This project considers the role of live gameplay streaming in indie game production, distribution, and reception, based on interviews and platform analysis. Digital game live-streaming on Twitch.tv (along with other forms of mediated gameplay content like YouTube “Let’s Plays”) is fundamentally changing the industry and culture of digital games. Streamers and influencers vie for the social and economic rewards of celebrity; viewers consume hundreds of hours of gameplay footage a week; platforms extract massive profits; and game developers increasingly rely on streaming as a form of promotion. Some argue that streaming has come to parallel game reviews for consumers and developers, offering a “live” evaluative account of the game being streamed, which may inform purchase decisions. Certainly, streaming has helped secure the position of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, Fortnite, Rocket League, and others as ubiquitous blockbusters, but what about smaller, lower-budget games lacking significant brand recognition and marketing budgets? By focusing on developer perceptions of and experiences with streaming, rather than streamers or viewers, we aim to question the widely-held notion that streaming is inherently beneficial for small developers facing an oversaturated market rife with “discoverability” issues.