Indie Developer Earns Nearly $250K by Offering Free Game

Is offering a video game for free a strategic business decision? According to tinyBuild CEO Alex Nichiporchik, it certainly can be, and recent statistics lend credibility to his viewpoint.

To celebrate the launch of Graveyard Keeper 2, tinyBuild made the original 2018 title available for free on Steam for an entire weekend. The response from players was unprecedented.

On April 12, Graveyard Keeper reached a record-breaking peak of 46, 305 concurrent players, a significant increase from its initial launch peak of 16, 993 in August 2018. This surge positioned the game at number 39 on Steam’s most-played chart, surpassing popular titles like Terraria, Cyberpunk 2077, and Path of Exile.

How Giving Away Graveyard Keeper Proved Beneficial

This increase in player traffic translated seamlessly into revenue generation. Nichiporchik expressed this sentiment on X, stating, “Many are asking if it’s worth it to give away a game like this for free. We’ve already made nearly $250k from selling DLC for the original, just on Steam. We are still awaiting the console figures. It makes a lot of sense when you have a robust array of DLC.”

Graveyard Keeper 2 just breached Steam’s top 100 most wishlisted games. Currently at 450k wishlists since its announcement last Thursday https://t.co/671iw9XHv6 pic.twitter.com/fHkpO66w26

— Alex Nichiporchik (@aNichiporchik) April 14, 2026

It’s important to note that this strategy succeeds largely because Graveyard Keeper boasts a wealth of downloadable content (DLC).Players who downloaded the free base game were prompted to spend on the available DLC, and a substantial percentage did make that purchase.

The sequel has also received an impressive number of wishlists. During the free weekend, Graveyard Keeper 2 amassed 400, 000 wishlists, a figure that Nichiporchik later confirmed had risen to 450, 000 by April 14. This rapid accumulation ranks it among the most-wished-for games on Steam shortly after its announcement.

For developers with an extensive back catalog rich in DLC, tinyBuild’s initiative serves as a compelling model: implementing a strategically timed free weekend can reactivate a previously inactive player base, self-finance through additional sales, and create excitement for future releases.

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