GDC 2025 Session Viewer
Small Teams, Big Ambitions
Nadia Thorne (CEO, Producer, Black Salt Games)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass - Get your pass now!
Track: Production & Team Leadership
Format: Lecture
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: Intermediate
Join Nadia Thorne, Co-Founder and CEO of Black Salt Games, as she dives into the strategic approach that turned a small, first-title studio into a success story with the critically acclaimed and award-winning game, DREDGE. This session comprehensively covers the complete development process, from ideation and prototyping to playtesting, market research, and pitching to publishers. Using data and insights from DREDGE, Nadia will offer a clear and practical guide for small studios aiming to launch their first title, sharing actionable strategies that can help other indie developers stack the odds in their favor for a successful first game release.
Takeaway
Attendees will learn about the development process of Black Salt Games and how our team navigates ideation, prototyping, playtesting, and publisher pitching. Using real data from their 2023 debut title release, DREDGE which sold more than 1,000,000 copies in its first 6 months, the session outlines a validated approach for indie developers to successfully build and launch games with small teams.
Intended Audience
This session is ideal for indie developers, studio founders, and small teams. Attendees should have a basic understanding of game development processes, but no advanced knowledge is required.
