The Meter Is Running: My First Game Development Experience

Maybe one day, if there is enough interest or I simply find the time, I would like to write something more extensive about how Berker and I developed our first game together. Until then, I wanted to leave a short note here.

Before the idea of actually making a game had fully taken shape, Berker asked me what kind of technology we already had access to that could realistically be turned into something we were capable of finishing. Because of some personal projects and tinkering I had been doing at the time, I told him that I could probably build a game around maps and route-finding technology.

Keeping those technical limitations in mind, Berker came up with the core concept for Taksimetre on November 23, 2025. From there, the two of us started working on it together. I focused on figuring out how to turn the concept into an actual game, handling systems design and production, while Berker wrote the characters, their stories, and the events the player encounters throughout the game. In particular, he focused on how we could tell different character stories, and get the player to form some kind of connection with them, within what was ultimately a very limited set of systems.

The Steam page went live on April 20, 2026, and we first announced the game on social media on April 24. Taksimetre was released on May 22, 2026.

Including the five tracks we licensed for the main theme and background music, the game’s total production budget was around $200. We released it without a publisher. Since we had no advertising budget, we did not run any paid ads or promotions either. Pretty much all of the game’s marketing consisted of individually reaching out to publications, content creators, and other people by email.

You can find more information about the game, as well as its Steam page, here.