Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Philomena Schwab, co-founder/CEO of Stray Fawn Studio, the creators of The Wandering Village, Dungeon Clawler, Nimbatus and Niche. She's the head of Stray Fawn's new publishing branch and she co-founded the Swiss Game Hub, a co-working space for game developers. We talk about what it takes to make successful games, community building, early access, publishing and women in game dev.
Links to my Guest
➤ Bootcamp games: Check out the games and leave a comment swissgamehub.itch.io
➤ More learnings from Stray Fawn: strayfawnstudio.com/insights
➤ Website: strayfawnstudio.com
➤ X: https://x.com/PhilomenaSchwab
➤ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/philomenaschwab.bsky.social
Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):
➤ tyrollerjonas.podbean.com
0:00 - Intro
1:17 - Game vs. Marketing
3:06 - Early Hits and Studio Formation
5:14 - From Hobby Team to Studio
6:43 - Community Building & Kickstarter
9:31 - EA to 1.0 With Community Push
11:16 - Finding First Fans & Adjacent Communities
15:55 - The Wandering Village: Fantasy-First
19:15 - Rapid Prototyping: Art vs. Gameplay
23:32 - Team Alignment & Genre Conventions
26:19 - Meaningful “Evil” Choices In Games
31:25 - Why Build in Public
32:23 - Kickstarter: When to Run or Skip
32:29 - 1.0 Bet: Localization, Delays & Beta Iteration
35:27 - Shifting to Small Bets
36:37 - Small-Project Playbook & Premium Mobile Sim-Ship
40:10 - Publishing Arm: Why & What Failed
42:18 - Publishing Is Mostly the Game
45:00 - Publishers, Funding & Deals
46:17 - Selecting Games & Avoiding Pitch Limbo
53:05 - What Publishers Evaluate: Demo, Proof & Better vs. Different
57:35 - Choosing Genres With Demand
59:50 - Bootcamp Validation & Itch Metrics
01:02:20 - Swiss Game Hub: 140-Dev Community
01:05:17 - Dungeon Clawler: “Claw Machine” Origin & Breakout
01:11:04 - Clones, Stolen Assets & Mobile Pitfalls
01:13:29 - What’s Next: Small Games, Story & Studio Votes
01:15:55 - Small Teams Fit; Brand Risk
01:18:49 - YouTube: Niche Passion vs. Mass Appeal
01:21:57 - Talking to Players & Moderation
01:24:06 - Own Your Audience: Newsletters, Discord & Events
01:28:33 - Swiss Game Dev Association & Many Hats
01:29:34 - Many Hats & Mental Load
01:33:19 - Wandering Village 1.0: Wishlist Conversion & Discounts
01:34:20 - Early Access vs. 1.0: Outcomes & Timing
01:35:38 - Why 1.0 Underperformed: Consoles, Genre & EA Length
01:39:27 - Post-Launch Priorities: Updates, Stretch Goals & Roadmaps
01:41:07 - Gender Balance, Role Models & Hiring
01:45:06 - Message to Future Women Game Devs
01:45:43 - Outro
My game "Thronefall":
➤ Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall
➤ Discord: discord.gg/gVYctptyg8
➤ Nintendo Switch: nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#Overview
My game "Will You Snail":
➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail
➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: discord.gg/G3mRDrK
For the game developers among you:
➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ
This is a Game Dev Podcast with my guest Philomena Schwab, co-founder/CEO of Stray Fawn Studio, the creators of The Wandering Village, Dungeon Clawler, Nimbatus and Niche. She's the head of Stray Fawn's new publishing branch and she co-founded the Swiss Game Hub, a co-working space for game developers. We talk about what it takes to make successful games, community building, early access, publishing and women in game dev.
Links to my Guest
➤ Bootcamp games: Check out the games and leave a comment swissgamehub.itch.io
➤ More learnings from Stray Fawn: strayfawnstudio.com/insights
➤ Website: strayfawnstudio.com
➤ X: https://x.com/PhilomenaSchwab
➤ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/philomenaschwab.bsky.social
Listen to the podcast on the go (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.):
➤ tyrollerjonas.podbean.com
0:00 - Intro
1:17 - Game vs. Marketing
3:06 - Early Hits and Studio Formation
5:14 - From Hobby Team to Studio
6:43 - Community Building & Kickstarter
9:31 - EA to 1.0 With Community Push
11:16 - Finding First Fans & Adjacent Communities
15:55 - The Wandering Village: Fantasy-First
19:15 - Rapid Prototyping: Art vs. Gameplay
23:32 - Team Alignment & Genre Conventions
26:19 - Meaningful “Evil” Choices In Games
31:25 - Why Build in Public
32:23 - Kickstarter: When to Run or Skip
32:29 - 1.0 Bet: Localization, Delays & Beta Iteration
35:27 - Shifting to Small Bets
36:37 - Small-Project Playbook & Premium Mobile Sim-Ship
40:10 - Publishing Arm: Why & What Failed
42:18 - Publishing Is Mostly the Game
45:00 - Publishers, Funding & Deals
46:17 - Selecting Games & Avoiding Pitch Limbo
53:05 - What Publishers Evaluate: Demo, Proof & Better vs. Different
57:35 - Choosing Genres With Demand
59:50 - Bootcamp Validation & Itch Metrics
01:02:20 - Swiss Game Hub: 140-Dev Community
01:05:17 - Dungeon Clawler: “Claw Machine” Origin & Breakout
01:11:04 - Clones, Stolen Assets & Mobile Pitfalls
01:13:29 - What’s Next: Small Games, Story & Studio Votes
01:15:55 - Small Teams Fit; Brand Risk
01:18:49 - YouTube: Niche Passion vs. Mass Appeal
01:21:57 - Talking to Players & Moderation
01:24:06 - Own Your Audience: Newsletters, Discord & Events
01:28:33 - Swiss Game Dev Association & Many Hats
01:29:34 - Many Hats & Mental Load
01:33:19 - Wandering Village 1.0: Wishlist Conversion & Discounts
01:34:20 - Early Access vs. 1.0: Outcomes & Timing
01:35:38 - Why 1.0 Underperformed: Consoles, Genre & EA Length
01:39:27 - Post-Launch Priorities: Updates, Stretch Goals & Roadmaps
01:41:07 - Gender Balance, Role Models & Hiring
01:45:06 - Message to Future Women Game Devs
01:45:43 - Outro
My game "Thronefall":
➤ Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall
➤ Discord: discord.gg/gVYctptyg8
➤ Nintendo Switch: nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#Overview
My game "Will You Snail":
➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail
➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: discord.gg/G3mRDrK
For the game developers among you:
➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ
