B
Braid
braid-game.com
Time-manipulation puzzle platformer; an Anniversary Edition with commentary was released in 2024.
$4M+ lifetime by 2014
diff ~/p/jonathan-blow ~/p/riley-testut
Jonathan Blow vs Riley Testut
Products, revenue & stack compared side by side.
Designer of Braid and The Witness, creator of the Jai language, head of Thekla
@Jonathan_Blow United States
Indie iOS developer behind the Delta emulator and the AltStore alternative app store
@rileytestut United States
Jonathan Blow vs Riley Testut at a glance
Both Jonathan Blow and Riley Testut are bootstrapped. They overlap in Indie Game Makers. Jonathan is based in Boulder, United States, Riley in Dallas, United States. Jonathan Blow has 5 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Riley Testut's 4. On X, Jonathan has about 161K followers and Riley about 43K.
Side-by-side comparison
- Based in
- Jonathan Blow: Boulder, United States
- Riley Testut: Dallas, United States
- Started
- Jonathan Blow: 2004 (22 yrs indie)
- Riley Testut: —
- Revenue (self-reported)
- Jonathan Blow: Not public
- Riley Testut: Not public
- Products listed
- Jonathan Blow: 5
- Riley Testut: 4
- Product status
- Jonathan Blow: 5 active
- Riley Testut: 3 active · 1 shut down
- X followers
- Jonathan Blow: 161K
- Riley Testut: 43K
- Categories
- Jonathan Blow: Indie Game Makers
- Riley Testut: Mobile App MakersIndie Game MakersOpen Source Makers
- Style
- Jonathan Blow: bootstrapped
- Riley Testut: bootstrapped
- Courses & resources
- Jonathan Blow: 2
- Riley Testut: —
Revenue figures are self-reported by each maker and not audited; dates and scope differ. Highlighted categories are shared by both.
Top products
T
The Witness
the-witness.net
Open-world first-person puzzle game on an island of line-drawing panels.
$5M+ gross in first week
Order of the Sinking Star
orderofthesinkingstar.com
Narrative puzzle adventure with over 1,000 interconnected block-pushing puzzles, built in Jai by Thekla.
Jai
youtube.com
Systems programming language for game development, designed by Blow since 2014 and in closed beta.
Delta
faq.deltaemulator.com
Retro game emulator for iPhone and iPad supporting Nintendo consoles from NES to DS.
AltStore
altstore.io
Alternative iOS app store, including AltStore PAL for the EU, with Patreon-based app funding.
Clip
altstore.io
Clipboard manager for iOS distributed through AltStore to Patreon supporters.
Early Game Boy Advance emulator for iOS he built as a student.
Tech stack
No tools in common in their publicly listed stacks. See the indie maker tech stack.
JaiC++custom engine
Swift
How they build
- Games can explore deep ideas, and design should respect the player's intelligence.
- Self-fund your work so you keep full creative control.
- Software has become needlessly complex; programmers should understand and simplify their tools.
- Spend as long as it takes to make the game right rather than shipping something compromised.
- Let supporters fund indie software directly through Patreon.
- Push for more open distribution on iOS.
Learn from Jonathan and Riley
- [youtube] Jonathan Blow on YouTube
- [youtube] j_blow on Twitch
No courses, books or communities listed.
Jonathan Blow vs Riley Testut FAQ
Who makes more money, Jonathan Blow or Riley Testut?
Neither Jonathan Blow nor Riley Testut has publicly reported a revenue figure that IndieMakerList tracks, so it's not public.
Who has built more products, Jonathan Blow or Riley Testut?
Jonathan Blow has 5 products listed (including Braid, The Witness and Order of the Sinking Star); Riley Testut has 4 products listed (including Delta, AltStore and Clip).
What tech stack do Jonathan Blow and Riley Testut use?
Jonathan Blow uses Jai, C++ and custom engine. Riley Testut uses Swift. They don't list any tools in common.
Where are Jonathan Blow and Riley Testut based?
Jonathan Blow: Boulder, United States. Riley Testut: Dallas, United States.
Who has been an indie maker longer, Jonathan Blow or Riley Testut?
Jonathan Blow started in 2004 (22 years indie); Riley Testut's start year isn't listed.
Are Jonathan Blow and Riley Testut bootstrapped?
Yes, both are listed as bootstrapped founders on IndieMakerList.
Full profiles
Read the full story, timeline and links on Jonathan Blow's profile and Riley Testut's profile.
Jonathan Blow vs Derek Yu
Jonathan Blow vs Eric Barone