The future is indie and small studios

[Kane99]

With the recent blunders by triple A studios these past 5-10 years or so has got me thinking. When are the triple A studios going to start losing out to the much smaller indie games and studios? I ask, because I feel that the gaming community is tired of all the scandals, the mishaps and the poor releases of recent memory, that games are going to start pushing for more rules with these bigger studios. 

I think people see these big studios like Activision, Ubisoft, EA, etc and they are tired of the same stuff released yearly. Especially when there are so many great games from smaller studios gaining popularity. Soon enough, I can see these smaller studios, gaining more traction. Of course, that also worries me, because who knows if those small studios grow up to be one of those triple A studios. Look at CD Project Red, weren't they a small studio, and then Witcher 3 came along and they blew up in popularity. 

What do you think though?

[Reality vs Adventure]

I think there is an Indie trend all across the board from music to shows and to games. Music may get away with it more because it doesn't cost as much to create an album. Game developers need the resources, and that is their limiting factor. It wouldn't be called indie anymore if they had big spending bucks and made a name for themselves. So Indie games are forced to be more creative. That is why they probably tend to have better stories, at the sacrifice of graphics and size of map. 

[Withywarlock]

On 2/8/2021 at 7:11 PM, Kane99 said:

When are the triple A studios going to start losing out to the much smaller indie games and studios?

Not for the foreseeable future. For all their blunderings, they continue to make billions per year, especially thanks to bringing mobile marketing and monetisation strategies to consoles and PC.

On 2/8/2021 at 7:11 PM, Kane99 said:

I ask, because I feel that the gaming community is tired of all the scandals, the mishaps and the poor releases of recent memory, that games are going to start pushing for more rules with these bigger studios. 

We're the loud minority. Even when citing outliers such as CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 with the refunds given, their CEO Marcin Iwinski lost just under half his fortune and is still a millionaire. Keep that in mind when you watch this video.

That said, indies and so-called AA studios and publishers are prone to screw-ups too. See the latest news with The Sinking City devs Frogwares, who have had drama with Focus Home Interactive and now Nacon.

On 2/8/2021 at 7:11 PM, Kane99 said:

I think people see these big studios like Activision, Ubisoft, EA, etc and they are tired of the same stuff released yearly.

Forgive me for going full r/truegaming but I discern studios from those companies which are publishers, even if they own studios. Even Ubisoft who often name their studios Ubisoft-[Location] still allow some artistic control over their products.

As for "people", again, I don't think it really matters what people like us think because we're not the ones lining those publishers' pockets annually with ever increasing amounts of moolah. There's certainly an argument to be made for our subculture being more enlightened and consumer-minded than a few years ago, but being aware of a problem is the first step to recovery. It is not the only step, which is where so many users get hung up.

On 2/8/2021 at 7:11 PM, Kane99 said:

Especially when there are so many great games from smaller studios gaining popularity.

This is a good point, and I feel if the owners of digital storefronts made the effort to properly curate them instead of relying on algorithms *cough* VALVe *cough*, the people making good games could get the recognition they deserve, instead of being able to attribute a noticeable portion of their success to being seen in the mire and the murk.

On 2/8/2021 at 7:11 PM, Kane99 said:

Soon enough, I can see these smaller studios, gaining more traction.

Perhaps enough to be swallowed up by the likes of Microsoft or Electronic Arts. Since the dawn of publishing acquisitions have become a feeding frenzy, even if they don't always make headlines such as Zenimax's acquisition by Team Green.

On 2/8/2021 at 7:11 PM, Kane99 said:

Of course, that also worries me, because who knows if those small studios grow up to be one of those triple A studios. Look at CD Project Red, weren't they a small studio, and then Witcher 3 came along and they blew up in popularity. 

Correct.

On 2/8/2021 at 7:11 PM, Kane99 said:

What do you think though?

Money talks, and the AAA industry will probably always have most of it going forward. I think the only thing that will kill studios and publishers that large are themselves; the phrase 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall' comes to mind.

