@bigsocrates: I'd be curious to find that out too. "Millionaire overnight" type Indie successes like Super Meat Boy have become much rarer as the market has grown larger and more competitive. It might be that most Indie developers get incremental bumps courtesy of when their game goes on sale for the first time (or has a new highest discount), hits a new system, or some prominent streamer or review site covers the game some time after release - so many Indies launch every week that it seems tough to get eyes on a new release unless there's a pedigree behind its franchise or its developer, and the frequency of these post-release bumps become the true test of a game's viability. Among Us only exploded in popularity several years after it came out, if I recall. If those bumps in revenue are enough to help subsidize the developer's next project (and keeps the company solvent and pays for living expenses, for that matter), I think that's probably enough. (Without knowing for sure as an external observer, it does seem harder to be an Indie dev these days, or at least a runaway success like those featured in Indie Game: The Movie.)
Actually, now I'm wondering if Indie games are given overly optimistic launch prices because seeing them on sale at 50% or 75% off a year or so later is a good way to draw new interest. Releasing at a much fairer price that would negate the need for heavy discounts might not be as conducive to dividends in the long-run. A cynical take, maybe, but I could see the appeal for Indie developers. It's not like they need to worry about reprints or their games suddenly becoming harder to find (at least, no more than they were at launch).
The Voxel Agents, the developers of this game, have been around since 2009 making iOS games so I'm sure they would've been fine whether The Gardens Between did much for them or not. Probably thought it was worth the risk to attach a moderate price tag. Not to sound reductive, but there are so many games of its particular "attractive, story-focused, movie-length" approach (What Remains of Edith Finch, Bound, Firewatch, Tacoma, and The Last Campfire are others) that I'm sure they must all do sufficient sales numbers whether they happen to win awards or don't.
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