How creativity is shaping modern indie video games
As the mainstream chases safe bets and legacy franchises, we speak to four independent developers who are doing things differently
With record-breaking sales figures outstripping global film and music combined, it’s tempting to think of video games as a bullet-proof, blockbuster economy. Scratch beneath the surface, however, and you’ll find an industry beset by structural hardship, with post-Covid studio closures and mounting production costs continuing to reshape the mainstream beyond recognition.
Major studios are increasingly forced to chase the commercially safe bets of pre-existing IPs and multi-million-pound legacy franchises, leaving creative gambles by the wayside.
But it isn’t all doom and gloom. With many longstanding devs cast adrift during corporate restructures, indies have become a sanctuary for unabashed creativity. Freed from the need to cater to broad demographics, countless smaller projects have seen developers measuring success on entirely different terms.
