Do independent games have the power to disrupt the gaming industry? Games Editor Jude-Emmanuel Nwosu explores the risks and rewards involved in creating indie games.
Video games as a medium has come a long way since its inception in 1958 with the rudimentary Tennis for Two. Games are now increasing in scope, budget and ambition, becoming another pillar in the entertainment industry. However, the edge that the gaming landscape has over other avenues of entertainment is accessibility. Unlike the Film and TV industries, a person interested in game development doesn’t need lucrative connections or financial backing to make a successful project that is widely available. With the advent of the digital storefront Steam, the distribution of games has become much easier for fledgling studios. Now a game can gather a sizable player-base on Steam without touching a PS5 or Xbox Series X. According to Steam Database, the number of users on Steam peaked this March at 41,239,880. Even if only 10% of those people use Steam exclusively, that is still 4,123,988 potential buyers to work with.
The majority of successful Steam games receive console ports at some point in their lifespan, but these games don’t have to leave their Steam home without marketing help. Indie games are now treated as their own category in digital storefronts - for example, the PlayStation Store has its ‘PlayStation Indies’ section and Nintendo’s eShop has ‘Indie World’. Indie games are generally cheaper than upcoming titles from established studios, so this categorisation gives buyers another set of games to browse through if the mainstream market isn’t generous with deals.
Indie World in particular gets a lot of attention from Nintendo as it’s the name of the partner showcase that is livestreamed on their YouTube channel. This partner showcase highlights several games created by indie studios that are set to release on the latest Nintendo hardware. These Indie World livestreams are essentially Nintendo Directs for indie games and are yet another avenue to ease the burden of marketing.
Unfortunately, success is not guaranteed in the gaming industry as an independent studio even with such supports in place. When creating an indie game, the chance of failure is much higher than creating a game with the financial backing of larger video game producers. The mainstream market still dominates the gaming industry and will likely swallow their potential buyers as their studios have brand recognition and loyal fanbases to draw upon. However, indie games can receive that status too if they gain success and can maintain it. Shovel Knight has essentially become a brand icon for Yacht Club Games despite the franchise's humble beginnings as a crowdfunded game in 2014. The original game has been released on several consoles with additional campaigns, Yacht Club Games have made several spin-off titles from the Shovel Knight branding, and the Shovel Knight character has been playable in several other indie games and even as a cameo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Undertale had a strong foothold in the internet zeitgeist for many years due to its emotional storytelling, memorable characters and distinctive music. These achievements were wrought at the hands of Toby Fox, the sole creator of Undertale. He has gone on to create Deltarune, a follow-up to Undertale that is released episodically.
There are many success stories in the indie scene like Cuphead, Hollow Knight, Dead Cells, and Balatro. The humble origins of these games are quickly being forgotten as they surprise players with their high quality. Independent studios are now comfortably competing with veteran studios and their beloved IPs and this competition is just what the industry needs to keep innovation and variety healthy.