Summary
FormerUbisoftdeveloper Davide Soliani and former Rockstar Games writer Christian Cantamessa have shared their thoughts on the video game industry, stating that it’s at a critical turning point as the success of indie games continues to rise.Ubisoftis one of the largest game studios globally, though the company has faced its share of underwhelming recent releases likeStar Wars Outlaws.Ubisoft is far from the only major studio experiencing setbacks, with companies like Electronic Arts and Activision having also launched highly anticipated titles that failed to meet expectations.
This recent wave of disappointing big-budget releases, combined with other factors, has sparked an industry shake-up, with some of the most well-known studios struggling to deliver. Last year,Ubisoft announced mass layoffs, a move that mirrored similar actions from other industry giants like Bethesda and Epic Games. Despite these challenges, the industry is still producing excellent games; the difference is that many of them are now coming from independent studios rather than the major players.
In a recentinterview with VGC, Soliani and Cantamessa discussed their new indie studio, Day 4 Night, and shared their thoughts on the current state of the industry. Cantamessa emphasized that “the industry is at a crossroads,” pointing out the massive financial investments required for modern AAA games and the negative impact on studios when those games fail to perform. He also mentioned that players are becoming increasingly drawn to unique titles, like those created by indie studios.
Former Ubisoft and Rockstar Employees Think Indie Games Will Become More Popular
Day 4 Night is currently developing its first title, which will be an entirely new IP. In the meantime, several indie studios have already achieved massive success.Larian Studios’Baldur’s Gate 3became a huge hit, while Supergiant Games’Hadesis another prime example of an indie title that gained both critical acclaim and commercial success.
In 2019,Mobius Digital releasedOuter Wilds, which many consider one of the best indie games of all time. The recent surge of high-quality titles from indie studios is a key factor driving growing player demand for games from this genre. In the interview, Cantamessa compared today’s gaming industry to the film industry of the late ’60s and early ’70s, noting that audiences are now craving indie games more and more over big studio productions.
With modern blockbuster games requiring more investment than ever, coupled with a demand shift toward more unique, personal titles, it’s a perfect storm for indie games to capture a larger share of the market. Events likeEA’s 16% drop in valuein a single week could become more common if major studios fail to adapt to these changing conditions.
