In today’s gaming industry, it’s clearer than ever that big budgets don’t always guarantee big success. Established game development studios remain highly competitive thanks to their resources and publishing experience. Meanwhile, indie developers are filling the gaps and bringing fresh ideas to the market.
Indie game creators sometimes produce outstanding new releases – but without the right expertise and support, they struggle to reach the next level. Thankfully, dedicated publishers are helping the industry recognize the real potential of indie games.
Today, we’ll explore one such success story — Geometry Arrow, a casual arcade-style rhythm game — and how, with the support of Playgama and GameDistribution, its developer earned over €12,500 in just four months.
The Creation of Geometry Arrow
By the developer’s own admission, he didn’t set out to create the next big indie hit. Preferring to develop games quickly, his debut title, Leap & Avoid, was created in just four months to avoid long-term commitments to a single project. Incredibly, Geometry Arrow came together in just a week.
The game blends casual gameplay with nostalgic nods to past hits. It features Flappy Bird-style tap-to-rise mechanics, an environment that moves in sync with a rhythmic soundtrack, and a smooth yet challenging difficulty curve. This perfect mix of fresh ideas and familiar mechanics made it a sleeper hit waiting to be discovered
Distributing to HTML5
Initially, the game was only available on some online platforms, and the developer began to question whether the game would ever be successful. He turned to Playgama, a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) empowering web game developers with effortless publishing and growth tools .
Published on October 30, 2024, Geometry Arrow came out the gate strong. In just over three months, the game generated €12,500 in revenue and earned widespread praise from players.
So, how did this happen?
Bringing Geometry Arrow to a Wider Audience
Playgama’s distribution strategy for Geometry Arrow focused on ensuring the game reached the right audience. GameDistribution was the ideal platform for this, providing access to diverse players loyal to various portals. Once GameDistribution featured the game in GD Editor’s Pick section (Top Pick), it gained even more traction.
While GameDistribution secured reach and engagement, Playgama kept track of key metrics and optimized monetization. This support saved the developer valuable time, allowing him to focus on creating his next game rather than analyzing performance reports.
Editor’s Pick Choice
As mentioned above, one of the drivers of this game’s success was a featured spot in GameDistribution’s Editor’s Pick section. The team’s editors have a keen eye when it comes to identifying games with potential, and this intuition is backed up by the developer’s success.
Here’s our Head of Content’s take on Geometry Arrow: “It’s a game that instantly challenged me with its balanced blend of precision and speed. It calls on a combination of skill and reflexes. Every twist and turn required the kind of finesse that comes with learning to master each obstacle — dodging spikes and overcoming quick sequences of hurdles.
“I found myself completely wrapped up in the demanding gameplay, often losing track of time as I played for a full 20 minutes or more. Every defeat only fueled my determination to start over and perfect my technique. And when you finally do break through, there’s an actual sense of accomplishment. It’s very satisfying. Conquering that relentless chain of obstacles feels great.”
Indie Showcase
The numbers in this case study speak for themselves, and the key takeaway is twofold:
For indie developers, the success of Geometry Arrow highlights how partnering with game publishing experts can elevate a game with potential and introduce it to a massive audience. For publishers, it showcases the untapped opportunities in the indie scene — where games can be developed in a fraction of the time demanded by major studio releases.
Playgama and GameDistribution prove that with the right expertise, a promising indie game can become a bona fide smash hit.
