Over the years, there have been many solo developers around the world who have published their works and achieved great fame and glory.

Today, I will list seven notable solo developers who have achieved financial success and etched their names in the history of software development.

## 1. Linus Torvalds

Number one on our list is none other than the man himself, Linus Torvalds, who is popularly known for the creation of the Linux Operating System.

Though he was known for Linux, there is also a piece of software that he solo developed that brought tremendous help to me and other software engineers in developing applications. And that is Git, a version control system that keeps track of any changes in your program.

His work paved the way for open-source collaboration around the world. Thank you very much, Mr. Torvalds!

## 2. Bram Cohen

Our second superhero solo developer is Bram Cohen, who in 2001 created BitTorrent, a protocol for sharing large computer files over the Internet.

His invention of BitTorrent revolutionized the way large files are shared, enabling users to simultaneously download and upload files.

Cohen's work on BitTorrent made a great impact on the file-sharing ecosystem and influenced subsequent developments in peer-to-peer technology. Salute!

## 3. Chris Coyier

Chris Coyier is a solo developer who created CSS-Tricks as a solo project.

CSS-Tricks brings tremendous knowledge not just for CSS but for HTML, JavaScript, and other web design and development.

The one thing to note about this is that the website was originally his personal blog to share his knowledge and insights on CSS and front-end web development.

Over time, CSS-Tricks gained popularity and evolved into a comprehensive web development community.

## 4. Markus Persson

Now, let's shift gears and head to the game development world. Our fourth awesome solo developer is none other than Markus Persson, also known as "Notch".

Notch is the solo creator of the immensely popular game Minecraft.

Not only did he independently develop Minecraft, but he also founded the game development studio Mojang, which was sold to Microsoft for a whopping $2.5 billion.

Because of this, Notch became one of the highest-earning solo developers in the gaming industry.

## 5. Eric Barone

The surprise doesn't end yet because we have another legendary solo developer on our list, Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe.

Barone is quite famous in the indie game development world, but if you don't know him, well, he was the solo developer of the popular game Stardew Valley, which, according to VG Insights, generated $131.8 million on Steam alone.

He developed Stardew Valley alone over four and a half years. The amount of passion and dedication shown by this man is nothing short of amazing.

## 6. Toby Fox

You'd be amazed if I told you that the popular game Undertale was developed by just one person, Toby Fox.

It took 2.7 years for Fox to develop Undertale, which was funded through Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform.

Currently, Undertale has an "Overwhelmingly Positive" review on Steam from 177,000+ players. Undertale has an estimated revenue of $34 million.

## 7. Lucas Pope

The last but not the least solo developer on our list is another great indie game developer, Lucas Pope, who solo developed the fantastic game Papers, Please.

Papers, Please is a puzzle simulation video game that can be played on any platform of your choosing.

What is surprising is that Pope developed the game within just the span of nine months from 2012–2013.

Currently, it has a 97% rating on Steam from 54,000+ users, and according to games-stats.com, it has an estimated revenue of $11 million.

## Wrapping up

Though there are many solo developers around the world, and the list could go on, one takeaway from this article is that being a solo developer is definitely doable. It may seem hard at first, and the tunnel seems dark, but at the end there is a light, as presented by the seven awesome solo developers listed above.

Hopefully, this will motivate and inspire new solo developers to keep pushing forward against all odds.

That's all. I wish you success in your solo developer journey. Cheers!