I agree that having a AAA*(A™)* publisher probably shouldn’t get you classified as indie. It’s been increasingly common though to see large publishers back indie studios in recent years. Dave the Diver and Nexon’s relationship comes immediately to mind for recent example.
I watched the gameplay trailer and was so confused as to why Ubisoft thought it could get away with so blatantly ripping off Dead Cells.
Still confused why it’s in the “triple-i” showcase, though. I know the definition of “indie” has become more and more loose as of late, but I’d think the core concept of being self-published would have to be a pre-requisite.
An indie band can still have a record label backing them, but calling themselves that sets an expectation that their music will likely be outside of mainstream appeal. The same goes for indie films which can still have massive budgets and distribution channels thanks to major studio backing. They just tell stories that won’t follow the formulaic mold that big picture releases are beholden to.
You kind of have to disconnect the word “indie” from meaning “independent.” The industry has matured enough that indie refers more to an overall aesthetic and expectation for consumers rather than a fully independent game dev. Publishers are ultimately acknowledging the legitimacy of indie games as a part of the market and dipping their hands in them. I’d still expect the studios to retain most of the creative and design control, but they’ll have access to the marketing, analysis, and distribution relationships that publishers can provide.
InquisitiveApathy@lemm.ee 6 months ago
Ubisoft is publishing. The devs are the same people who made Dead Cells.
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 6 months ago
HMMM, that doesn’t actually sound “independent” to me, no matter how many “i” you add…
I know that the Dead Cells folks are one of the founding members of this iii thing.
InquisitiveApathy@lemm.ee 6 months ago
I agree that having a AAA*(A™)* publisher probably shouldn’t get you classified as indie. It’s been increasingly common though to see large publishers back indie studios in recent years. Dave the Diver and Nexon’s relationship comes immediately to mind for recent example.
Glide@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
This makes so much more sense.
I watched the gameplay trailer and was so confused as to why Ubisoft thought it could get away with so blatantly ripping off Dead Cells.
Still confused why it’s in the “triple-i” showcase, though. I know the definition of “indie” has become more and more loose as of late, but I’d think the core concept of being self-published would have to be a pre-requisite.
InquisitiveApathy@lemm.ee 6 months ago
An indie band can still have a record label backing them, but calling themselves that sets an expectation that their music will likely be outside of mainstream appeal. The same goes for indie films which can still have massive budgets and distribution channels thanks to major studio backing. They just tell stories that won’t follow the formulaic mold that big picture releases are beholden to.
You kind of have to disconnect the word “indie” from meaning “independent.” The industry has matured enough that indie refers more to an overall aesthetic and expectation for consumers rather than a fully independent game dev. Publishers are ultimately acknowledging the legitimacy of indie games as a part of the market and dipping their hands in them. I’d still expect the studios to retain most of the creative and design control, but they’ll have access to the marketing, analysis, and distribution relationships that publishers can provide.