Making a Cozy Game Hit in 5 Months

This is a conversation with Kathrin Radtke from Spellgarden Games, the tiny development team behind Sticky Business and Ritual of Raven. We talk about making successful cozy games, scope, marketing and more. Links to my Guests ➤ Sticky Business on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2303350/Sticky_Business/ ➤ Ritual of Raven on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2066520/Ritual_of_Raven/ ➤ Spellgarden Website (Social Media links etc): https://spellgardengames.com/ Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): ➤ https://tyrollerjonas.podbean.com/ 0:00 - Intro 0:41 - Why People Play Cozy Games 2:28 - Cozy Games on Steam: Size and Growth 5:06 - What Makes a Game Cozy? 7:08 - Spellgarden Origins and Sticky Business in 5 Months 10:20 - From Idea Board to 3‑Week Prototype, TikTok Devlogs 12:38 - Finding Ideas in Trends, Hobbies, and ASMR 14:09 - Designing Stickers with Stickers + Low‑Pressure Creativity 17:12 - Steam Page, Viral Tweet, and Finding a Publisher 19:51 - TikTok Strategy: Language, Algorithm, Results 22:36 - Turning Social Posts into Wishlists 24:31 - Why Simple Concepts Market Better 27:05 - Smaller, Clearer Projects and When to Share 30:05 - Will Spellgarden Stay in Cozy Games? 32:05 - Why “Work” Simulators Feel Relaxing 34:13 - Designing for Intrinsic Motivation (Not Scores) 40:01 - Ritual of the Raven: Automation and Coding 43:52 - From Concept to a Big Narrative 45:28 - Managing Scope Under Publisher Milestones 47:31 - Progression Across Regions, Tutorials, and Pacing 49:20 - Marketability vs Vision and What’s Next 51:11 - Crafting Ritual’s Art Style with One Artist 52:54 - The Pacing Problem in Automation Games 55:20 - Making Designs Click and the Cost of Lock‑In 59:46 - Advice for Aspiring Cozy Devs and Testing Interest 01:03:35 - How They Playtest Cozy and Creative Games 01:07:44 - Marketing Cozy Games: Platforms, Demos, Events 01:11:04 - Sticky Business DLCs: Why, How, and Backlash 01:17:29 - DLCs vs Early Access and Player Expectations 01:22:51 - Post-Launch Support and Cozy Recommendations 01:26:26 - Outro My game "Thronefall": ➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/ ➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8 ➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#Overview My game "Will You Snail": ➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/ ➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrK For the game developers among you: ➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ

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