How a Solo Developer Made $100K on Steam with Roll via YouTube

Overview

In early 2021, solo dev Joseph Distler set out to build a simple, relaxing puzzle game called Roll. Working full-time for three months, he shaped a minimal prototype that invited players to roll a ball through tile-based maps. On May 13, 2021, Roll hit Steam, but sales barely moved until he tapped into creator marketing. This is a detailed look at his journey from zero traction to over $100K in revenue.

Initial Launch and Growth Hurdles

At launch, Roll sold only a handful of copies each day. Friends and family bought early access keys and left positive reviews, but that buzz faded fast. Facing criticism that the game would never sell even at $1, Joseph realized he needed real reach. He pivoted from pure dev mode into marketing mode, identifying a list of YouTube gaming channels whose style fit Roll’s vibe.

Strategic YouTube Outreach

He emailed and messaged several creators, asking for honest feedback in exchange for free keys. One afternoon, Joseph spotted his own game in his subscriptions feed: Wonderbot had posted a gameplay video. Within 24 hours, daily sales jumped from 25 units to 225. Follow-up shoutouts by Alexa, Retromation, and later Aliens Rock drove additional spikes and turned Roll into a discovery sensation.

Iterating with Community Input

High visibility exposed bugs and missing features, so Joseph paused marketing to focus on stability. He rolled out over 84 updates, fixed crashes, tuned level difficulty, and added quality-of-life options. While sales dipped during this period, long-term player satisfaction climbed. When Aliens Rock dropped another video on his birthday, Roll rebounded with another major sales peak that sustained momentum.

Financial Breakdown

Roll generated $103,979 in gross revenue over its first seven months. After Steam’s 30% cut, taxes, and chargebacks, Joseph’s net profit was $59,223. He later shared that ongoing income, Patreon support, and occasional discounts keep monthly revenue steady. He hasn’t splurged on a Ferrari yet, but he’s reinvesting in content and community tools.

Key Lessons

This case highlights that a tight development cycle paired with targeted outreach to content creators can dramatically amplify reach. Quick fixes build trust, and genuine community engagement pays dividends. Adapting on the fly—instead of waiting for perfect polish—enabled Joseph to ride multiple waves of exposure and grow Roll into an ongoing asset.