HOTSHOT INDIE
Hotshot Indie is a free indie band manager game: a 50-year-old producer recruits four Hongdae buskers and has 12 weeks to debut them. It runs in your browser with nothing to install.
At twenty, Taeo stood in the back row of a one-hit 90s dance group, waving his arms. He has not sung in thirty years. He runs a food company now and everyone calls him boss. One night after a company dinner he wanders into the Hongdae playground alone, sees four kids busking, and pulls out a business card on the spot. They tell him he smells like an old man. So the game starts with him visiting them one at a time and talking them in.
There are four members. Lion, the singer-songwriter (22, INTP); Kairen, the main vocal (24, ESTP); Doyun on drums (19, ENFP); Haru on keys (18, INFJ). They have different personalities and different lines. Each week you give every member one task: vocal, band practice, songwriting, TV, YouTube, a variety show, busking or rest. Skill and fame go up, stamina and mind go down. A member with high indie pride will refuse TV even if you assign it. Dialogue episodes pop up with two choices; the right ones build trust, and members who trust you perform better on stage.
In week 8 the band goes on the nation's biggest variety show and gets a taste of fame. Indie pride drops and the kids start showing up on TV. After 12 weeks you choose a genre for the title track, and fame plus skill make the score. Five ranks, from still unknown to number one on the music show. Sold-out club or better plays the music video and the song. If any member leaves the band, it is over right there. Planning alone took a month.
- Type
- Management sim · Visual novel · Band game · Web game
- Dev time
- A month of planning
- Made with
- HTML / JavaScript / Web Audio / original song
- Plays on
- PC · Phone — tap speech bubbles to advance, tap card buttons to assign tasks, ♪ music 🔊 sound
- Last updated
- 2026-09-08
Good for — anyone who likes raising sims and visual novels, wants a 20 to 30 minute story run, or knows the Hongdae indie scene. Your best score is saved in your browser automatically.
FAQ
Do I need to install Hotshot Indie?
No. Open the link in your browser and it starts. No app, no sign-up.
Is Hotshot Indie free?
Yes, completely free. No payments.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes, on phones and PCs. Tap a speech bubble to move to the next line and tap the buttons on each member's card to choose what they do that week. No keyboard needed.
How do I play?
Each week, give each of the four members one task: vocal, band practice, songwriting, TV, YouTube, variety show, busking or rest, then move to the next week. When an episode pops up, pick one of two choices. After 12 weeks, choose a genre for the title track and see the result.
Is my record saved?
Your best score is saved in your browser. Open it again on the same device and browser and it is still there. Nothing is sent to a server.
How does it end?
After 12 weeks your fame and skill make a score, and the band lands on one of five ranks: still unknown, alley famous, sold-out club, festival headliner or music show number one. Sold-out club or better plays the music video and the song. If any member leaves the band, it is GAME OVER on the spot.
Who are the members?
Four of them. Lion, singer-songwriter (22, INTP, prodigy); Kairen, main vocal (24, ESTP, unbreakable mind); Doyun, drums (19, ENFP, variety show natural); Haru, keys (18, INFJ, soulful). All four brush the producer off at first, so you visit them one by one and talk them in.
What is indie pride?
A number each member has. When it is high, they refuse TV and variety shows even if you assign them. In week 8 the band goes on a big variety show and gets a taste of fame; after that everyone's indie pride drops and nobody refuses TV again.
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