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BBC: Microsoft’s Mega-Deal Worries Small Video Game Developers
GHG
Gold Member
Somebody save the indie devs that make games that mostly just bloat the store and disturb your way looking for good games to buy.
Bo this is such a bad take I don't even know where to begin.
Pretty much all of the industry's innovation and creativity is coming from indie devs at the moment. If you want high production values then yeh, they won't cater to your needs but in terms of interesting gameplay mechanics indie games are flying the flag at the moment and have been for a while.
R3claimer117
Member
Lol can’t wait for all the warriors to defend this yet talk out their ass how gamepass is full of FUD and waters down game development.
ReBurn
Gold Member
If the make a game good enough to make the company then they probably won't have anything to worry about.
Kumomeme
Member
it could be worse if it Sony.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
And that's great for gamers. It'll pressure all devs to up their game quality to get on GP. And if they don't then sell it normally for $20. And if the market trends to more and more sub plans, where people only care about sub plan games, then make a game people care enough to buy it.
No different than a supplier trying to get a product listed in Costco. There's only so many skid slots to go around. It's not ike a grocery store or Walmart with a crazy number of items sold in each store.
If you want a piece of Costco, you better make something good or they'll tell you to get lost.
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Yoboman
Member
In a future where everything is expected to be part of a subscription they will make a fraction of what they might have in years gone by
Topher
Identifies as young
I think the "concern" here is just whiny bullshit.
ReBurn
Gold Member
And we know this, how? We don't know that there will be a future like that much less one where indie developers will make less money. Today a decent chunk of them rely on deception and return policies that ensure they don't have to give money back for terrible games to stay afloat. I'm fine with a subscription future choking out the development of terrible games.
Magic Carpet
Gold Member
It's simply simple. It's simple to make simple games today. Simply anyone can do it. Anyone does so simply they get them simply done.
Mobile markets are simply a good example of simply simple.
It's such a simple problem that Apple simply had to do create something simple. A paid for service that simply picks something simply good to play.
Mobile markets are simply a good example of simply simple.
It's such a simple problem that Apple simply had to do create something simple. A paid for service that simply picks something simply good to play.
GigaBowser
The bear of bad news
People turning on indie devs and embracing big subscription services GaaS microtransaction hell in this very thread
A.Romero
Member
The same way it has always been. Back then during the Nintendo days it would be really difficult, almost impossible to get a game off the ground even if it was good. If the gatekeepers didn't like it you were fucked. PC didn't have the ecosystem to sustain it.
Nowadays? Devs can:
- Use crowfunding
- Fund it the old fashion way: eating ramen
- Appeal to one of the big ones (they will only shell out if it's a sure thing)
- Publish it on smartphones by paying like $50 for a license
- Publish it on Steam
- Publish it on Indiegala, humble store, GOG or all the stores available
No option will disappear because Microsoft is expanding or any other company for that matter.
It's never been easier to create and publish games. The only challenge remaining is to actually make a good game that people want to play. I mean, look at Among Us...
Nowadays? Devs can:
- Use crowfunding
- Fund it the old fashion way: eating ramen
- Appeal to one of the big ones (they will only shell out if it's a sure thing)
- Publish it on smartphones by paying like $50 for a license
- Publish it on Steam
- Publish it on Indiegala, humble store, GOG or all the stores available
No option will disappear because Microsoft is expanding or any other company for that matter.
It's never been easier to create and publish games. The only challenge remaining is to actually make a good game that people want to play. I mean, look at Among Us...
Bo_Hazem
Banned
I don't know, mate. I take Kena, Limbo, Valiant Hearts, and the likes. So it should be something pretty good. But what I see is mostly turd 8-bit games and shovelware. Are there gems hidden within that mess? Probably, but extremely few. And sorry, high production AAA quality games are what driving innovation much more than a good indie here and there.
I would rather have those shovelware thrown in a separate category as "indies" so I can avoid them like cancer. If there is a cool game like Sifu or Kena we'll hear about them because quality has its way to rise above all.
EDIT: Typos ffs
@SpongebobSquaredance
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LQX
Member
I hear what they're saying, but like many others are saying, GamePass is the only reason I even try some these smaller indie games. Moreover, I sort of think they clutter the market, so some of the the standout ones getting more recognition with GamePass I sort of think is a good thing.
nush
Member
So true as a console gamer "500+ games on sale this week" means I'll be scrolling through pages of games that present themselves as absolute fucking trash just to find the games with a decent level of quality for my expensive gamebox. All the warning signs are right there in the name of the indie game and the content and artwork quality of the logo tile before I even click it.
This is why publishers exist, to weed out all of that shit.
GigaBowser
The bear of bad news
That's why the internet exists, to get reviews and recommendations of indie games in genres that interest you.
nush
Member
The publishers filter that shit for you before you get to needing to browse 1000's of reviews.
GigaBowser
The bear of bad news
I usually start on google by typing "best indie games in the ______ genre" and a similar list of 20-30 games will pop up in various articles and then to be sure I like it I watch a game play video.
Takes 10 minutes of research.
nush
Member
My point was that indie games clog up the stores with shit. NOT "How can I find the good indie games?".
Fare thee well
Neophyte
We'll see about that. I'm a stubborn bastard. If I can't find games I like (and I always do), then I would play no games. At the end of the day, the names, the money, the financial warfare... it doesn't matter to me. Others, yes, they will settle for less; they'll slowly take the grindy, lifeless, NFT, microtransaction, storyvoid dick up their ass. But not me. If you make a solid game out of passion and dedication, I'm finding you. So if you're Indie and you got the chops for quality, you got nothing to fear with me.
