After 4 years of work, solo dev breaks down in tears after opening Steam and learning his game made $250,000 in a week: "I feel like I really don't deserve this"

Tangy TD developer Cakez appears emotional after learning of the game's sales.

Tangy TD is one of a zillion small indie titles that people are quietly enjoying on Steam. It's got 89% positive reviews, vibrant pixel art, and a generally nice vibe, but it's not the kind of wild success story that tends to generate headlines. Yet for Cakez, the solo developer who created the tower defense game, it's an emotional success story.

Cakez is also a streamer and YouTuber, and has been documenting his journey developing Tangy TD from the very start four years ago. When the game finally launched earlier this month, he invited his community to watch his first reaction to the game's day one sales numbers.

The emotional response he and his wife had to that first revenue figure – over $30,000 – was so wholesome that the clip soon went viral. That number was nothing, however, compared to what was to come. Soon, Cakez again invited the community to see his reaction to the week one sales report – this time after Tangy TD had developed a week of buzz in response to his previous stream.

Game dev Cakez77 and his wife react after finding out his game earned $250,000 after going viral pic.twitter.com/pIWHWyLCMaMarch 17, 2026

In the clip, which you can see above, Cakez is already visibly emotional as he opens the backend page of his Steam developer account. As he clicks through to the stats on his game's sales, he instantly bursts into tears. $245,123 in gross revenue. $197,847 in net revenue. 28,078 units sold. His wife, sitting nearby, shouts for joy and embraces him.

Cakez happened to be streaming when Dexerto shared the clip above. "I feel like I really don't deserve this," he remarks. He adds, "It's so amazing to see how many people have come out to support me, essentially, and what I do. It's just crazy. I really don't know what to say. I don't know why people are so nice. I don't get it, man."

"I don't know, I feel like I don't deserve this at all," Cakez reiterates. "But yeah, I did work. I did not stop working. In the end, it's a weird thing, right? In the beginning, I did it more for myself, because I was younger, and wasn't as long together with my wife as I am now. But I did it more for myself. Also, we didn't have a baby together yet. But over the years, it turned into more like 'I want to provide for my family while at the same time also doing something I love.' But only if it works out."

Clearly, it has worked out. You can check out Tangy TD for yourself on Steam.

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