Game dev bursts into tears on Twitch after seeing his Steam sales for the first time

A video game creator is gaining a lot of attention online after sharing his shocked response to discovering how much revenue his game generated on Steam within the first thirty hours of its release.

Cakez77 is a creator from Germany who streams on Twitch and uploads videos to YouTube. He also develops games, and released his game ‘Tangy TD’ on March 9, 2026.

So, I spent four whole years building this pixelated tower defense game completely on my own using C++. It was a long haul, but I kept everyone updated on my progress through social media, showing off new art and features as I built them. It felt good to share the journey!

The day after releasing his game, he streamed on Twitch and decided to share its earnings with his viewers. It was a potentially awkward situation, but it’s quickly becoming popular online for all the best reasons.

Solo developer in tears after 4 years of work pays off on Steam

On March 10th, Cakez checked his Steam sales report and was thrilled to see his game, Tangy TD – a project he’d dedicated nearly five years to – had already earned $31,942.

The developer was naturally shocked and told his wife, who was right there. She excitedly hugged him as he began to cry.

He was overwhelmed with emotion, visibly shaking as he said, “Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me. I’ve been through so much and cried countless times before this.”

Game developer Cakez77 shares his reaction to his game’s earnings after 30 hours, following a four-year development process.

— TopMob (@TopMob) March 11, 2026

At the time of writing, Tangy TD has a “very positive” review score on Steam. The game is part of Steam’s Tower Defense Fest, a week-long promotional event for the genre that spans from March 9 – 16.

The game Tangy TD also got a shout-out from popular YouTuber MoistCr1tikal, who featured it in a live stream on March 11th.

Moist described the popular video of Cakez and his wife finding out how much money their game made as “very heartwarming,” and said it inspired him to try something similar himself.

A heartwarming moment recently went viral on Twitch: popular streamer IShowSpeed surprised a blind fan with a new iPhone while visiting Morocco earlier this year.

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2026-03-12 01:19