Support NeoGAF

[bitbydeath]

Indy... literally means independent.

So any game that is made independently of a major publisher... is an indy game. Even if it ends up getting a publisher (or even multiple publishers) to carry it over the line.

Can get messy though.
Eg. This is made by a couple of guys and has a separate publisher (Nicalis), so by definition not Indie.

This is the humble work of a company that self-publishes.

 

[Kataploom]

It is, but Minecraft, LoL, Ori, etc are not indie, so I cringe whenever I see these publishers showing games in indie game showcases

 

[tygertrip]

Indie = independently made/published, imo

So yeah, Baldurs Gate 3 is indie, so is Stardew Valey or Celeste. They were all made independently from publishers.

Sure, Larian is 30% owned by Tencent, but they arent owned by Tencent like DICE is to EA, for example. And they've self published the game.

Dave the diver, for example, isn't indie

I hate this notion that any pixel art game is automatically indie.

A lot of people, especially teens and college kids, simply don’t understand that “indie” literally means “independent “, like you said. To them “indie” is DEFINED by being low-budget and/or retro-looking. It’s quite humorous actually, to me!

 

[tygertrip]

I've come to feel that way because we've been throwing the name "indie" on pretty much all games that don't belong to a major company. From a solo dev making something by himself on his mom's basement with rpg maker, to 50 people big studios with a budget on the millions. I don't think they should be thrown together in the same category.

This is indie:



These are also indie:




And apparently even this sometimes is considered indie:



Yet, this is not indie:



Indie used to refer to just the first type of game i've shown above, basically a solo dev with a shoestring budget and maybe a few useful connections. The others were either solo devs with a company backing them with money and resources, or even full proper studios.

Normally they'd be considered AA, but these seem to refer more to medium-lower budget games made by estabilished companies (like the zelda above).

I think it'd be more adequate to call them an "alternative" industry, refering to the fact they aren't part of the main brands leading the market.

Anyway, thats it for your friday GAF.

If a game is published independently, then it is indie. End of story. The issue is needing to use more descriptors, not change the meaning of “indie”.

 

[tygertrip]

I dunno about that. A lot of indie games are actually trend chasers.

The vast majority of all video games, since their commercial success in the 70s, are trend-chasers.

 

[tygertrip]

But thats the issue i have, we just throw everything into the same pot. Also, the term "indie" specifically also used to refer to small independent devs, not just independent. Basically some guy making a game by himself or a group of friends who got together to make something.

I remember independent always referring to independently published. Maybe not the shortened “indie” though, if that’s what you mean.

 

[tygertrip]

The "Indie" label never should have existed in the first place. As I have said in another thread, a game is either good or bad. It should be judged on that criteria alone. How much money you spent on developing it, or whether or not it was developed by one person or one thousand people shouldn't matter.

Non-sequitur.

 

[tygertrip]

... Actually, I doubt casuals even know the term indie and AAA.

They don’t. Hell, half of them define “game” as “COD”.

 

[Red5]

Can get messy though.
Eg. This is made by a couple of guys and has a separate publisher (Nicalis), so by definition not Indie.

This is the humble work of a company that self-publishes.

CDPR self publishes but is not an independent company, it's a publicly traded company, compared to companies like Larian and Valve where they are private and not beholden to shareholders.

I

 

[_Justinian_]

Non-sequitur.

Tell me then. Why would you choose to advertise a game as being "indie"? Are you saying that an indie game should be judged by a different standard? Why?

 

[tygertrip]

Tell me then. Why would you choose to advertise a game as being "indie"? Are you saying that an indie game should be judged by a different standard? Why?

I’m saying that the quality of a game has nothing to do with whether it is indie or not. The ‘indie’ label means a game is independent, so it is illogical to say the term should not be used because it is not an indicator of whether a game is good or bad. That is not its definition. What you are saying does not follow from the first sentence to the second.

 

[_Justinian_]

The use of the "indie" label in the gaming industry was a way for some developers to inform potential players that the quality of the game would not or could not compare to the same level of quality that "AAA" games may have. In other words, they don't want their games to be held to or judged by the same standard. You didn't answer my question. Why would you choose to advertise a game as being "indie"? What purpose does it serve?

 

[Guilty_AI]

I remember independent always referring to independently published. Maybe not the shortened “indie” though, if that’s what you mean.

yeah, i'm refering to "indie" specifically. "Independent" is pretty self-explanatory.

Most of my beef is precisely because different people have different ideas on what exactly it means. Some like you think it just means "independent", others think its "small and independent", i've seen some here in the thread saying it has to be an independent dev that also isn't publicly traded, a few even think it just refers to anything low-budget and retro, guy above thinks its just a marketing ploy, and so on.

A label that no one can agree on what it represents isn't a good one.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[justiceiro]

All industries have this "issue", and honestly, as long indie means smaller scope and prices, I'm more than fine with it.

 

[March Climber]

I think people here will be challenged even more on this issue once all of these new user-friendly UE5 tools are utilized by those same independent devs. It's only a matter of time before the lines start to blur even more.

 

[ZVWQP-9B8TM-VH9CT]

I have just learned that Counterstrike is an indie game.
omg

 

[Guilty_AI]

I have just learned that Counterstrike is an indie game.
omg

well, it was at some point at least

 

[tygertrip]

yeah, i'm refering to "indie" specifically. "Independent" is pretty self-explanatory.

Most of my beef is precisely because different people have different ideas on what exactly it means. Some like you think it just means "independent", others think its "small and independent", i've seen some here in the thread saying it has to be an independent dev that also isn't publicly traded, a few even think it just refers to anything low-budget and retro, guy above thinks its just a marketing ploy, and so on.

A label that no one can agree on what it represents isn't a good one.

Fair enough.

 

[SHA]

Assassin's Creed is an indie game, sounds right to me.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Indie isn’t funded/published by a big publisher. I don’t think it matters much if we don’t all agree on it.

 

[Hero_Select]

Whose calling echoes of wisdom indie? Lol