Friday Follow-UP #25 2025 | 1 Year Anniversary + Turning on Paid Subscriptions
Newsletter #25 of 2025 | This week's Follow-UP is special it's officially one year of the newsletter! I will share some insights into the last year on Substack and why I am introducing paid subs.
Yes, it’s been one full year since I started the Friday Follow-UP, and over the year, hundreds of gamers have subscribed to learn about the latest releases, soundtracks, reviews, and more. I wanted to share my findings—what worked, what didn’t—and my plans for the future of Good Game Lobby, paid subscriptions, and how we can grow together.
The First Year | The Good The Game and The Lobby
One year ago, I had no clue if anyone would read this. Today, over a 300+ of you do and I cant thank you enough for your support. I want to walk you through how this year has gone starting from the beginning, touching on the highs and lows, and where I see the newsletter going next.
This is the one-year anniversary of the Friday Follow-UP. If you’re new here, it’s my weekly newsletter where I share different indie games to wishlist, a game releasing on Kickstarter, gaming soundtracks, merch from fantastic publishers, and the most recent reviews posted to the Substack.
One of the things I can honestly say works is being consistent. Some weeks I had everything scheduled a week in advance, and other times I was up the morning of, starting from scratch—especially when a big indie game showcase dropped amazing titles that I needed the community to know about ASAP. And with each week, or even each month, I’ve seen the organic growth slowly but surely build. 💙
Good Game Lobby | Version 1.0
I originally planned for Good Game Lobby to be a monthly newsletter. On off-weeks, I would post Quest Vibes—a music-related playlist—and share reviews here and there throughout the month.
After the first month, I realized I had too much to share to fit it all into a monthly post. So I scrapped that setup and switched to the weekly newsletter you see today.
When I started receiving keys for games to review, I wildly underestimated the time it would take to play, record gameplay, write, record audio, edit audio and video, and create assets for thumbnails and SEO-ready descriptions. That’s when we suffered our first casualty: the Quest Vibes playlist. It was too much to keep up with—so I scrapped it. (Fun Fact: It’s back now)
Early on, I started a Discord server (you can join here) and added my closest friends. But even with close friends, it’s hard to build a new space and expect them to focus their attention. How could I then invite others when I couldn’t even get them to chat?
Still, I kept at it, reminding people the server existed. As my following grew on Threads, I figured: why not start a Game of the Month Club? We could pick a game, play it together, and discuss it in the server. That became casualty number two. One of my earliest supporters even created a logo for it!
I had a few people who joined in—playing, chatting, even streaming the games. But I was absent. Keys were pouring in for timed reviews, the newsletter was weekly, and I was too busy to even play the game I helped pick. It wasn’t a good look—and most of those people slowly left. 🙃
Good Game Lobby | Version 1.534128394
Each week helped me better understand what worked, what didn’t, how to manage my time, and how to balance video reviews, Substack posts, short-form content, and the newsletter. I found a steady rhythm.
Then came the third casualty: burnout.
I talked about this in my review of Wanderstop, and how the game’s themes brought that burnout into focus. I was doing two reviews a week—video and written—plus TikToks and the newsletter. It became too much.
Eventually, I realized that even when I wasn’t posting, people were still watching and sharing reviews, reading end-of-year lists, and more. Why force-feed content when the results were steady anyway?
I’ve worked for multiple startups during my time living in Sweden, and I know data and metrics often drive decisions. So that’s how I’ve been operating.
Organic growth is a tough road, but it’s achievable with consistency. This past year, I hit:
Over 1,020 subscribers on YouTube
Close to 1,000 on TikTok
Over 300 on Substack
These were the exact goals I set a year ago. Seeing it happen gave me the proof I needed: I can build a community, grow a brand, and be in the world of gaming using my voice and skills.
But still, I wasn’t seeing the real value—or truly appreciating the support—until I became vocal about burnout. Friends and family tuned in to my first real stream. The Discord started to grow again. That’s what made it all worth it. 😊
Good Game Lobby | Version 2.0
Paid Subscriptions | Benefits and Content
With all that said, I think it’s the right time to introduce paid subscriptions. I have consistently posted weekly covering showcases, events, sharing games, reviews, and previews for the last year.
I want to share more with the community—but at a healthier pace. The content will go deeper, with interviews, fresh perspectives on the indie gaming space, and more journalistic takes on what I love to talk about most: indie gaming.
Subscriptions | Pricing
$5/month – the lowest price Substack allows
$50/year – saves you $10 annually ($40/year right now using this link for the 1 year anniversary: https://goodgamelobby.substack.com/yearonespecial)
$125/year (Founders Support) – for those who want to go above and beyond to support the work and community
Substack takes about 10%, and Stripe’s transaction fee is roughly 3%, so just know that I don’t get the full amount directly.
For a month I am going to offer 20% off the year subscription so its $40. Use this link!
I’d love your feedback on this. I want the pricing to feel right for both of us.
What You’ll Get
Reviews (with a greater focus on demo coverage)
The weekly Friday Follow-UP (always free!)
Play Dates (new series)
Quest Vibes (new series)
Interviews
New Series | Play Dates
I recently posted the first issue of Play Dates, a series focused entirely on Playdate hardware and game releases. I was honestly shocked by the response. People immediately shared the post, showed excitement, and asked for more. That early support meant the world to me. Here is issue 1:
New Series | Quest Vibes
Launching next month: Quest Vibes Issue 1. This will be a deep dive into music and gaming, featuring an artist each month—how they’re connected to gaming, their work, and why it matters. Here is the curated playlist for context:
Why Ask for Money?
Right now, I’m without a job and actively looking. I don’t plan to put anything behind a paywall—at least not yet. I want everything to stay free.
But if I can become self-sustaining through Good Game Lobby, I can create more, support others, and invest fully in this work and community.
Guest Writers & Supporting Creators
Recently, I shared some other great gaming newsletters on Substack. That wasn’t random. I want to bring on guest writers—and your support can help fund that. I also plan to subscribe to more creators myself when I can.
Growing the Community
Organic growth is slow, but rewarding. You see your progress, step by step. But if I can eventually afford paid growth, we can expand the reach of this community and continue offering more of the content you love.
Can’t Afford It?
Totally okay.
You can still support by:
Liking posts
Leaving comments
Sharing with your own community
These are huge ways to help—and they mean just as much.
So, What Do You Think?
First, let me say thank you for everything.
Okay, that was a lot. I didn’t talk about any games this week or share upcoming releases, but I finally got to open up about where we’ve been and where we’re headed.
Don’t worry next week, we’re back with a new review and your usual Friday Follow-UP.
Your feedback means the world to me, so please, please, please let me know what you think about all of this. What do you want to see more of? What topics should I dive deeper into? How can I add value to the channel you are willing to support?
Also, check out the shoutouts below for a great group of people on Substack you should also subscribe to!
Shoutouts | Follow-UP
If you didn’t see yesterday’s post about gamers on Substack you should follow here it is again. Make sure to subscribe to them and check out their work. Lots of great people doing the best in gaming.
Excellent stuff here, congrats on the milestones and here's to the next ones!
I've only recently found you, and become more active on Substack, but I've been thoroughly impressed by the quality of output and enthusiasm - long may it continue!
Happy 1st year! And for many more 🥂 I love indie games but I no longer have the time I used to have to sail the internet for hours, and know everything about all the new games, so I appreciate and enjoy what you're doing. You even help me discover some pesky puzzle games that escape my radar. GG's to you! 👏