Is Minecraft still Indie?

Is Minecraft still an Indie Game? Everyone here at the Indie Game Magazine has been struggling with this very question and the ramifications of covering the behemoth that is Minecraft. Quite a few arguments have arose and both sides seem to have excellent points. In this article, I am going to try and layout some of the debates that we have had internally and try and present both sides of the argument. At the end, we’re going to ask our readers to help us come to a conclusion and weigh in on the subject.

[wallis]

No, Notch pretty much said that himself.

"I don't think [Mojang is] indie in the sense of how I used to work any more," Perrson said during an interview with PC Gamer, "because we have a payroll to worry about and we need to do stuff to ensure the company lasts."

Source: http://www.escapistmagazine...

Indie is a term that was culturally designed for practical reasons - to identify a subset of developers that lie outside of the mainstream influence? Why? Because a lack of money affects their development in a number of ways resulting in developers who not only work their sacks off (an admirable and endearing quality) but also have total creative freedom. It identifies a risk, a lifestyle and an approach to gaming inherently limited by budget. Independent may technically refer to someone free from a publisher but considering Mojang is currently publishing multiple titles (Cobalt which he's aiding, and scrolls and 0x10c) then how can you possibly argue he's still indie?

He no longer identifies with the qualities that differentiate indie developers. He doesn't work into the night knowing CoD is going to gang rape his game's sales anyway. He doesn't sleep in a single bed wondering whether it was the right choice. He wakes up and sticks his feet in Gucci slippers and surfs his way to the kitchen on an endangered seal. There's no point having the term indie if it doesn't differentiate between people like that and the people who are programming till 3am wondering whether all this work will leave them in debt or feed them.

No he's not a dick like EA is but neither is Steam and no one's calling them indie. Why? Because valve surf to their kitchen on TWO endangered sales.