the indie industry is brutal. i read his original reddit posts (he posted on several subs). that low cost of living is what's helpful and keeping him hoping for a 2nd attempt, plus he was saying he'll be going solo. but as a career choice, with the current costs of doing business and targeting markets with a high return rate, it's totally unsustainable. the sadder part is that there's really no other serious choice for publishing. Steam is 75% of the market share. as an indie, you want to cast a wide net, maximize exposure to maximize chances of sales, so Steam is the only realistic chance at success.