What is a devlog, and is it worth making one?
3 min read
By Eduardo Orellana ·
A devlog (development log) is a running record of a game being made, shared publicly: usually a video of a few minutes showing what changed, why, and what went wrong, sometimes a written post with GIFs. Developers make them to build an audience before launch, to keep themselves accountable, and to collect feedback. They work best when each one tells a story about one problem, shows the game playing, and points viewers to a wishlist.
One developer, one game, a video a week
Karl Wimble, as ThinMatrix, built the nature sim Equilinox alone and filmed it as he went: a devlog on YouTube most weeks, each showing a new plant, an animal or a system, and the thinking behind it. When the game came out on Steam in November 2018, a channel of people had watched it grow for years. That is the devlog at its best: not an advert, but a story an audience follows to the end.
What to put in one
- One problem and how you solved it. "Why my enemies kept getting stuck" beats "Week 12 update".
- The game playing, before and after.
- A decision and its reasons: what you cut, what you changed your mind about.
- What broke: failures are the most-watched part of most devlogs.
- A next step, and a wishlist link for the Steam page.
Written or video?
Video reaches more people and shows the game moving; it takes longer to make. Written devlogs, with GIFs, are faster, searchable, and suit itch.io, Steam announcements and a game's website. Many developers do both: a video for the big moments, a short written post for the weekly changes.
Narration
Most video devlogs are narrated by the developer: your voice, explaining your choices, is the reason people follow a person rather than a product. Write a short script, record in a quiet room with any decent microphone, and keep the gameplay on screen while you talk. A generated voice works, but say so and disclose it on Steam if the video is on your store page.
Starting a channel from zero
Start before you think the game is ready. The first ten videos are practice and will be seen by few people; that is fine. Pick a cadence you can keep, title each video by its problem, and make the thumbnail show the game. Our guides cover how to make one, how long it should be and where to post it.
Do devlogs sell games?
Sometimes, and rarely on their own. A devlog audience is often other developers, who are generous viewers and modest buyers. Devlogs sell games when they show a game players already want, link to a Steam page, and are part of a plan that also includes the store page, a demo and festivals. Treat a devlog as a way to build the audience and the habit; measure it by the wishlists that follow each one.
Where Flockbay fits
Flockbay's Video studio makes devlogs from the game itself: the AI, or your own Claude or ChatGPT, plays and films your Godot game, writes a narrated script from the chat that built it, and renders a two-to-six-minute 1080p video with chapters, plus vertical shorts. You upload it yourself. Video studio is free in beta until 1 December 2026; after that every account keeps one free video.
Questions
- What does devlog stand for?
- Development log: a public record of a game being made.
- Are devlogs worth it for indie developers?
- As part of a plan with a Steam page and a demo, often yes. On their own they mostly reach other developers.