Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Build and Release a Complete Paid Game
6–12 months (building a commercial-quality game)
Build and release a complete game at a paid price point on a commercial platform (itch.io or a mobile store). The game must be fully polished with all core features, sound, and visual art. Actively promote the launch on at least three channels before and around launch day.
Proof required
Submit: a public link to the store page with the price visible; a 200-word launch plan documenting the three or more promotion channels and specific actions taken; and a sales dashboard screenshot showing at least one sale from a stranger.
What gets checked
- Game is listed at a paid price — not free or pay-what-you-want at zero
- Launch plan documents at least three channels with specific actions taken
- At least one sale is from a stranger — not the candidate's personal network
Common mistakes
- Building and releasing without any marketing — a released game with no promotion gets zero discoverability
- Setting a price without a review or community base and expecting volume sales
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Is the game listed at a paid price on the store page?
- Does the launch plan name three specific channels with specific actions?
- Does the sales dashboard show at least one sale from a stranger?
Reach 50 Paid Sales and Collect Reviews
2–6 months (after launch)
Reach 50 paid sales from buyers outside the candidate's personal network. Collect at least ten written reviews or ratings from buyers. Document the marketing activities that drove sales — which channels worked and at what cost.
Proof required
Submit: a sales dashboard screenshot showing at least 50 sales; at least ten written reviews from buyers; and a 200-word marketing analysis documenting which activities drove which sales and the cost-per-sale for the most effective channel.
What gets checked
- 50 sales are on the platform dashboard — not manually inferred
- At least ten reviews are from paid buyers — not free-copy recipients or personal network
- Marketing analysis calculates cost-per-sale for at least one channel with specific numbers
Common mistakes
- Giving away free copies to inflate the review count — reviews must be from paid buyers
- Marketing analysis that describes activities without calculating results
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Is the 50 sales count on the platform dashboard?
- Are the ten reviews from paid buyers — not free-copy recipients or personal network?
- Does the marketing analysis include a cost-per-sale calculation with specific numbers?
Write and Publish a Public Post-Mortem
1–2 weeks
Write and publish a public post-mortem of the entire development and commercial release cycle: what the game is, total sales and revenue, the marketing process, what worked and what failed, and at least three specific lessons another developer could apply.
Proof required
Submit: a link to the publicly published post-mortem (minimum 800 words) including total sales, total revenue, marketing channel results, development time and cost, and at least three specific actionable lessons.
What gets checked
- Post-mortem is at least 800 words and publicly accessible — no paywall
- Includes total sales, total revenue, marketing channel results, development time, and cost
- At least three lessons are specific and actionable — not 'spend more time on marketing' but what specific actions at what scale
Common mistakes
- Writing a post-mortem that only celebrates what worked without documenting failures honestly
- Redacting revenue numbers while claiming the post-mortem is a public learning resource
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Is the post-mortem publicly accessible — no login or paywall?
- Does it include total sales, revenue, marketing channel results, and development time/cost?
- Are the three lessons specific enough that another developer could apply them?