Indie devs behind Animal Crossing-style management sim with 'Overwhelmingly Positive' Steam reviews get candid about future plans: "Will we milk this? No, we clearly don't want to do that"

The developers behind cozy management sim Minami Lane have gotten candid about indie game development and revealed they have no plans to "milk" their game despite its success.

In a post on the r/GameDev subreddit, one-third of Minami Lane's development team, 'Doot', shared a post-mortem of their game - giving an honest insight into what it takes to publish a successful indie game and telling fans of the management sim the team's plans for the future. The post breaks down everything that happened before, during, and after Minami Lane's development and delves into what the developer has learned throughout the process.

For context, Minami Lane is a short and sweet management sim set on a Japanese-inspired street developed by couple Doot and Blibloop. Very soon after its release in February 2024, the game managed to gain an 'Overwhelmingly Positive' review rating on Steam - which isn't much of a surprise with its adorable artwork, easy-to-pick-up mechanics, and countless cats - something that was destined to win over the cozy gaming community.

Unfortunately for those hoping for more Minami Lane, Doot and Blibloop have already decided that they've closed the chapter of the life sim. Under a section labeled 'What's next?' Doot writes: "Will we milk this, do DLCs, a sequel, or other similar games? No, please no, we clearly don’t want to do that." The developer continues: "Maybe this would be the logical option if what we were after was the biggest possible amount of money, but we are not."

Instead, the pair say the success of Minami Lane, which has sold 50,000 copies since its release will allow them to start new projects. "The success [of Minami Lane] allows us to try things that would not have been possible otherwise, namely: localization and console ports," Doot continues. "These both cost money and time, two things we now have, and these are facets of game dev I’m interested to try." 

Not only is the post a refreshing perspective into indie game development, and the benefits of prioritizing well-being over profit, but it's also potentially helpful for those trying to get their games off the ground, as it features tips and tricks related to marketing, setting players' expectations, playtesting, and more. 

You can play Minami Lane on PC now via Steam.

Find out what other hidden gems are on the way with our upcoming indie games list.