spoiler (click to show/hide)
Let's see how much mileage we get here...
With a generation as long and arduous as this one, thanks to an ailing economy coinciding with an unprecedented rise in development costs, an entire tier of games have considerably shrunk or even disappeared, as some would argue. In an effort to stabilize their finances, big publishers reallocated/consolidated resources to support their risk-free AAA portfolios, while mid-sized publishers fizzled out one after one.
I think many would agree that it's an unfortunate change. Some of my favorite games from the previous generations were the experimental and unique "hidden gems." They were clearly low(er) budget, and sometimes janky as hell, but still manage to be charming enough for me to stick around. Admittedly, most of them were wacky Japanese games, and that's an industry that could be thriving for all we know, but with localizations for those type of games being at an all time low, we'll never experience them or be aware of their existence, but I digress.
Amid all these shifting models, many platforms that catered to smaller and indie developers rose to prominence, as everyone knows already. We've got Steam, XBLA, PSN, eShope, and hell let's not ignore the App Store. What's remarkable about these platforms (especially non-Steam platforms) is that they've come a long, long way from the days of Geometry Wars and ports such as SSF2THF. Most efforts at the beginning strictly focused on delivering arcade-y games (an excellent goal, mind you) but ever since, and as development tools started advancing and getting cheaper, developers started branching out and experimenting more.
Now the cause of these changes could simply be proper fostering by platform holders (through sponsoring programs or removal of restrictions), simply platform maturity, or even talents from shuttered big pubs/devs starting their own business. But what matters is that the end result is getting closer --if not having reached already-- to filling the void left by the disappearance of that B-game tier.
I think there are a few hurdles that need to be overcome, however, such as the lingering stigma surrounding indie development and challenging certain expectations. But I feel that people have started coming around and are ready for give them even a more serious chance, if only to break away from the monotonous AAA-model. And what's even more exciting is that, as we're starting a new generation, we're hearing of even less restrictions, better support, and even outright recruitment of indies by platform manufacturers such as Sony and Nintendo (MS is unsurprisingly TBA on this).
So, does anyone agree with this sentiment? That the indie scene have matured enough to replace that tier, and that the future has never looked brighter for their prospects?
Discuss my late night ramblings.
