With platforms like XBLA’s Summer of Arcade pushing indie games into the spotlight during the typically slow release months of the summer, or through explosive releases on Steam Early Access (look no further than current hot topics like DayZ or Rust), indie games are no longer confined to their own sector of the gaming space separate from studio-published titles: instead, indie games are shaking up the rules, and now more than ever heading into the next-gen, it seems like its going to be a time for the studio publishers to take notice.Ĭoming off a year that saw titles like Gone Home and The Stanley Parable rival The Last of Us or Grand Theft Auto V as Game of the Year contenders, the increasing disparity between what constitutes indie games from everything else is being blurred more and more each year.
Where AAA studio-published titles have multi-million dollar ad campaigns and typically big-name franchises steering them to success, indie games manage to thrive within smaller communities where word-of-mouth and positive press can drive indie games to incredible success, by recommendation and being pushed through outlets like Steam’s Early Access or Greenlight programs. Thanks to the beginnings of Steam Early Access and Kickstarter projects reaching into the gaming masses, indie games are thriving in an environment where they naturally fit best: an environment fueled by word-of-mouth and recommendations from friends, colleagues, and others, in lieu of big campaigns and marketing dollars.
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