Hello GMTK supporters!
It feels like the games biz just woke up from its post-Christmas slumber. We got massive new Monster Hunter, Civilization, and Kingdom Come games, plus big industry news. To help you make sense of it all, here's your monthly digest.
I'll start with my takes on this month's new releases. Then there's the biggest news headlines you need to know. And finally, the best bit - 28 articles and videos that any GMTK fan should enjoy.
New Releases
2025-02-28 10:02:24 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patrons
I'm back! Last night I saw the news that WB Games has shuttered Monolith Productions.
I've been watching these stories about layoffs and studio shutdowns with sadness and despair. But, man, this one just really hit me. I love so many of Monolith's games and I truly believe they're a really underrated developer.
So I wanted to make a quick GMTK Mini episode to talk about the news and chat about my favourite games from the studio.
Thanks. If you've been affec...
2025-02-26 14:15:18 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons!
So this is the start of a new series I'll be running throughout 2025. It's called Game Dev 101 and it will walk you through the indie game production process.
You can watch it on YouTube or Nebula, or read it as an article on 2025-02-25 16:00:12 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patrons!
This video is going out to the world tomorrow, so here's your early and ad free version!
This is the first episode in a new series I'll be releasing throughout 2025 where I break down the indie game production pipeline - from ideation through prototyping, production, and so on.
This is the penultimate draft so there's a little more to change before final release - we're currently having a debate on the 2025-02-24 14:48:39 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patrons!
"The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has some baffling user interface design. So I decided to make some alternative versions in Unity to see if we could improve things."
You can watch the video on YouTube or on Nebula, or read it as an article on 2025-02-07 15:54:34 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons.
My next video is something I've never really done before! It's a critique of the UI in the latest Zelda game - but instead of just complaining, I put my money where my mouth is and actually coded up a few potential replacements.
So in this video you can see me using Unity to recreate the game's menu system - and then try a bunch of different options.
You can watch it early and without ads, here....
2025-02-06 14:55:47 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons! Mark here with an inside look at what I've been up to this month.
What I made
So January started off with a big video - a nearly 30 minute deep dive into the design of Smash Bros. fig...
2025-02-02 05:50:51 +0000 UTC
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Hello! Happy new year!
Sorry, it's a bit late for that. But this is also the first GMTK Digest of 2025 and I'm excited to kick off the year's newsletters.
If you're new here, the GMTK Digest is designed to get you up to speed on what just happened in the world of games. I'll share my thoughts on the newest releases, tell you the biggest headlines, and pick out a handful of articles and videos that any GMTK fan should find interesting.
Also... in last month's newsletter I sai...
2025-02-01 06:40:54 +0000 UTC
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Hey! I'm back! I'm working on a new video but in the mean time here's a rapid-fire recommendation from me - an upcoming detective game called Locator. The demo is available now and I'm gonna tell you why it's cool.
Watch it on YouTube (and here's the vers...
2025-01-29 16:04:01 +0000 UTC
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Hi Patrons!
I just released a new video to the world. It's called How a Super Smash Bros. Fighter is Designed and you can watch it on YouTube or Nebula, or 2025-01-21 16:47:29 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons!
This is the first video of 2025 - a chunky look at how a Smash Bros. character is designed, packed full of details and trivia about Masahiro Sakurai's process.
This is the almost-finished version - so there may be some small changes in the version that will be released to the world tomorrow.
Hope you dig it - and let this mark the start of this prosperous year of GMTK videos!
Mark
2025-01-20 19:24:56 +0000 UTC
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Hey all!
As you might know, I like to end the year with a video about "the most innovative game" of the last 12 months. So I've analysed games like Her Story, Baba Is You, 2025-01-13 13:08:00 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons!
Apologies for the delay. But it's time to round out 2024 with a look back at what happened in December. I've got headlines, new releases, and plenty of articles and videos to check out.
Let's jump in!
Headlines
Everything announced at The Game Awards 2024
As always, the actual awards at the Game Awards are overshadowed by big new game an...
2025-01-03 11:57:24 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons!
So, this is usually the post where I deconstruct the last year of Game Maker's Toolkit. I look at the YouTube stats, talk about how each video performed, and figure out about plans for the next year.
And I'll do some of that in this post - but it won't be like a normal post-mortem. Because 2024 wasn't like any other year. 2024 was the year where everything changed.
S...
2024-12-30 07:46:14 +0000 UTC
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So this is it! The final episode of Developing.
In this one I break down the launch of Mind Over Magnet, talking about the release, the sales numbers, the bugs, the reviews... and where the money you make actually ends up going!
And I also talk about the lessons learned from making this game. What went right? What went wrong? And what would I do differently if I ever make another video game?
You can watch it on
2024-12-06 16:06:00 +0000 UTC
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Hello! This is it: the final episode of Developing. And it's a big one. I look back at the launch of the game... but also the whole development process. How many copies did the game sell? Did I make loads of dosh? Were there bugs? What did people think? And what did I learn?
