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/zeekerss
Jonathan Blow vs Zeekerss
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
Jonathan Blow vs Zeekerss at a glance
Both Jonathan Blow and Zeekerss are bootstrapped. They overlap in Indie Game Makers. Jonathan is based in Boulder, United States, Zeekerss in United States. Jonathan started in 2004 and Zeekerss in 2012. Jonathan Blow has 5 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Zeekerss' 4. On X, Jonathan has about 161K followers and Zeekerss about 129K.
Side-by-side comparison
- Based in
- Jonathan Blow: Boulder, United States
- Zeekerss: United States
- Started
- Jonathan Blow: 2004 (22 yrs indie)
- Zeekerss: 2012 (14 yrs indie)
- Revenue (self-reported)
- Jonathan Blow: Not public
- Zeekerss: Not public
- Products listed
- Jonathan Blow: 5
- Zeekerss: 4
- Product status
- Jonathan Blow: 5 active
- Zeekerss: 4 active
- X followers
- Jonathan Blow: 161K
- Zeekerss: 129K
- Style
- Jonathan Blow: bootstrapped
- Zeekerss: solobootstrapped
- Courses & resources
- Jonathan Blow: 2
- Zeekerss: —
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 more than 1,400 interconnected block-pushing puzzles, built in Jai by Thekla; released October 8, 2026.
Jai
youtube.com
Systems programming language for game development, designed by Blow since 2014 and in closed beta.
Lethal Company
store.steampowered.com
Co-op horror game where a crew scavenges scrap from abandoned industrial moons to meet a company quota.
~10M copies
Welcome To The Dark Place
store.steampowered.com
Standalone horror game released in October 2025 after development began in 2019.
The Upturned
store.steampowered.com
Comedy horror game released on Steam.
It Steals
store.steampowered.com
Single-player horror game and his first commercial Steam release.
Tech stack
No tools in common in their publicly listed stacks. See the indie maker tech stack.
JaiC++custom engine
Unity
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.
- Make one tightly focused, replayable loop and let players create the stories.
- Do design, code, art and publishing solo.
- Ship large updates when they are ready rather than on a fixed schedule.
Learn from Jonathan and Zeekerss
- [youtube] Jonathan Blow on YouTube
- [youtube] j_blow on Twitch
No courses, books or communities listed.
Jonathan Blow vs Zeekerss FAQ
Who makes more money, Jonathan Blow or Zeekerss?
Neither Jonathan Blow nor Zeekerss has publicly reported a revenue figure that IndieMakerList tracks, so it's not public.
Who has built more products, Jonathan Blow or Zeekerss?
Jonathan Blow has 5 products listed (including Braid, The Witness and Order of the Sinking Star); Zeekerss has 4 products listed (including Lethal Company, Welcome To The Dark Place and The Upturned).
What tech stack do Jonathan Blow and Zeekerss use?
Jonathan Blow uses Jai, C++ and custom engine. Zeekerss uses Unity. They don't list any tools in common.
Where are Jonathan Blow and Zeekerss based?
Jonathan Blow: Boulder, United States. Zeekerss: United States.
Who has been an indie maker longer, Jonathan Blow or Zeekerss?
Jonathan Blow started in 2004 (22 years indie); Zeekerss started in 2012 (14 years indie).
Are Jonathan Blow and Zeekerss 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 Zeekerss's profile.
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Jonathan Blow vs Dan Salvato
Jonathan Blow vs Edmund McMillen
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Jonathan Blow vs Eric Barone
Jonathan Blow vs Riley Testut
Jonathan Blow vs Lucas Pope