If AAA dies and those beneath it survive (which I strongly doubt), it won't be because of those smaller studios, so much elements that are far greater than them, i.e governments of the world, ideologies in effect, etc.

But does it matter so long as we're enjoying the games we have from those smaller studios and publishers? Unless the so-called AAA industry is causing legislation to be enacted that works against their competition, or patenting mechanics, I try to make an effort to care less about what new scandal occupies that particular space and continue to enjoy the likes of Spiders' output. ^^

Edited March 2, 2021 by Withywarlock

[Shagger]

Before I make my view clear, I have to make a very important point as the vast majority of people simply don't understand what an "indie" game actually is. It's short for independent, in other words, it's an independently developed and published project without a third party publisher. In other words, it's a game that's been both developed and published buy the same company without another party to provide publishing services such as manufacturing and promotion. So a list of indie games could include GTA, all the Assassin's Creed games, Skyrim and even Mario. That's an important thing to understand because people offer different standard's to "indie" games without really understanding what that means, and that's also why "indie" games don't deserve the benefit of any doubt.

 

So sorry, @Kane99, no matter how many times AAA games mess it up, they're not going anywhere, and that's not even such a terrible thing when you consider how much shady shit happens in the so-called "indie" game world. As bad has as the EA's, Ubisoft's and Activision's of the world are, they've never attacked and deleted user reviews of people who bought those asset flips they sold as "games" and tried to sue reviewers who called them out. They've never denied someone beta access to a game because of that someone's race, nationality, gender identity or sexuality. They've never crowdfunded a game to take in over $300,000,000, break the original promised sales configuration so that pledgers get less than they should have and don't the cheek to sell $27,000 DLC packages when the game isn't even out of Alpha (Yes, looking at YOU Star Citizen).

 

Trust me, there's just as much, if not more, scum in the indie game world as in the AAA industry. That's why I value the game and nothing more. I admit that's overly simplistic, but it works.

[m76]

I'm sick and tired of people calling "indie" the saviour of gaming. What is an indie game really? If we go by the standard definition then it is a game developed by a small independent studio with no corporate overlords. But what does that get you exactly? A game made on a low budget with low tech tools. i'm sorry, but I have no interest in that. I enjoy games on the bleeding edge of technology with proper voice acting and animations. Things that indie titles can't provide. There are a few indie titles I enjoy, but only as niche products, and on an entirely different level than big budget AAA games.

So no, indie will not replace AAA titles for me, they can't. For all the hate big publishers and AAA studios get, they put out the most of my favorite games.

[m76]

And talk about indie devs being the good guys. They want to be exactly the same as big AAA developers. If an indie dev has a big break they are usually bought out by a big corporation, and they are happy to sell out most of the time. There are very few developers that would choose to stay independent when someone knocks on their doors with a huge check to cash out.

[Heatman]

On 3/2/2021 at 8:44 PM, Withywarlock said:

Not for the foreseeable future. For all their blunderings, they continue to make billions per year, especially thanks to bringing mobile marketing and monetisation strategies to consoles and PC.

 

Seriously, this says it all when it comes to the small video games studios being able to replace those giant companies. It's definitely not going to happen no what tantrums gamers throw up. 

[Demon_skeith]

I don't think they will go anywhere, they are kind of the filler needed while the AAA game makers get their over sized games made and ready to play. 

[Razor1911]

5 hours ago, Demon_skeith said:

I don't think they will go anywhere, they are kind of the filler needed while the AAA game makers get their over sized games made and ready to play. 

Not really. Even when Namco had launched their own game Tekken way back in around 2001, it was well appreciated by the gamers. It totally depends upon the quality of the game, and how well the producers advertise. No doubt AAA games will give stiff competition, but good games will eventually come up first. 😊

[Heatman]

17 hours ago, Demon_skeith said:

I don't think they will go anywhere, they are kind of the filler needed while the AAA game makers get their over sized games made and ready to play. 

Exactly. They are definitely not going anywhere. What happens is that the small companies would just be there to nudge the big guns.