The tooling democratization point really hits. Unity's accessibility for small teams has been crucial to this indie boom, even with the pricing controversies. What strikes me most is how these tight budget constraints force indies to innovate on mechanics and narrative rather than just throwing money at graphics. The AAA sector could learn somethng from that discipline instead of chasing the next billion dollar franchise that plays it safe.
Very well said. And I hope they do. I don’t pine for the doom of the AAA model. But I don’t see how they can sustain that model much longer. The talent bleed in recent years is also a factor in the indie boom I figure.
This is an ongoing story - not any less relevant, just still unfolding. For many years, games were made by single programmers or small, scrappy teams. The shift to massive AAA titles is actually pretty recent… and maybe, just maybe, a mistake.
It’s a pattern we’ve seen before. The music industry did it first. Remember the mega-stars of the ’90s? (Michael Jackson literally built giant statues of himself!) Then it all crashed: record sales tanked, the system imploded, and out of the rubble came a new wave of artists recording albums in their bedrooms on cheap gear, and taking over the world.
It’s a cycle, really. Something gets popular - music, games, movies, whatever - and the money guys move in to “optimize,” squeezing out the soul in the process. Then comes the rebellion: indie games, punk rock, lo-fi bedroom pop; the creative backlash. And, of course, the money guys come crawling back again, trying to monetize the rebellion. Which, depressingly, they often succeed at because, well… they’re the money guys.
Not just indie games but I think we are seeing the rise of AA too.
Games like: Helldivers 2, ARC Raiders, Clair Obscur, Baldur’s Gate. These have all been very successful while being cheaper, more innovative, and less rigid and bloated like we see from AAA games.
While Battlefield 6 did well, I feel like AAA is coalescing to just a few surviving franchises and we probably won’t see many new AAA IPs going forward.
The tooling democratization point really hits. Unity's accessibility for small teams has been crucial to this indie boom, even with the pricing controversies. What strikes me most is how these tight budget constraints force indies to innovate on mechanics and narrative rather than just throwing money at graphics. The AAA sector could learn somethng from that discipline instead of chasing the next billion dollar franchise that plays it safe.
Very well said. And I hope they do. I don’t pine for the doom of the AAA model. But I don’t see how they can sustain that model much longer. The talent bleed in recent years is also a factor in the indie boom I figure.
This is an ongoing story - not any less relevant, just still unfolding. For many years, games were made by single programmers or small, scrappy teams. The shift to massive AAA titles is actually pretty recent… and maybe, just maybe, a mistake.
It’s a pattern we’ve seen before. The music industry did it first. Remember the mega-stars of the ’90s? (Michael Jackson literally built giant statues of himself!) Then it all crashed: record sales tanked, the system imploded, and out of the rubble came a new wave of artists recording albums in their bedrooms on cheap gear, and taking over the world.
It’s a cycle, really. Something gets popular - music, games, movies, whatever - and the money guys move in to “optimize,” squeezing out the soul in the process. Then comes the rebellion: indie games, punk rock, lo-fi bedroom pop; the creative backlash. And, of course, the money guys come crawling back again, trying to monetize the rebellion. Which, depressingly, they often succeed at because, well… they’re the money guys.
Extremely well put, Adam. Cycles are a constant, that's for sure.
Not just indie games but I think we are seeing the rise of AA too.
Games like: Helldivers 2, ARC Raiders, Clair Obscur, Baldur’s Gate. These have all been very successful while being cheaper, more innovative, and less rigid and bloated like we see from AAA games.
While Battlefield 6 did well, I feel like AAA is coalescing to just a few surviving franchises and we probably won’t see many new AAA IPs going forward.
Great point. Totally agree.