In this episode of the Beta Build Podcast, Kieran Day sits down with indie game developer Hassan Shahid to talk honestly about the realities of game development, creativity, and building a future beyond just shipping games.

Hassan shares his journey developing his upcoming first-person horror game Absolution One, from lighting and atmosphere to flashlight mechanics, perfectionism, and why tension matters more than jump scares. They dive into alpha testing, Steam launches, wishlist strategies, and the small design details that make horror truly unsettling.

The conversation then expands into a bigger topic many developers avoid: how to fund creative work sustainably. Kieran breaks down practical ways game developers (and creators in general) can build small businesses alongside their games using automation, AI tools, blogging, and systems that work quietly in the background. No hype. No shortcuts. Just real experience, tested thinking, and a reminder that breaking big problems into small pieces is how anything worthwhile gets built.

🎮 Check out Hassan’s work: Cryo Realm Gaming on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@cryorealmgaming?si=ZoB8if517asyjOuP

🧠 Explore the KDS Ecosystem: kierendaystudios.co.uk

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Build patiently. Learn daily. Make the move.