommercialprofessionalexperience"}