RoyalLaFlame
Banned
But other platforms still exist? Game Pass being on Xbox doesn't mean they can't sell their games on the platform, right?
I do understand your concern, but as long as other platforms exist, and Xbox still allows to buy those games, I don't see Xbox gatekeeping anything. That might change in the future if Game Pass becomes the ultimate gaming service, which basically will change the industry to "if you're not on gamepass, no one gives a shit about your game", forcing devs to concede to game pass. But I think it's too early to tell. The only gaming service like that right now is Apple Arcade because most of the games there you can't even buy, only available through the subscription.
And to be honest, I don't think they will forfeit individual downloads because games don't stay on GamePass forever (minus 1st Party games), so having the option to buy the game anyway at a later date will still bring MS some extra sales.
GigaBowser
The bear of bad news
Shiiiiiit..... small game devs getting bbc'ed
Heimdall_Xtreme
Hermen Hulst Fanclub's #1 Member
OMG that horrible!!Somebody save the indie devs that make games that mostly just bloat the store and disturb your way looking for good games to buy.
Save the índies devs!!
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I like how there are MULTIPLE threads on this forum fully expecting the PlayStation 5 to outsell the Xbox. We even had a thread with analysts saying Sony would outsell xbox 2:1 in 2022 and YOU posted in that thread.
And now, here you are asking everyone to take an article seriously that goes “if Gamepass becomes the only way to play games…”.
Can you explain how you expect Gamepass to be main way to play games when everyone is forecasting that PlayStation would significantly outsell Xbox this gen?
S
SpongebobSquaredance
Unconfirmed Member
I don't know, mate. I take Returnal, Nioh, Breath of the Wild, and the likes. So it should be something pretty good. But what I see is mostly unfinished or creatively bankrupt sequels of mediocre games, that were unimaginative to begin, sold with predatory measures and (literally) shovelware. Is there gems hidden in that mess? Probably, but extremely few. And sorry, indies creating and vastly evolving gameplay concepts along with bringing some of them back, is what's driving innovation much more than a good AAA here and there, and what's making gaming as a whole more varied and imaginative,
I would rather have those shovelware thrown in a separate category as "junk food" so I can avoid them like cancer. If there is a cool game like Metro or Returnal we'll here about them becauss quality has its way to riss above all.
Kagey K
Banned
Because in the current timetable if supply constraints continue MS is going to be even with PS by Q3 this year.
Not because of games or marketing, but by production numbers.
Bernd Lauert
Banned
Indies are thriving on Gamepass. The dev mentioned in the article is also on Gamepass, and likely got a nice lump of money for her game. I don't really see the issue. Just make good games.
91. The Pros and Cons of Microsoft Buying Activision Blizzard - Play, Watch, Listen
This week, it's just Alanah and Mike, ready to discuss what will undoubtedly be the biggest gaming news of 2022.
Aligns with my pov, as long as Sony/MS competes for indies then that level of developers will be fine, they just have to mine other goldmines.
Right. So forget this year.
Looking forward. Isn’t the general consensus here on GAF that the PS5 will still outsell the Xbox Series significantly ?
It’s mind-boggling silly to see these analysis, see the posts about Steam hitting record high CCUs and then folks going “what if Gamepass subscriptions become the major way to play games?”
Kagey K
Banned
I've never seen anyone suggest that you should only be able to get you game through a subscription.
I think everyone here agrees buy what you want, rent want you want, play it all.
Anyone that disagrees with the above statement isn't a true gamer as far as I'm concerned
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Would never have bought and tried unpacking, sable, moving out, telling lies, 12 minutes..the list goes on and on….if it wasn’t for game pass.
assurdum
Banned
Probably there would be even more articles like this lol.
Kagey K
Banned
Only about how great it was, and why they were doing the right thing.
Like the stories I've seen about how great Sony is for letting COD go and now they can do thier own thing.
Fucking ridiculous
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Bernd Lauert
Banned
Literal dozens of indie games come out every single day. Most devs should be happy with peanuts, because 90% of them make 0 profits.
assurdum
Banned
Don't say bullshit come on. Articles already said they are finished for this acquisition and they have to comeback, just imagine what they would have said if Sony was behind such acquisitions lol
nikolino840
Member
I don't get It...whats the problem with boyfriend dungeon and Activision?
Kagey K
Banned
Really?
assurdum
Banned
Yeah the same site if I'm not wrong written such article.
Chukhopops
Member
When a dev is paid upfront to put a game on GP, they don’t have to make it permanently exclusive to MS.
Also it’s not exactly peanuts they get:
I see it as a net positive that indie devs don’t have to bootstrap their initial development, benefit from the marketing and don’t instantly die if their game doesn’t blow up in sales on other storefronts.
Team Andromeda
Member
Lefty BBC News LOL> They're a JOKE and know nothing about competition with their outdated and unfair TV Tax model here in the UK.
Link?
Yoboman
Member
And on occasions you get a Minecraft, PUBG, Rocket League or Among Us that become massive hits. What happens then? Does MS pay them more?
assurdum
Banned
No worries, I would like to comment that it isn't uncommon for different writers for one site to have different opinions.
As always, it depends on the contracts that they have with the platform holders. Some indie games gets paid largely as a single fee, some will be based on engagement and some will be a combination.