Blue Prince conquered the charts on Steam at the beginning of April. For many, this puzzle game may have come out of nowhere, but it has been in development for 8 years.
Which game is it about? Blue Prince is a puzzle adventure where players explore a mysterious estate. The arrangement of the rooms constantly changes, making each run unique, similar to a roguelike.
This unusual mix is extremely well received and has made Blue Prince a critic’s favorite almost overnight. Other developers also rave about the game, while the feedback on Steam is currently a bit more reserved.
In a conversation with Jason Schreier, Tonda Ros, the developer of the indie hit, has now provided insights into the backstory (via Bloomberg, paywall).
4 years of balancing
How did the development go? It initially did not start well, as Ros had no idea about video game development and believed that you needed to know coding and have a bunch of technology and software to even get started. However, in 2016 he discovered that development with the Unity game engine was easier than he thought.
For three years, Ros worked on his project before bringing on board Art Director Davide Pellino. They needed another two years just to build the rooms in the game. He financed the development with his savings as well as income from his website Mythic Spoiler, where new cards for Magic: The Gathering are posted.
However, he had to make sacrifices: “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I ate ramen every day. But I exchanged my car for a bicycle.”
On the flip side, his frugal lifestyle benefited the developer: “I work 80 hours a week on this game. I don’t really have other hobbies or things. I play games and watch a lot of movies, and that’s it.”
Everything beyond that he would put into the game – thus, not many expenses were incurred.
By 2021, there was already a playable version of Blue Prince, but Ros spent four more years balancing it to ensure a consistent distribution of puzzles and satisfactory progression, as well as something he calls “widening the well.”
What’s next? In the coming months, Ros hopes to continue supporting Blue Prince and bring even more content into the game. After that, he wants to focus on a new project – what that will be remains to be seen.
Blue Prince was released on April 10, 2025, on Steam and enjoys a “very positive” rating there. There is a 10% discount until April 20.
Another solo developer is also using Unity and is working on an entire MMORPG. On Reddit, he recently showcased his project. You can read more about it here on MeinMMO: He quit his job to create his dream MMORPG – Shows first gameplay after 2 years
