I would like to compile a statistical look at IF production numbers. For various reasons I’d like to keep it simple, and not really a discussion, so please only respond with data you are personally familiar with or is publically available from the aurhor.
Data points desired:
Name of the completed work
Wordcount (total, including code of work [not engine] if possible)
Time in production (from beginning writing to final major update, in real time not hours worked)
Type of work (eg. Parser, Choice-based, print, &c.)
Any exceptionally unique features or circumstances (eg. taking 2 years off to focus on starting a family, building a new IF interpreter alongside it &c.)
Name:Anne of Green Cables Word count: 44,123 Time in production: November 2023 to August 2025 (21 months?) Type of work: Choice with a minigame Unique circumstances: Writing really began in earnest at the start of 2025, but the previous year was prototyping, researching and designing.
And also: Name:Cart Word count: 7,976 Time in production: Maybe a month all up Type of work: Choice Unique circumstances: None
And also: Name:Hand Me Down Word count: approx 100,000 Time in production: July 2022 to September 2023 (14 months) Type of work: Choice, and parser, and choice Unique circumstances: The game is three games: Twine choice, a TADS 3 parser game, the. A storylet-based choice game
And also: Name:One True Love Word count: 10,000? Time in production: One week Type of work: Choice Unique circumstances: None
Most of that was easy to get from my post-mortems. Hopefully you get a lot more samples. I’d be loathe to be over-represented with my weird little games.
I have never met an initial comp/festival deadline! And I’ve never regretted it.
Repeat the Ending (Inform)
Words: 152,426 (print and code)
Time to make: 18 months
Portrait With Wolf (Inform)
Words: 33,866 (print and code)
Time to make: 6 months
Marbles, D, and the Sinister Spotlight (Inform)
Words: 58,580 (print and code)
Time to make: 10 months
Unique circumstance: took a year-long break around halfway through
Protocol Word Count: 48,761 words with code Production Time: December 2022 - April 2023, published April 4th, 2023 Type: Choice-based (Twine SugarCube 2.36) Notes: My first completed work of interactive fiction and first entry to Spring Thing. I suffered a severe concussion and cracked my skull during the writing process; most of the game was written while in the recovery period with an approximate month-long break in the middle (Jan. 2023).
The Revenant’s Lament
Word Count: 21,153 words with code Production Time: October 18th-31st, published October 31, 2023 Type: Choice-based (Twine SugarCube 2.36) Notes: Almost the entire game was written and coded between 4pm on October 30th and 2am on October 31st.
constellate Word Count: 8,724 words with code Production Time: February 1st-21st 2024, published February 21st, 2024 Type: Choice-based (Twine SugarCube 2.36) Notes: n/a
NYX Word Count: 783 words with code Production Time: June 12th, 2024 Type: Choice-based (Twine SugarCube 2.36) Notes: The entire production cycle from ideation to publication took one day. I had drawn the cover art a while ago for an unrelated project that never came to fruition.
The Ballad of Light and Shadow Word Count: 63,956 words with code Production Time: May 1st - May 18th 2025, published May 18th, 2025 Type: Choice-based with mini-games (Twine SugarCube 2.37) Notes: My first collaborative work and one I am proud of, despite being written for the Very Bad IF Jam. A collaborative effort between my wife and I, with writing split about 50/50 and all code done by me.
I keep detailed notes about the production of all of my games in a spreadsheet. This is the data from my best-received and most current works. Hopeful that you’ll get more data.
These are the ones I can find old emails about that say when they started.
Never Gives Up Her Dead
Words: 362,559
Type: Parser, Inform
Time to make: Sep 2022 to December 2023 (14-15 months)
In the Service of Mrs. Claus
Words: 167,000
Type: choice-based, Choicescript
Time to Make: Jan 2018 to Dec 2020 (about 2 years)
The Impossible Stairs
Words: 30,469
Type: Parser, Dialog
Time to make: Dec 2021 to Jun 2022 (about 6 months)
The Magpie Takes the Train
Words: 19,826
Type: Parser Inform
Time to make: October 2019 to October 2020 (about 12 months)
Note: Ran concurrently as a side project to the longer In the Service of Mrs Claus listed above.
The Walking Man
Words: 2,425
Type: Parser, Inform
Time to make: 3 hours in one day