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Brendon Chung vs Derek Yu

Products, revenue & stack compared side by side.

Brendon Chung avatar

Brendon Chung

One-man studio Blendo Games: Thirty Flights of Loving, Quadrilateral Cowboy, Skin Deep

Derek Yu avatar

Derek Yu

Indie game designer behind Spelunky, Spelunky 2 and UFO 50, founder of Mossmouth

Brendon Chung vs Derek Yu at a glance

Both Brendon Chung and Derek Yu are bootstrapped. They overlap in Indie Game Makers. Both are based in Los Angeles, United States. Brendon started in 2008 and Derek in 2002. Brendon Chung has 5 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Derek Yu's 6. On X, Brendon has about 43K followers and Derek about 59K.

Side-by-side comparison

Based in
Brendon Chung: Los Angeles, United States
Derek Yu: Los Angeles, United States
Started
Brendon Chung: 2008 (18 yrs indie)
Derek Yu: 2002 (24 yrs indie)
Revenue (self-reported)
Brendon Chung: Not public
Derek Yu: Not public
Products listed
Brendon Chung: 5
Derek Yu: 6
Product status
Brendon Chung: 5 active
Derek Yu: 6 active
X followers
Brendon Chung: 43K
Derek Yu: 59K
Categories
Brendon Chung: Indie Game Makers
Derek Yu: Indie Game Makers
Style
Brendon Chung: solobootstrappedserial maker
Derek Yu: bootstrapped
Courses & resources
Brendon Chung: —
Derek Yu: 3

Revenue figures are self-reported by each maker and not audited; dates and scope differ. Highlighted categories are shared by both.

Top products

Brendon Chung avatarBrendon Chung

Skin Deep logo

Skin Deep

store.steampowered.com

Immersive-sim comedy about an insurance agent defending a starship from pirates.

Quadrilateral Cowboy logo

Quadrilateral Cowboy

store.steampowered.com

Cyberpunk heist game where players hack using a typed command language.

Atom Zombie Smasher logo

Atom Zombie Smasher

store.steampowered.com

Real-time strategy game about evacuating a city from zombies.

See all 5 products by Brendon Chung →

Derek Yu avatarDerek Yu

S

Spelunky

spelunkyworld.com

Roguelike cave-exploring platformer with procedurally generated levels; free original in 2008, HD remake in 2012.

Spelunky 2 logo

Spelunky 2

mossmouth.com

Sequel to Spelunky set on the Moon, with deeper systems and online multiplayer.

UFO 50 logo

UFO 50

50games.fun

Collection of 50 original single and multiplayer games styled as the library of a fictional 8-bit console maker.

Aquaria logo

Aquaria

bit-blot.com

Underwater exploration action-adventure co-created with Alec Holowka as Bit Blot.

See all 6 products by Derek Yu →

Tech stack

No tools in common in their publicly listed stacks. See the indie maker tech stack.

Brendon Chung avatarBrendon Chung

id Tech 4

Derek Yu avatarDerek Yu

GameMaker

How they build

Brendon Chung avatarBrendon Chung

  • Tell stories with jump cuts and short, dense scenes.
  • Keep the studio to one person and collaborate per project.
  • Ship many small, different games.

Derek Yu avatarDerek Yu

  • Finishing a game matters more than starting one; protect momentum and cut scope to ship.
  • Procedural generation and tight rules can create endless emergent stories.
  • Make small prototypes and freeware first, then polish the ideas that stick.
  • Building community around indie games helps everyone in the scene.

Learn from Brendon and Derek

Brendon Chung avatarBrendon Chung

No courses, books or communities listed.

Brendon Chung vs Derek Yu FAQ

Who makes more money, Brendon Chung or Derek Yu?

Neither Brendon Chung nor Derek Yu has publicly reported a revenue figure that IndieMakerList tracks, so it's not public.

Who has built more products, Brendon Chung or Derek Yu?

Brendon Chung has 5 products listed (including Skin Deep, Quadrilateral Cowboy and Thirty Flights of Loving); Derek Yu has 6 products listed (including Spelunky, Spelunky 2 and UFO 50).

What tech stack do Brendon Chung and Derek Yu use?

Brendon Chung uses id Tech 4. Derek Yu uses GameMaker. They don't list any tools in common.

Where are Brendon Chung and Derek Yu based?

Brendon Chung: Los Angeles, United States. Derek Yu: Los Angeles, United States.

Who has been an indie maker longer, Brendon Chung or Derek Yu?

Brendon Chung started in 2008 (18 years indie); Derek Yu started in 2002 (24 years indie).

Are Brendon Chung and Derek Yu bootstrapped?

Yes, both are listed as bootstrapped founders on IndieMakerList.

Full profiles

Read the full story, timeline and links on Brendon Chung's profile and Derek Yu's profile.

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