Mizkif says he lost $290k making “failed” video game

Twitch streamer Mizkif revealed that he has suffered a loss of almost $300,000 as a result of low sales for his game, Unrooted. However, he still believes that the experience was worthwhile and shared his reasons why.

The OTK co-founder shared in a YouTube video entitled “I Failed Again”that his game has only sold 3,000 copies after being on Steam for two weeks. Despite receiving positive reviews, the game has not gained the same level of popularity as its direct inspiration, Jump King, did in 2020.

In his video detailing the situation, Mizkif provided a breakdown of the expenses involved in creating the game, which amounted to a total of $302,880. This figure included compensation for employees who had worked on the game over a period of five years, as well as a giveaway for a Nintendo Switch.

After Steam’s 33% cut, the game generated a total profit of $24,099.9, with half of the revenue being shared among the employees who hold a 50% stake. This resulted in Mizkif receiving a profit of $12,049.95, bringing his total losses from the venture to $290,930.05.

Despite the significant loss, he maintains that creating the platformer was still worthwhile, although he is disappointed by the low sales.

“Although I was initially upset, I have come to terms with the poor performance of this game. Upon reflection, I have recognized the flaws that contributed to its lack of success. I do acknowledge that a ten percent yield is a disappointing return on investment,”he explained.

Mizkif pointed out that both his vision and the game itself had significant flaws. He described Unrooted as a challenging platformer and believed that its difficulty may have deterred the average gaming audience.

In the video, he acknowledged that he had initially been against the idea of implementing checkpoints in the game, but ultimately decided to do so in hopes of attracting more players to try it out.

Mizkif noted that 3D platformers, such as Chained Together, are currently very popular. As a result, he was not up-to-date on the preferences of both streamers and general audiences when it comes to platforming games.

The creator of OTK expressed that it is still exciting to see his game released and potentially profitable in the future.

Mizkif expressed that he will reflect on this moment in a few years and will feel great joy.

Mizkif is among many content creators who have ventured into game development, using their financial resources to do so. In 2022, YouTuber ‘videogamedunkey’ launched a game publishing company and debuted Animal Well in early 2023, while OTK is currently in the process of developing an RPG game.