bay 12 games
previous month Dwarven Fortress When was released on Steam (and Itch.io), brothers Zach and Tarn Adams earned $15,635, mostly from donations to freeware projects over the past 16 years. The month after the game’s commercial debut, it made $7,230,123, or 462 times that amount.
“The fairy tale ending is real, but you didn’t kiss the toad,” Zach Adams wrote on the Bay 12 Games forums. I continued to write a thank you to the fans that I don’t often see from game developers.
The gratitude you give us is part of who we are now. It carries us in the car we drive. It sustains us as the food we eat. There is no longer any existence other than the one you provided. When we leave this world, you will be the reason we are remembered.
Turn-Adams said that “just under half goes to taxes” and that other people and expenses must be paid. But “solved a major health/retirement problem that plagues independents” comes fully down to the brother himself, which is also a longtime modder, scripter, and community member of his Putnam but, Dwarven Fortress Codebase adopted in December.
“Health/retirement issues” became very real for the brothers in 2019 when Zach had to seek treatment for skin cancer. Covered by the insurance we provide, it made us realize the need for stronger sustainability. “It’s not just about running GoFundMes until you can’t and dying at 50,” Tarn told The Guardian in late 2022. used to push them towards a (relatively) more accessible commercial release.
as of today, Dwarven Fortress The Steam page summarizes the game’s over 17,000 reviews as “overwhelmingly positive.” jozef.sova wrote: “I had the militia commander-in-chief tackle a giant his cyclops in a 10-story waterfall canyon and knock him down at the bottom,” he wrote DEV. “Guy got stuck and drowned. May he never be forgotten.”
in commercial release of Dwarven Fortress Introduced new players to give the brothers some breathing room and improve their quality of life. The “classic” version (the one in which Ars editor Casey Johnston detailed his 10-hour ordeal) is still available for free download.
