MAKING games isn’t easy. It could be, and it’s certainly easier now that has ever been before, but it’s still a big ask. Making games and keeping them alive for decades is an even harder proposition. Especially as technology changes, player demographics change and what’s fashionable in gaming changes. And when things do change, there is a real rush to try to jump on the bandwagon of change and experience the potential financial benefit. We’ve seen this with the success of Fortnite, and some of the biggest games have tried to incorporate – I’m looking at you Call of Duty – these mechanics into their games. Chasing the next big title and gameplay can only alienate your audience.
In addition, we’ve seen a constant rise in indie games over the last decade specifically. This development and publishing model has certainly disrupted the norm and allowed for some great games to make mainstream. The proliferation of games through mobile devices and the Steam platform has made gaming accessible to everyone and anyone that wants to play. And as this proliferation has progressed, we’ve seen platform-holders and bigger studios take on indie developers in the hope to cash in on some of the innovation and charm. But while the likes of Microsoft, EA, Sony et al have been hoovering up indie studios, there has been a rise in indie publishing too and less of a need to rely on a platform to make your game a success. To be fair, these big publishing houses have given indies an incredible platform to put their games on (regardless of whether they’ve been brought in-house or not), and there’s no doubt that has been helpful.