DiscoverGame Dev Advice: The Game Developer's PodcastStarting an Indie Studio, Getting a Publisher, and Shipping the RPG Indie Hit Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson with Jeff Linville, Ritual Studios
Starting an Indie Studio, Getting a Publisher, and Shipping the RPG Indie Hit Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson with Jeff Linville, Ritual Studios

Starting an Indie Studio, Getting a Publisher, and Shipping the RPG Indie Hit Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson with Jeff Linville, Ritual Studios

Update: 2025-11-03
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Description

In this episode, Jeff Linville — co-founder of Ritual Studios — returns to Game Dev Advice to talk about the journey behind his band-inspired RPG Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson. From starting a studio with college friends to launching worldwide with French publisher Playdigious, Jeff shares the hard-won lessons of taking the leap into full-time indie development.




We go into what it really takes to form a studio, ship a first game, and survive the chaos between passion and business reality.




Topics We Cover


• Founding Ritual Studios after meeting at Columbia College Chicago


• How Fretless mixes music, RPG, and deck-building mechanics


• The moment they quit their jobs to “really do it” and chase a publishing deal


• Lessons learned about funding, taxes, lawyers, and running a real company


• Building a standout pitch deck and landing a deal with Playdigious in France


• Managing bugs, Steam feedback, and localization into seven languages


• Outsourcing art and engineering — and why it’s harder than it sounds


• Choosing FMOD over Wwise for advanced Unity audio integration


• Why getting your game playable early is key


• How Cardio Ex shaped Jeff’s music-driven sound design


• Thoughts on AI tools in audio, from noise cleanup to creative limits


• Favorite soundtracks: Hyper Light Drifter and Guild Wars 1


• Current go-to games: Pillars of Eternity and Lord of the Rings Online


• Reflections on Mortal Kombat, Midway Games, and player nostalgia


• Advice for anyone going indie: “Be ready for it — it’s a business.”




🎥 Making-Of Documentary


Making a Musical Indie Game from Scratch (30 min): https://youtu.be/3USobO6qRHE?si=aEhUEI0dwQbMqki2




🎮 Play / Follow


• Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson (Steam): https://store.steampowered.com/app/2429050/Fretless__The_Wrath_of_Riffson/


• Ritual Studios (Bluesky): https://bsky.app/profile/ritualstudios.bsky.social


• Ritual Studios (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/ritualgamestudios/?hl=en


• Fretless Original Soundtrack (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/album/1VXVxtFzJOUYJypudcF9DN?


• Jeff Linville @Dovetail (Linktr.ee): https://linktr.ee/dovetailmusic


• Rob Scallon (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/RobScallon


• Playdigious (Bluesky): https://bsky.app/profile/playdigious.bsky.social




Bio


Jeff Linville is Co-Founder of Ritual Studios, a Chicago-based indie studio that published their acclaimed debut, Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson, in July 2025. With 8+ years in game audio and production, Jeff has worked on Fretless, Cardio Ex, and more.




🕹️ Game Dev Advice


Whether you’re a student, aspiring dev, or industry veteran, you’ll find practical takeaways and stories from inside game development.




Start Here


• Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvkY8LxjGyOPqlQKuRlObhg


• Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5NChfUVhFxV9NCoUVp4uD0


• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/game-dev-advice-the-game-developers-podcast/id1450096263


• Patreon (Gain Wisdom coaching): https://www.patreon.com/gamedevadvice


• Hotline: (224) 484-7733


• Email: info@gamedevadvice.com


• Website: https://www.gamedevadvice.com

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Starting an Indie Studio, Getting a Publisher, and Shipping the RPG Indie Hit Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson with Jeff Linville, Ritual Studios

Starting an Indie Studio, Getting a Publisher, and Shipping the RPG Indie Hit Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson with Jeff Linville, Ritual Studios

The HP Video Game Podcast Network - John JP Podlasek