Blue Prince is a worthy winner. A shame the win will have an asterisk next to it.
In truth I expect most or all nominees used AI at some point during development.
Their website attempts to explain what they count as an indie game btw:
"It's a tricky question without a strict, black-and-white answer. No matter who is asked - developer, publisher, showcase curator, journalist, creator, or various industry professionals - the answer varies across all parties. There are endless interpretations of a definition, and it will likely change alongside the state of the industry in the years to come. But after many conversations over the years with these various groups, the current definition agreed upon by the IGAs Curation Jury is as follows:
Existing outside of the traditional publisher system, a game crafted and released by developers who are not owned or financially controlled by a major AAA/AA publisher or corporation, allowing them to create in an unrestricted environment and fully swing for the fences in realizing their vision."
Publishers such as Devolver Digital, Annapurna Interactive, and Kepler Interactive are considered to exist outside of the traditional publishing system and fit within the current IGA Curation Jury's definition.
Rockstar Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, is not considered indie, nor are major standalone studios such as FromSoftware, Kojima Productions, or Valve as a few examples. First parties (Xbox, Nintendo, and Sony) and studios under their ownership, as well as third parties such as EA, Ubisoft, Square Enix, Sega, and Bandai Namco (to name a few) are considered AAA. Companies such as THQ Nordic are considered AA ."
insider-gaming.com
