Big Fish in a Small Pond: Preserving the Indie Character of Your Game Studio
In the gaming industry, "indie" can mean a lot of things. For our purposes, we'll define an indie game development studio as a small team working independently to create video games. This typically includes developers who are self-funded or funded by a smaller organization, and who retain creative control over their projects.
Indie game development has become increasingly popular in recent years, thanks in part to the growth of digital distribution platforms like Steam and itch.io, which make it easier for indie developers to get their games in front of players. These platforms have also allowed indie developers to bypass traditional publishers and release their games directly to players.
There is no clear cut-off point at which a game development team stops being considered indie. The definition of an indie game development studio can vary depending on who you ask, and it can change over time as the studio and the industry evolve.
However, generally speaking, a game development studio may stop being considered indie if they become financially backed by a larger company, or if they are acquired by a larger company. This may happen if the studio receives significant funding from a publisher or venture capitalist, or if they are purchased by a larger game development or publishing company.
It's also worth noting that, even if a game development studio stops being considered indie, their games may still be considered indie games if they maintain the spirit of independence and creativity that defines the indie game development scene.
Maintaining the indie spirit while growing and accepting more money can be a challenging task. Here are a few ways how we plan to maintain our indie spirit even as we receive more funding:
Keep the (core) team small: As the team grows, it can become harder to maintain the close-knit, collaborative environment that is often associated with indie game development. By keeping the team small, we can maintain a sense of intimacy and shared vision.
Prioritize creativity and experimentation: As a studio receives more funding, there may be pressure to create more commercial, mainstream games. To maintain the indie spirit, the studio should prioritize creativity and experimentation and continue to take risks and try new things, even if it means not chasing the biggest financial return.
Maintain control over the creative process: As the studio receives more funding, there may be more external pressure to make certain changes or compromises on certain aspects of the game. To maintain the indie spirit, the studio should try to maintain as much control over the creative process as possible and be mindful of not losing the vision of the game.
Stay true to the studio's values: Indie game development studios often have a unique identity and set of values that set them apart from larger studios. By staying true to these values and not compromising on them, the studio can maintain the indie spirit even as it grows and receives more funding.
Stay in touch with the community: One of the most important things for indie game developers is staying in touch with the community, by doing so they can get feedback, and support and maintain a loyal fanbase.
Ultimately, keeping the indie spirit while growing and accepting more funding is a balancing act, and it will likely require constant reassessment and adaptation. However, a game development studio can continue to create unique and innovative games that reflect the spirit of indie game development. Just make sure to not lose yourself in the progress you’ve made. That’s what we will try and remind ourselves of here at Turing Studio. We’ll strive to stay true to our core values while adapting to the changing landscape of indie game development.