When I co-founded Twin Win Games in 2013, I was CEO, project manager, HR manager, recruiter, and head of business development, all at once. Thirteen years and more than 1,000 released games later, each of those areas has its own strong, independent lead, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about why some projects ship on time while others drift.
The answer is rarely the code. Games run late because of decisions left unmade, assumptions nobody checked, and teams waiting for an answer they need before they can move.
Here is what my co-founder Tatiana Makarova and I have learned about finishing games faster, whether you are working alone or running a small studio.
1. Make the best decision you can, then ship
If I could send one message to myself in 2013, it would start like this: you make the best decision you can at that moment, with the information you have and the circumstances you are in.
Not every decision turns out to be ideal. That does not make it wrong at the time you made it. What matters is looking at the result, drawing conclusions, and changing direction when you need to.
For a game, this means setting a fixed release date and making your calls against it. Waiting for certainty is how schedules slip. Tie the date to something external, such as a festival or a seasonal event, and let it force the scope decisions you would otherwise keep postponing.
2. Ask, don’t assume
If I had to name the phrase I say most often, it is this one.
A large share of the time lost on game projects goes to rework, and a lot of rework starts with an assumption. A requirement the designer read one way and the developer read another. A deadline everyone understood slightly differently. A question that feels too simple to ask costs a minute. Building the wrong thing costs a week.
3. Give your team the reason behind the work
One of my biggest challenges today is staying at the strategic level while giving people enough trust and context to make decisions on their own. It matters that the team understands where we are going, why the changes are needed, and what role each person plays in them.
For a studio trying to move faster, this is practical. A team that understands why a feature matters can make small decisions without waiting for approval. A team working only from a task list stops at every question, and every stop is a delay.
4. Expect your agreements to need updating
For a long time I believed almost anything could be captured in processes and instructions. Over thirteen years I learned that even the best process cannot account for every situation or every person.
Sometimes it feels like Groundhog Day. An issue you thought was discussed and closed comes back in a new context. I used to find that frustrating. Now I see it as a normal part of a growing project: new people join, circumstances change, and your agreements have to change with them.
On a game project, revisit decisions as the project evolves, and do it openly. No document replaces transparent communication, honesty, and the courage to ask a question, even one that feels awkward or too simple.
5. Build a team that acts on problems
My co-founder Tatiana puts this at the center of how she works with our team:
“It’s probably a question for the team itself. But in general, I want the people on our team to be agents of change. So most of my advice is about building a proactive approach, strategic thinking, and a focus on the client.”
Tatiana Makarova, COO and Co-Founder of Twin Win Games
On a game project, proactivity is what keeps small problems small. Someone who notices a slow build, a confusing tool, or a step repeated every day, and fixes it for good, saves the whole team time on every day that follows.
6. Log issues and fix them in focused batches
Small bugs and quick improvements look like five minutes and routinely take an afternoon. Worse, they pull people away from the task that actually moves the project forward.
When you spot one, write it down and carry on. Keep a shared list, then work through it in a dedicated session. It is one of the simplest habits a team can adopt, and one of the most effective.
7. Build debug tools early
Every test that takes three extra steps costs those steps hundreds of times over a project. Build testing shortcuts from the start:
- Commands to jump to any level or game state
- Hotkeys to spawn items or trigger events
- Clear, color-coded debug logs
Keep them in development builds only. They never reach players, and they pay for themselves within days.
Bonus: Meet in person when it matters
Tatiana is clear about where the best collaboration happens:
“What brings me the most satisfaction is meeting clients and the team in person. When you are in the same room as someone, you understand each other better, you can work through difficult questions, or simply spend time together over a cup of coffee. For me, these meetings are a real source of new ideas.”
Tatiana Makarova, COO and Co-Founder of Twin Win Games
For a team that works remotely, a few days together at the right moment, the start of a project or a difficult milestone, can settle questions that weeks of messages leave open.
When Finishing Faster Means Bringing In Help
For a small studio, the fastest route to launch is sometimes to stop doing everything in-house. The parts that stall indie projects are often the ones furthest from the core team’s strengths:
- Art production. A game can be fully playable and still months from launch because the art is unfinished. Game art production is often the single biggest bottleneck.
- Animation. Character and effect animation takes specialized skills and many hours. A game animation team can take weeks off the schedule.
- Additional development capacity. A second team can take on features, ports, or optimization while the core team keeps its focus.
- Browser and cross-platform reach. Bringing a game to the browser through HTML5 development can open a new audience without rebuilding it from scratch.
The aim is to keep the parts that define your game in your own hands, and hand off the parts that are slowing it down.
Finishing Is What Makes the Dream Real
Tatiana has worked in game development for more than 20 years. What still surprises her most is the people who come into the industry following their childhood passions, and turn those dreams into the games they make.
Finishing is the step that turns that dream into something players can actually hold.
Key Takeaways
- Make the best decision you can with what you know, then ship
- Ask, don’t assume
- Give your team the reason behind the work
- Expect agreements to change, and update them openly
- Build a team that fixes problems when it sees them
- Log bugs and fix them in batches
- Build debug tools early
- Meet in person at the moments that matter
- Bring in help for the parts that slow you down
For a wider look at the whole process, read our guide on how to make an indie game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do most indie games take longer than expected to finish?
Most indie games run late because the scope keeps growing and decisions keep getting postponed. Without a fixed deadline, there is always another feature worth adding, and the release keeps moving.
How do deadlines help indie developers finish faster?
A fixed release date forces you to prioritize, cut scope, and make decisions with the information you have. Tying it to an external event makes it much harder to postpone.
How does communication affect how quickly a game gets finished?
A large share of lost time on game projects is rework caused by assumptions. Clear communication, and a habit of asking questions even when they feel too simple, prevents the team from building the wrong thing.
Should I fix small bugs right away or leave them for later?
Log them and keep working on your main task. Small fixes routinely take longer than expected and break focus. Work through the list in a dedicated session.
What are debug tools and why should I build them early?
Debug tools are shortcuts built into development versions of a game, such as jumping between levels, spawning items, or clear error logs. Building them early saves time on every test for the rest of the project.
When should an indie studio outsource part of its game?
When a part of the project is holding up the launch and sits outside the core team’s strengths. Art, animation, extra development capacity, and platform ports are the most common examples.
Need Help Getting Your Game to Launch?
Twin Win Games works with studios at every stage, from full development to art, animation, and extra development capacity for projects that need to move faster. With 13+ years in game development and 1,000+ released titles, we help games reach launch without losing what makes them yours.
