When someone talks about video games, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Some might think about genres like horror games. Others may think of specific games like Roblox or Overwatch. Most people’s perceptions of video games are shaped by what’s advertised on social media. However, the gaming industry has been going through a significant shift for the past 10 years. Triple A games have long been the front of the gaming industry, yet there’s recently been a change. In the mid 2010s, there’s been a resurgence of indie games that have caused consumers to become a lot more focused on them instead of Triple A ones. Indie games used to be constantly overshadowed by games put out by large corporations. However, this dynamic has been changing in recent years. Rather than being focused on games put out by huge companies, people have begun to show interest in the once less noticed indie games.
What are Triple A games?
If you’re just starting to explore the dynamics of the gaming industry, a term you’ll often hear thrown around is “AAA game,” or more often referred to as a Triple A game. These are games well-funded by big corporations that focus on trying to deliver games to a large audience, mainly with the interest of getting money out of it. Triple A games have huge teams of developers and designers working on them, teams that exist solely to put out games quickly and efficiently. Triple A games have to be careful not to make any risky decisions so their games sell well to the public and aren’t seen as too controversial. This caution causes many Triple A games to be similar, with many common tropes like shooter games or RPGs (Role-Play Games).
Triple A games used to dominate the gaming industry, putting out hugely popular games such as the GTA franchise, Apex Legends, and Assassin’s Creed, just to name a few. These games are high-budget and high cost, making billions across the world. Triple A games belong to big companies who focus on pushing out quick releases, using their large teams to create high quality gameplay with extremely good graphics. These companies usually don’t work on just games and often branch out to other industries. Two of the most popular companies that own Triple A games while not being predominantly focused on the gaming industry are Sony and Microsoft. These companies own many popular games such as The Last of Us (owned by Sony) and Call of Duty (owned by Microsoft).
There are also many Triple A studios that focus mainly or exclusively on games. Some of the most popular ones are Riot Games, Square Enix, and Ubisoft. Square Enix has put out popular releases like Final Fantasy while Ubisoft has had popular releases such as Assassin’s Creed. An extremely popular Triple A studio right now is Riot Games, owning extremely popular releases like League of Legends and Valorant, both of these games doing extremely well with quick and consistent updates and gameplay built to be addictive.
What is an indie game?
Indie games are created by small independent developers. These games focus less on trying to make a profit and are pushed more by their actual passion for creating games instead. It’s important to note that these developers are completely independent of a larger corporation because it gives them a lot more creative freedom. Indie games are able to release whatever they want on their own schedule, and they don’t have to worry about it not being widely loved by the public. They’re more focused on their vision for the game rather than how other people may perceive it.
Indie games are extremely unique, a quality that is less commonly seen in Triple A games. These bigger titles often push the same concepts due to their need to be safe with what they put out. Indie games take risks, making them more innovative and creative. It’s often very difficult to see many indie games that appear to be extremely similar to each other.
Indie games have been around for a long time, and although they were often overshadowed by Triple A games, some of them have become extremely popular over the years. Some of the most notable ones include Undertale, Stardew Valley, Omori, and Hollow Knight. These games, although made by just a small group of developers — with the exception of Stardew Valley being created by just one developer — have become extremely popular. While you can tell that these indie games are very different from Triple A games at first glance, they have a more unique artistic style that you wouldn’t often see in the often realistic graphics of Triple A games. They are also vastly different in game mechanics and plot, featuring creative storylines and unique styles of gameplay. Many Triple A games lack this, as they focus less on an intriguing storyline and more on sticking to what’s safe and known to be marketable.
Why is the Triple A game industry failing?
In the past couple of years, Triple A games have been slowly becoming less and less attractive to consumers. This is because Triple A games have been becoming more generic. These big corporations have been focusing too much on trying to make as much money as they possibly can off of their players, stopping them from and taking big risks. Instead, they just continue to release the same concepts in every single game that they make. They focus on improving the little things, such as getting better graphics rather than more creative gameplay itself. The result is Triple A games becoming more bland in terms of plot to the point that people don’t want to play them anymore.
Triple A games have also been seen as more money hungry. Not only are they focusing on trying to make quicker releases, but they’re also trying to make more money off of each one. Rather than just releasing the games, they’ve started to add things such as preorders. Instead of just giving the player everything once they’ve bought the game, there’s now things such as battlepasses and weapon skins that players have to pay for individually now. Although this doesn’t hinder the actual gameplay, it’s a constant annoyance to players and shows how desperately these Triple A companies just want to make money.
How indie games are the next big thing
Because of the fall of Triple A games, indie games have had the chance to shine. These are games that have required lots and lots of innovation to make. They don’t have to follow any company guidelines and don’t focus on just trying to make money. As a result, indie game developers have a lot more creative freedom to make their vision come to life. Unlike Triple A games, which often feel repetitive as studios stick to what they think to be failure-proof methods to guarantee profits, indie games are refreshingly unique.
Indie developers, while being the underdogs of the gaming industry, create games fueled by passion rather than profit. This creative passion allows them to explore new bold methods of creating games, including innovative gameplay mechanics, unconventional storylines, and artistic styles that all challenge the status quo. These new groundbreaking game designs are viewed with enthusiasm as gamers all flock towards the newest indie games. One gamer, Jack Lau’26, said, “I think indie games have a lot more soul in them, not in the least due to the fact that the developers truly love the game and creating a story. I think you can feel that passion in the end product, rather than the mass-produced Triple A games that are seemingly made only for profit.” Additionally, indie games are far more budget-friendly, making them accessible to a broader audience, while Triple A titles are often more expensive to play.
Another feature of indie games is the developers’ close relationship with their community. Instead of doing things completely on their own without any outside input, many actively seek advice and feedback during alpha and beta testing phases, creating a personal and collaborative experience that Triple A studios rarely achieve. Together, these factors make indie games not only a breath of fresh air but also the future of the gaming industry.
Indie developers, while being the underdogs of the gaming industry, create games fueled by passion rather than profit. This creative passion allows them to explore new bold methods of creating games, including innovative gameplay mechanics, unconventional storylines, and artistic styles that all challenge the status quo.