Joeveno Interview: Physical Games, 60K Wishlists & BDD3

Joeveno on Physical Games, Ownership, and the Future of Brazilian Drug Dealer

Joeveno speaks with Fix Gaming Channel about physical media, game preservation, working with NoQuarter, the upcoming BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER BEFORE 4, and the future of the series.

Developer Joeveno is behind BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER 3, an old-school FPS built around Brazilian culture, humor, and the country’s game development scene.

Following the recent restock of the game’s physical edition, we spoke with Joeveno about why physical ownership matters to him, why he believes games should remain playable even if a storefront disappears, and whether physical game discs can survive the decade.

The conversation also covers the success of BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER 3, working with publisher NoQuarter, 60,000 wishlists for BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER BEFORE 4, and his plans to expand the series into a wider universe.

The game has also appeared previously on Fix Gaming Channel in our analysis of whether video games really need one-word titles, where its famously long name made for a pretty good counterexample.

BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER BEFORE 4 Trailer

Want more interviews like this?

Get more developer interviews, indie coverage, reviews, gameplay, and gaming news from Fix Gaming Channel.

Join Our Newsletter

Stay updated with the latest interviews, previews, and indie gaming news.

BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER 3 Raw Gameplay

Raw BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER 3 gameplay captured by Fix Gaming Channel.

Interview with Joeveno

BDD3 started as what was essentially a wild personal project, but it has now reached thousands of Steam reviews and built a sizeable audience. At what point did you realise, “Okay, this isn’t just a weird little game anymore”?

Once I launched it on steam and it garnered acclaim from Hakita, the creator of Ultrakill. That’s when I noticed this became bigger than I ever dream it would be.

Your latest Steam post is pretty direct: “F*CK DIGITAL ONLY!” Why was making an actual physical version of BDD3 important to you?

Was really important for me, I think its essential for you to actually own what you buy, you should have actual property of stuff.

The physical edition isn’t just a box with a Steam code — you’ve put the game itself on a CD with a custom installer. Was that something you insisted on from the beginning?

Yeah, ever since we had an idea to have a physical, we wanted to have it on a disc, wouldn’t make sense to be just a hollow shell.

You also deliberately made the Steam version DRM-free and wrote, “You should own what you buy.” Is game ownership becoming something you feel developers and publishers need to push back on more strongly?

I think its really important, also not just the consumer, but for me. I want my game to exist, and don’t be dead once a storefront pulls the plug. Gaming history should be preserved.

You’ve now had to restock the physical edition. Did the demand surprise you, and has the experience convinced you that there is still a real market for physical PC games — even for small indie releases?

I was, but not because of thinking physical media wouldn’t sell, but because of the demand fans had for the title. I feel very honor to have so many people that actually support my work to the level of buying physicals related to the project.

Do you honestly believe physical game discs will survive this decade, or are releases like yours becoming more of a collector’s niche than a real alternative to digital-only games?

I think they will, specially because they’re going through a renaissance not only in gaming, but specially in music. Artists everywhere, like, even super mainstream ones like Taylor Swift been selling stuff on CD’s and Vinyls, and gaming wise, a lot more indies are getting into this, so, as long as there’s CD’s and other physical medias being produced, we’ll be there.

You’ve described BDD3 as your first commercial game and yourself, particularly early on, as a relatively new game developer. What have you learned from actually releasing a successful game that you could never have learned from tutorials or simply making projects privately?

How to deal with connections and how to properly market your game. Once its out there, its totally different from wishlists or saying for someone to buy your game…You need to always try your best to find space, to make contacts, and understand the industry you’re inserted in. That takes time, nowadays I know a bit better, but the beggining was really challenging.

NoQuarter is now involved as a publisher. What changed for you after bringing them aboard, and what parts of the project do you still deliberately keep under your own control?

Everything is still under my control, I have the final say in everything. The way NoQuarter works as a publisher is the way every publisher should be: Thud helps me, but the way things are done go through me. He gives ideas, and REALLY tries his best to put the game in front of as many people as he can, and also helps a lot in development with the production side of stuff, helps keep stuff organized.

BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER BEFORE 4 launches on September 16. After the success of BDD3, do you feel more pressure this time, or has having an established audience actually made development easier?

Initially I was like “will people be interested in another one?” To my shock people were, 60k wishlists and a lot of demand, so I’m kinda relaxed with the launch of this one now, but initially during early stages before setting up the page I was a bit skeptical. The only thing I want is this one to be at least as good as 3 and a good time for the players.

You’ve already confirmed that BDD Before 4 will eventually receive a physical edition as well. Is physical media something you’d like to make a permanent part of future Joeveno releases?

Yes, I plan to do for every game I create, and also, that’s also a motto for NoQuarter, every game moving on will have physicals.

Looking further ahead: is Brazilian Drug Dealer something you now see becoming a long-running series and universe, or are there completely different games you’d eventually like to make?

I plan for it to become really a long running series, I’ll transform it into some sort of universe, with some projects having totally different game genres attached, so yeah, it’ll continue, but will also use it as an opportunity to try new stuff.

Finally, for someone discovering your work for the first time through this interview: what do you want them to understand about Joeveno and these games that screenshots, trailers and the ridiculous titles alone don’t tell them?

I use comedy as a bait for ya to get in. I try to make it look like a funny small gag, but I’ve poured my soul into this, I really try to make these be good games, even if they look crazy. The main objective is to bring a well crafted comedy piece with my style of sense of humor, it may not be for everyone, but I try to make it have heart. Also, I really try to make this as a bait for people to learn about the culture of my country, so the idea is to make you have a good time with a funny game, and also learn about Brazil’s culture, and also pay a homage to how brazilian devs did incredible projects in the 2000s with no investment.

Looking Ahead

What started with BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER 3 is clearly becoming something larger. Joeveno plans to continue the series, experiment with different genres inside the same universe, and keep physical releases as part of his future games.

For him, the comedy may be what gets players through the door, but the goal is still to make good games while sharing something of Brazil, its culture, and the developers who were building games there long before the current indie boom.

Thanks to Joeveno for taking the time to speak with Fix Gaming Channel.

BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER BEFORE 4

Release: September 16, 2026

Genre: Action, Adventure, FPS

Developer: Joeveno

Publisher: Joeveno, NoQuarter

Platform: PC — Steam

“You Should Own What You Buy” — Joeveno on Physical Games, 60K Wishlists and the Future of Brazilian Drug Dealer