Rise of Industry Developer Details Financial Ruin Despite Game’s Success

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Alex Mochi, the developer behind the hit simulation game Rise of Industry, has released a YouTube video detailing a troubling journey that saw him go from a commercial success story to being “broke” just three years later. “Our game made 4 million euros, it topped the Steam charts, universities taught economics with it, and three years later, I was broke, hospitalized, and selling my life’s work for 5,000 dollars” Mochi shared, painting a grim picture of the realities behind indie game development.

While Mochi acknowledged that platform cuts, refunds, and regional pricing all played a part in eroding the game’s gross revenue, he places the primary blame on a publishing deal with Kasedo Games, a label of Kalypso Media. He claimed the deal “looked fair on paper”, with a 75,000 $ advance and a 50/50 revenue split, but alleged that support for the game weakened and revenue was funneled towards other projects. Mochi also stated that a subsequent offer for his involvement in a sequel, Rise of Industry 2, was “absurd”, claiming it included no revenue share, minimal creative control, and “laughable pay”.

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Kasedo Games disputed many of these claims. The publisher explained that the agreement was a licensing deal, in which Mochi committed to securing all development funding and requested only a small advance. Kasedo stated that Mochi’s 4 million figure € is misleading, as it does not account for taxes, platform cuts, and refunds. Regarding the sequel, the publisher confirmed that Mochi reached out to be involved, and an offer was discussed in detail based on his own requested hourly rate for a consulting role, not as a primary creative force.

Despite the highly publicized fallout, Mochi concluded his video with a note of self-reflection. He emphasized that he was not trying to stir up drama and that he acknowledged his own role in the situation. “Kalypso/Kasedo played a part in how things turned out, yes, but so did my own misjudgments, poor planning, and unrealistic expectations. All those factors are exactly the point of this post”, he said.