How to run an indie game studio: Part 2, Defining your future

Indie game studio goals help a team make deliberate choices about what to build, how to grow, and where to focus limited resources. A shared long-term ambition can guide major decisions, while a small set of yearly priorities turns that ambition into practical progress.

In this installment of the FIRM framework, business and leadership coach Martijn van Zwieten explores the first pillar: defining the studio’s future. A clear direction gives the team a common reference point for evaluating opportunities and trade-offs.

Image credit: Martijn van Zwieten

Indie game studio goals: Define a long-term BHAG

Jim Collins introduced the term Big Hairy Audacious Goal, or BHAG, in his 1994 book Built to Last. A BHAG is an ambitious, clearly stated goal that gives an organization a compelling picture of what it wants to achieve over the long term.

For an indie studio, this goal should support its purpose and help the team assess important choices. When deciding what game to make next, whether to self-publish, or how large the team should become, ask whether the option moves the studio toward its intended future. This simple test can make discussions more focused, especially when resources or opinions are limited.

A team exercise for finding your BHAG

Collins suggested looking ahead to a specific date and imagining that a future article is being written about the organization. Although his suggested horizon is 10–25 years, that can be a very long time in the games industry. Van Zwieten notes that a period of 5–10 years may be more practical for many studios.

1. Choose a future date that feels meaningful and realistic for planning.
2. Ask each team member to write a short article set on that date. Describe what the studio has accomplished, why it matters, and what milestone prompted the article.
3. Share the articles and discuss the achievements or themes that appear across them.
4. Agree on one overarching goal that is ambitious, specific, and meaningful to the whole team.

A useful BHAG should be clear, compelling, and measurable. It might relate to sales or downloads, recognition through an award, or the studio’s broader impact. The goal should stretch the team without feeling impossible; the source framework suggests that it should feel roughly 50% to 70% achievable. Use that range as a discussion aid, not as a guarantee of success.

A shared long-term goal can act like a mountain summit: it gives the team a visible destination that takes sustained effort to reach. Image credit: Thatgamecompany

Turn the long-term vision into yearly priorities

A long-range ambition can feel distant unless it is connected to near-term action. Yearly goals provide that connection: they identify the important steps the studio intends to complete in the coming year and help the team track whether it is making progress.

For many studios, five to seven goals can offer a useful balance. A shorter list may not capture enough of the year’s essential work, while a longer one can divide attention and make completion harder. The right number depends on the studio’s capacity, so treat this range as a starting point rather than a rule.

Review proposed goals together and distinguish essential commitments from appealing extras. For each priority, ask whether completing it would meaningfully advance the long-term ambition. If not, consider removing it or revisiting it later. Clear priorities also make it easier to check progress and adjust when circumstances change.

Make studio leadership intentional

A studio’s purpose explains why it exists. Its BHAG describes where it wants to go, and its yearly goals define what it will work to finish now. Together, these elements give decision-making a consistent direction and help teams respond to change without losing sight of their broader aims.

Team exercise: Set your next goals

• Define the BHAG: Choose a future date, write individual visions of what the studio could achieve, and use the shared themes to shape one long-term goal.
• Choose yearly goals: Set five to seven priorities for the coming year, then test each one against the BHAG. Keep goals that bring the studio meaningfully closer to its intended future.

Review the goals regularly so they remain useful as projects develop. If a priority no longer supports the studio’s direction or available capacity, discuss whether it should be changed rather than allowing an outdated plan to guide the team.

Martijn van Zwieten is a business and leadership coach and the creator of the FIRM and LoGOS studio management methods. He has coached more than 150 CEOs, founders, and leaders in building and managing studios.