Over the last eight years, Sony’s internal studios and third-party partnerships have produced a famously long string of artistic, off-kilter, experimental console games. In a slightly abstract way, that trait is an extension of the platform holder’s philosophy since the days of the PS1. Who else was putting out games like Parappa the Rapper as triple-A releases back then? Who else would let a studio like Team Ico take 12 years (so far) to (not) complete a trilogy?
Hohokum is a puzzle game with a cool vibe and electronic soundtrack, originally appearing on PS3/4 and Vita, now ported to PC.
The composer behind Journey, Austin Wintory, recently had a chance to revisit the classic game, just in time for its tenth anniversary.
My fav indie game ever, played this on ps4 and ps5. Too bad it does not have a plat trophy.
Jenova Chen told us about the development of the game.
Because MS seems to keep making the mistake of thinking they're the only game in town and acting on it in the worst way?
Good read - might be nice to have this tagged with industry too.
Interesting but I think the author should have taken into consideration the medium from which kids are being introduced to games nowadays such as iPhones and other mobile devices. Furthermore, some of these arguments and points are loosely connected but others are spot on.
I'd also argue that the PC library has always been more diverse than console libraries because more than one company will make software available on it: Steam, Origin. Additionally, a market that is becoming more fragmented will probably not turn to PC gaming. I'd argue that PC gaming has "grown", even though it has consistently had the biggest number of the EA earnings report, because of a rise in indie games. Gamers don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a gaming platform for indie titles. In fact, indie titles are meant to be profitable because they too probably believe they won't sell that much. By owning a PC, gamers can have much better experiences with bigger and more developed games. Hence, why indies have a very small, in fact barely noticeable presence on PCs.
Lastly, what do indies bring to Sony's consoles? There are several things, but I hypothesize it is to combat mobile gaming which reaches far more consumers than either the Vita or the PS3.
Indies games gives no one an advantage. Even though we have better hardware, it doesn't change the indie scene that much. The titles will still be low budget and every now and then there will be a game that will spark the interest of the masses.
Might secure some new first party studios from it.