NEVER SHIPPED

Indie game studio never shipped · NEVER SHIPPED after 5 mo

Kimura Yuma, 23 · 5 mo

“Lesson learned: Built for 5 months. Shipped nothing. Beautiful product though.”

What you built was a folder.

You spent $23,885 and 5 months. Progress never reached 100%. The last commit message reads 'fix later'. A folder remains; a release does not. Cash -$12,156, debt $0, 0 employees, 0 customers.

How it went

1. 2026 · preparing to openKimura Yuma, 23. You have decided to try starting a company in New York. No idea, no product yet. Savings $11,729, no job.
2. 5/2026: what now?Start a business: «Indie game studio» — You are going with «Indie game studio». Still no company, no product. Now find out whether the idea is real.
3. 2026 · year 1 beginsChinese Demand Cooled
4. 6/2026: what now?Interview 20 people — 9 of 20 said they would pay. 5 only said it would be "nice to have".
5. 6/13 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
6. 7/2026: what now?Decide to build it — You decided to build. Validation ends here.
7. 7/11 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.37%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
8. 8/2026: what now?Build it yourself — You settled on how to build it.
9. 9/2026: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
10. 9/24 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.

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