Paper Stock photos by Vecteezy
Well… it’s official. I’m out of the corporate world and officially sailing solo as a full-time indie developer.
To be totally honest, it’s equal parts liberating and mildly terrifying. Imagine jumping off a cruise ship and into your own hand-built canoe, yelling “I got this!” while nervously checking for leaks. That’s the vibe right now—but in the best possible way.
🕹 Game Name Locked In
Big news this week: the game finally has a name—Part of Him Remains. I wanted something that captured the tone, the mood, and the story I’m trying to tell. Naming a game is weirdly hard, by the way. It’s like naming a kid, except your kid might get reviewed on Steam and possibly rage-quit by strangers. No pressure, right?
🧭 Steam Page: Submitted and Waiting
After locking in the name, I spent the better part of a day wrestling with Steam’s backend system (affectionately known as The Developer Gauntlet™). There were logos to resize, descriptions to perfect, tags to triple-check, and a whole checklist that basically said “You sure this is a real game, indie dev?”
As of this post, the Steam “Coming Soon” page is submitted and currently awaiting approval. Fingers crossed. Once it’s live, I’ll be linking it everywhere—newsletter, YouTube, heck, maybe even sticky notes on passing seagulls (new marketing idea? ).
⛵ Patreon Setup: Also in the Waiting Room
I also set up a Patreon page this week to give the community a way to support the journey (and maybe help fund coffee and software licenses). It’s currently pending review too, but the plan is to offer behind-the-scenes devlogs, early builds, sneak peeks, and a chance to be part of the crew as this game comes together.
There will also be exclusive game assets and projects with code for my First Mates and Captain’s Circle members.
🧠 The Mental Shift: 9-to-5 No More
Leaving the corporate world after years of steady paychecks and reliable Wi-Fi was not a decision I took lightly. But man… there’s something amazing about waking up and knowing every hour I work goes directly into building my dream—not someone else’s quarterly report.
It’s a lot. I’m learning how to manage my time without a boss looming over my shoulder, how to stay motivated without a team Teams pinging 24/7, and how to balance creating art with running a business.
Also: lunch now happens when I say it does. Wild.
📅 Looking Ahead
Next week I’ll be diving back into development full-force, polishing the core mechanics of Part of Him Remains, and (hopefully) sharing the live links for the Steam and Patreon pages. (fingers crossed!)
If you’re reading this, thanks for being part of this journey from the very beginning. Whether you’re a fellow dev, a curious gamer, or someone who clicked here by accident and stuck around—welcome aboard.
Catch you in the next post. Until then, I’ll be over here making games, editing tutorials, and trying not to panic-Google “how to stay sane as a solo dev.”
Feel free to hit me up on my socials. Maybe you can have a say in what I work on next. 🙂
Fair winds,
~ Clayton
—Captain of the Boat in a Bottle