A reminder that this is the penultimate draft version of the video, so there will be a few little fixes and tweaks before I release the video to the public tomorrow. But that means you get to see it early and withou...
2024-12-05 15:44:48 +0000 UTC
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Hello lovely Patrons! Thank you for another month of support. Here's a rambling diary diatribe of what I've been up to in the last month - and what's happening in the future.
What I've Been Working On
Well... a video game! I finally released Mind Over Magnet on Steam in N...
2024-12-02 06:49:41 +0000 UTC
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Hello gamers! You'll have to forgive me for being a little self indulgent on this one (starting with the header image!) - it's not every day you release your own video game on Steam.
But there was more to November than just Mind Over Magnet (though it certainly didn't feel that way!). So let's take a moment to remember the headlines, new releases, and must-read articles in your handy GMTK Digest.
Headlines
2024-11-28 08:49:53 +0000 UTC
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Hello!
First things first - thank you so much for all of your support, kind words, and generosity with Mind Over Magnet. The game has sold over 10,000 copies in less than a week - a testament to the incredible GMTK community.
And now... I've got one more way to support me: the official Mind Over Magnet plush!
I teamed up with Makeship to make an adorable and totally awesome plush toy for Magnus. 2024-11-18 18:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Phew! Here we are. After three long years of game dev... Mind Over Magnet is out. You can get it on Steam right now.
As I say in the video... this has been a wild ride! I've made so much stuff, learned so many things, and worked with so many cool people. And I'm really quite proud of the final product.
And yet... I think my overwhelming feeling... is just a sense of relief.
...
2024-11-13 17:00:16 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons
It's an unfortunate day for an anniversary, but here we are - I'll try to make the best of it.
Game Maker's Toolkit just turned 10 years old. So here are the ten biggest lessons I've learned from the last decade of learning about game design.
You can watch it on YouTube, or Nebula...
2024-11-06 16:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Hello!
As I said the other day, GMTK turns 10 years old on Wednesday. So here's a video about the 10 key game design lessons I've picked up in my decade of doing the show. Hope you like it - it will be released for everyone else on the 6th.
Mark
2024-11-04 13:52:02 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons. Here's your monthly Markly update for October.
What I've Been Working On
October was all about finishing up Mind Over Magnet. That includes all those last minute things like Steam achievements. Plus a final extra feature: a developer commentary track!
I then put together a small team of QA testers on the GMTK Discord and had them run through the game over and over again. Together they found over 80 bugs and problems, which was... fun!
So...
2024-10-31 15:06:12 +0000 UTC
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Hello! We're well into the final months of the year now, so that means big new game releases! But it also means time to snuggle up warm with a cup of cocoa and some of the best videos and writing on games. Here's what I've got for you this time around.
Headlines
This Might Be The Biggest Hack In Pokémon History - Pokemon company Game Freak suffered a ...
2024-10-29 09:06:47 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons!
On November 6th, 2014, I uploaded the first video to a little YouTube channel called Game Maker's Toolkit. Which means in a couple weeks... GMTK will turn 10 years old!
So I want to use this milestone moment to do some self-indulgent behind-the-scenes articles for all my lovely Patreon supporters.
I'm going to start by looking back at everything that's happened in the last decade. Let's go year by year and look at the videos, events, and accomplishments that h...
2024-10-23 12:43:50 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patrons! Here's what I've been up to in September
What I Made This Month
So I started the month with the video for the best games from GMTK Game Jam 2024.
In previous years I tried to get the video done within a couple days of the jam wrapping up. Which was quite a fun challeng...
2024-09-30 16:22:55 +0000 UTC
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What makes a game feel mysterious? And how do we make a player feel like an active participant in solving the mystery? Let's dig in to some amazing games to find out.
Thanks for supporting this one, Patrons. You can watch it on YouTube or Nebula, or read it on 2024-09-27 16:00:20 +0000 UTC
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Hi Patrons!
My latest video (coming later today!) is all about mysterious games - including the wonderful Tunic. A game where you piece together the pages of a retro-style instruction manual.
Playing this game got me super nostalgic for the booklets that came with old games - so I decided to make a bonus companion video where I flick through the manuals for games like Zelda, Mario, and Pokemon to look at the gorgeous illustrations, handy tips, and bizarre translations.
I als...
2024-09-27 12:58:05 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons! This month has flown by - feels like I only just did one of these things. But no mind - I'm back! The gaming news and releases are kicking into high tempo. And there's loads of fantastic stuff to read and watch. So get cozy and let's cover the headlines, the new releases, and the reading list.
Headlines
N...
2024-09-26 11:44:31 +0000 UTC
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Hello top Patrons! You're my favourite ones. Don't tell the others.
So I've been working on this video for... a while. And it's finally done! An investigation into the mechanics of what makes a game mysterious. And how games can turn players into secret solving sleuths.
Hope you dig it! The video will be given to the rest of the world tomorrow - along with the bonus video mentioned midway through.
Cheers!
Mark
2024-09-26 08:03:30 +0000 UTC
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