I didn't read the whole thread since i'm at work, but if no one mentioned KillMonday Games, then you should check them.
They are the indie developers who released their own game ( Fran bow - point and click game, if you didn't heard about it, go check!). I watched their interviews. When they started, there were just 2 people in the team(now they are working with people who make music for their games). They saved some money, and for about a year they just worked on their game. Of course they released a demo version of their game, and started a Kick starter campaign. Probably talked with some YouTubers and asked them to play their game and upload the gameplay on YouTube.
Now they are working on new games