End-to-end release management, storefront ops and platform submission support for indie studios and developers.

Devon Johnson

Video game operations and release specialist

I worked for a premier esports team, launched two multi-million dollar franchised esports leagues, and for the last few years I led the publishing and release process for the indie video game publisher Apogee Entertainment.

About

Experience

I'm a video game publishing and release specialist with proven experience navigating the end-to-end lifecycle of PC and console releases. I've managed multiple high-profile indie titles across a range of genres, budgets and pre-release wishlist amounts from initial store page creation, to Early Access, to 1.0 and beyond.

A few of the games I've worked on

SERVICES

What I can help with

Before working at Apogee, I knew nothing about video game publishing. Over the course of five years there, I led the global publishing, submission and launch lifecycle for 8+ high-profile indie titles while also managing a sizable back catalogue.Indie game development is hard enough, but every platform has a variety of rules and compliance requirements that make publishing on different storefronts challenging for even experienced developers. I excelled at taking the minutiae of publishing off the hands of developers and advising others on what needed to be done for their games to succeed.

What I can help with

  • Steamworks (and other platforms) setup

  • Store page creation and polish

  • Pre-submission platform & compliance audits

  • Storefront & event ops (like Steam Next Fest & sales)

  • Early Access pipeline from release to 1.0

  • Full-cycle launch management

How I can help

  • Fractional to full hands-on support

  • Hourly consultation

  • Retainer advising

TESTIMONIALS

Anyone can write nice things about themselves. When someone else writes something about them, it's more legitimate. Here are some words from colleagues and developers I've worked with.


"Devon was crucial to the proper digital release of our games, and placing our games into online events to further promote our games...as well as regular ongoing game sales, bundles and game updates (including public postings on Steam and other platforms)."
- Scott Miller, Founder of 3D Realms & Apogee Entertainment

"One of Devon's greatest accomplishments while at Apogee was with our project Bread & Fred. Devon coordinated both the release of all PC versions and the Switch version while working with Nintendo to highlight the title at Indie World Showcase. Devon also helped create the Digital Distribution Release system at Apogee... and is an asset to any company he is a part of."
- Terry Nagy, co-founder of Apogee Entertainment

"PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER"
- David Sánchez, developer of Bread & Fred

"PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER"
- Eric Manahan, developer of Lucid

"PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER"
- Sam Prebble, developer of Turbo Overkill and Total Chaos

Contact

Get in touch

Whether you need someone to manage publishing operations for you, or just need some consultation on what to do, I'm happy to help. Get in touch and let's find out what works best for your project.

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