Secure milestone payments for indie game freelancers—no more delays.
Freelancers working with indie game studios endure rampant 90+ day payment delays on invoices, devastating cash flow and forcing them to take unwanted side gigs.
Set up project milestones with clients; studios deposit funds into escrow, released automatically on approval. Protects freelancers from non-payment while giving studios payment control tied to deliverables like art assets or code commits.
Freelancers (e.g., artists, programmers, designers) contracting with indie game studios
Game dev milestone templates (e.g., concept art, alpha build) with GitHub/Unity integration for auto-verification.
professional
Create projects with predefined game dev milestones, set escrow amounts.
Studios deposit funds; held until milestone approval.
Freelancer/studio approve via link; funds auto-transfer.
Attach commit/proof links for verification.
Simple 48hr dispute timer with evidence upload.
Overview of all escrows, funds status.
Auto-generate milestone invoices.
Save milestone templates per studio.
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| text | No | |
| role | text | No |
| stripe_connect_id | text | Yes |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| freelancer_id | uuid | No |
| studio_id | uuid | No |
| title | text | No |
| status | text | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| project_id | uuid | No |
| name | text | No |
| amount | int | No |
| status | text | No |
| proof_url | text | Yes |
Relationships:
/api/projectsCreate project
/api/milestones/:projectId/approveApprove milestone
/api/escrow/deposit/:milestoneIdInitiate Stripe deposit
/api/dashboardUser projects overview
1% fee on escrow
| Month | Users | Conversion | MRR | ARR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 80 | 4% | $26 | $312 |
| Month 6 | 600 | 10% | $480 | $5,760 |
Deposit once, release on deliverables. End payment ghosting forever.
Offer free escrows to 3 projects posted in r/INAT and r/gameDevClassifieds; connect freelancers from Unity forums; pitch to itch.io makers via Twitter.
Trusted general escrow
No milestones or integrations
Game-specific + cheaper SaaS
Built-in for platform
Only for Upwork jobs
Off-platform + game templates
Network effects from studio/freelancer matching and verified project history data.
Rise of direct contracting bypassing platforms, exposing payment risks in indie boom.
Stripe Connect approval delays
Apply early, have backups
Dispute escalations
Clear TOS + mediator partner
Studios resist escrow
Free tier + education content
Success: 70% WOYLP
Success: 100% completion no disputes
Success: 20% MoM growth
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