The Growth of Indie Game Developers

Source: Pixabay

The best-selling video game of all time, with a current sales figure of $200 million, is an indie game. Minecraft, which saw a 25% increase in new players this year, is the creation of Mojang Studios, a Swedish video game developer established by an independent video game designer. Generally, these games are created by either individual developers or small companies who resort to crowdfunding to support its development. This sector benefits from a great sense of loyalty from the independent gaming communities, which has also helped it blossom. Although it is difficult to stand out in this niche, a few have managed to do so.

Team Meat

The creators of Super Meat Boy, Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes, who go by the name of Team Meat, received critical acclaim when they released their indie game. The game even received various awards and nominations at the Independent Games Festival. Players control a red, cube-shaped character that tries to save Bandage Girl, his girlfriend, from the evil scientist Dr. Fetus. Divided into chapters that contain over 300 levels, Super Meat Boy is a difficult game to play, which brought a lot of praises from critics. Although originally released just for Xbox 360, its success led to the game being ported to other consoles, including PC, PlayStation 4, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Pixabay

Klei Entertainment

Founded in a basement in 2005 by developer Jamie Cheng, Klei Entertainment is the company behind the survival game Don’t Starve. Don’t Starve follows Wilson, a scientist that gets trapped in a dark world, and its attempts at surviving for as long as possible. The players must ensure he stays healthy and able to fight supernatural creatures. Influenced by Minecraft and by the filmmaker Tim Burton, the game was highly commended for its originality in design and style, music, and creativity. By the end of 2013, the game sold over 1 million copies, and its Pocket Edition, which is the smartphone version, was nominated for Adventure Game at the 2019 Webby Awards.

Software Providers

It isn’t just indie games developers that have started growing; lesser-known gaming software providers are also starting to shine amongst the big names. They create high-quality games and offer some variety for online casinos looking to try out something different. Thunderkick, for example, is a Swedish casino software provider company that creates innovative casino games. This developer is behind some of the most unique games, such as Birds on a Wire and Babushkas. The slot game Birds on a Wire features a unique reel setting, in which rows are represented by wires that shift to the left on every spin. After winning a combo, birds fly in to replace the empty spots. Here are a couple of suggestions to get you started if you’d like to find out more about other software providers and their games.

As an indie game developer or a small software provider, it is not enough to just create a great game. In order to be discovered in a growing market full of companies that want success as much as you do, a robust marketing strategy is essential. Hard work pays off even when competing against big names, as long as you equip yourself with the right tools to promote your idea.