An Idea That Sells
Just like in any business, indie game development will always start with an idea that sells. Now that game development is moving towards a new era of AR and VR, it is sure that the gaming industry will soar new heights in the years to come.
This might be a great time to start investing in a game development company. A single high-selling idea could become the next billion-dollar enterprise. Remember, even huge Triple-A game companies started as a small, independent firm.
Why do Indie Games Sell?
Mass-produced games always need to sell because of all the time and effort spent to create them. Big-named companies do not always take risks in creating new games. In comparison, indie games can be considerably cheaper to create. Risks become less of a burden if the games flop.
Interestingly, gamers enjoy the pride of discovering cool, highly-entertaining games created by individuals or small firms. Many indie games have excellent gaming experiences and could be better compared to their Triple-A counterparts. For many independent game companies, creativity and art are so much more valued compared to its high-selling counterparts.
There are multiple resources online that teach individuals to create their own games. There are also a variety of tools available to enable an individual or a small group of people to build their games. This is good enough proof that designers do not necessarily need the support of big corporations to create great games. A good storyline, impressive visual quality, and enjoyable gameplay could change the game for any indie game developer.
This could be exemplified by games developed by small firms or individuals that became viral downloads. This includes Flappy Bird, Rocket Star, and Geopoly, among others.
The Downside of Indie Games
Of course, any independent industry will have its downsides. One of its biggest problems would be errors and bugs. Although independent game devs have teams to deal with such issues, the triple-A counterparts have chat or email support ready to assist gamers anytime there is an issue. This is what independent game developers need to develop to be able to compete with their big-name counterparts.
Moreover, games that are simply mediocre or competent don’t always compare to triple-A games. The game has to be interesting, creative, and highly sellable. All indie games that went viral in the past are those with original gameplays and creativity that sell.
Where to Get Investments?
Now, one of the biggest problems any independent game developer would have is an investment. An individual could use money from their own pockets to create prototypes. However, creating a game for mass production needs some form of a bigger investment. There are multiple investment firms and companies that finance emerging companies as long as they believe the game idea is creative enough to sell. One of these would be the Chernin Group.
The Chernin Group (TCG) is an investment company that capitalizes on entertainment, technology, digital media, and sports. Founded in 2010, they have invested hundreds of millions in multiple emerging businesses. This includes Exploding Kittens, Headspace, Crunchyroll, among others.