Indie games are computer games created by independent developers. A single person or a small team of 2 to 10 people can build such games from scratch. Sometimes indie games are referred to as \u201cfree\u201d because game resources are either created by the developers themselves or taken from free sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indie development emerged in the early 2000s but had little success because it was unrealistic to break into the game industry bypassing the big game platforms. The game world was regulated by companies like Sega, Nintendo, and others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2004, the situation started to change, and the game market turned towards indie developers. The event that turned the market around was the creation of the Steam platform. It didn\u2019t show explosive growth right away, but only after a few years. It is still the main place where indie games appear, and where you can actually learn what is an indie game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Steam platform gave a strong push to indie developers because it published games bypassing the big companies. There is an opinion that if not for the launch of Steam, indie development would not have been as popular as it is now. After all, thanks to Steam and similar platforms the games of single developers as well as small studios could see the light and show the world what is an indie game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pros and Cons of Developing an Indie Game<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIndie development is a symbol of independence from game standards and daring ideas. This kind of development attracts newcomers who can barely code, as well as famous programmers who have worked in big game studios. An indie developer is a game developer who has their own opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are the advantages of developing an indie game:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Full control over the development process.<\/strong> You do not depend on the publisher who already has their own audience and whose needs you would have to satisfy. You set your own release date and work at your own pace. The game will remain yours from the beginning until the end.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Better monetization.<\/strong> Just like with the development process, you can also choose the monetization model that suits you best, without the need to pay any royalty to a publisher.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Sense of empowerment.<\/strong> After your game enters the market and becomes successful, you will have that amazing feeling that exactly you (and your team, if applicable) built the game from scratch and took it to the market.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The opportunity for collaboration.<\/strong> Though your game does not depend on a specific publisher, you can collaborate with any of them later, when the game hits the market.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
However, building an indie game from scratch also involves lots of hard work. Here are the drawbacks of developing an indie game:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- You are on your own.<\/strong> Unfortunately, you will have to go through the development process without any support and do everything yourself, from conceptualization to marketing<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- It takes a lot of time.<\/strong> Not only the development but also the validation of your game on the market will take you quite a lot of time. First of all, you need to register a company under whose name you are going to publish the game. After that, you will have to wait until people start trusting you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Media is taken by publishers.<\/strong> It may be hard to get first media mentions for your game because this niche may be already taken by big renowned companies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- It may cost you a lot.<\/strong> If you hire a development team to build your game and do not work with a \u201cready-made\u201d team as you would with a publisher, it may hurt your budget.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Read more: Indie vs Game Publisher: What\u2019s Better for Your Game?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAAA Game vs Indie Game: What\u2019s the Difference?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe key difference between an AAA game and an indie game is the budget and scale. Indie games tend to have a much smaller budget, more unique mechanics, shorter stories, and more stylized art. At the same time, AAA games are typically made by big companies, have lots of content, are built by using the latest graphics technology, involve large teams, and have a franchise attached to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Large companies specializing in the creation of computer games approach their projects globally. They expect millions of players, that\u2019s why these games are very cinematic. Games from major publishers are made not by 1 or 10 people, but by thousands. Of course, such games are beautiful, but their price is high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, independent developers make the game for themselves, and therefore very often give them a strong personal character. Indie developers do not have the opportunity to create large and technological games, so they make games with unique gameplay. As a result, indie games are small in size, have low system requirements, and have extraordinary gameplay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Much Does It Cost to Create an Indie Game?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
However, building an indie game from scratch also involves lots of hard work. Here are the drawbacks of developing an indie game:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- You are on your own.<\/strong> Unfortunately, you will have to go through the development process without any support and do everything yourself, from conceptualization to marketing<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- It takes a lot of time.<\/strong> Not only the development but also the validation of your game on the market will take you quite a lot of time. First of all, you need to register a company under whose name you are going to publish the game. After that, you will have to wait until people start trusting you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Media is taken by publishers.<\/strong> It may be hard to get first media mentions for your game because this niche may be already taken by big renowned companies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- It may cost you a lot.<\/strong> If you hire a development team to build your game and do not work with a \u201cready-made\u201d team as you would with a publisher, it may hurt your budget.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Read more: Indie vs Game Publisher: What\u2019s Better for Your Game?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
AAA Game vs Indie Game: What\u2019s the Difference?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The key difference between an AAA game and an indie game is the budget and scale. Indie games tend to have a much smaller budget, more unique mechanics, shorter stories, and more stylized art. At the same time, AAA games are typically made by big companies, have lots of content, are built by using the latest graphics technology, involve large teams, and have a franchise attached to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Large companies specializing in the creation of computer games approach their projects globally. They expect millions of players, that\u2019s why these games are very cinematic. Games from major publishers are made not by 1 or 10 people, but by thousands. Of course, such games are beautiful, but their price is high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, independent developers make the game for themselves, and therefore very often give them a strong personal character. Indie developers do not have the opportunity to create large and technological games, so they make games with unique gameplay. As a result, indie games are small in size, have low system requirements, and have extraordinary gameplay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Much Does It Cost to Create an Indie Game?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
- It takes a lot of time.<\/strong> Not only the development but also the validation of your game on the market will take you quite a lot of time. First of all, you need to register a company under whose name you are going to publish the game. After that, you will have to wait until people start trusting you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
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