Indie vs. AAA: Why Smaller Studios Are Winning Over Gamers

Following the recent trends in the gaming industry, releasing an AAA game doesn’t mean you’ll be successful. In fact, it’s almost counterproductive, especially when it feels like no thought was put into the game.

At the same time, the smaller indie studios look like they’re doing more than just fine. So, why is all of that happening? What do those terms even mean? Just give me a moment and I’ll answer all the questions and much more in this article. Firstly, let’s get over the terms and what they actually mean.

What Are Indie Games?

Indie games is a shorthand term for independent games which means that a video game was created by an individual or a smaller development team.

For the most part, those games have little to no support (money or tech) from big game publishers. Which also means they solely sell the digital copies of the games, mainly because they’re funding themselves and making physical copies would be a big risk.

There are cases where some indie companies decide to go the crowdfunding route. If they reach their desired goal, they send physical copies and other goodies to certain backers of the project as a sort of a thanks for believing in them.

There are tons of great, talented people who have amazing ideas and skills to make it but they just need a little support from others. If you are passionate about gaming and are blessed enough to be able to do something like that, you definitely should. Do your due diligence, see if something catches your eye and you can support them with however much you feel is appropriate.

Here are some examples of popular games made by indie studios:

Hades: This is a rogue-like game with Greek mythology and fun combat. See my full review here.
Hollow Knight: A challenging Metroidvania with hand-drawn visuals, deep lore, and atmospheric exploration. See my full review here.
Stardew Valley: A relaxing farming simulator with rich community interactions and endless content.
Cult of the Lamb: A quirky roguelike that mixes dungeon crawling with cult management, offering a unique blend of gameplay.
Cuphead: Known for its 1930s cartoon art style and challenging boss battles.
Night in the Woods: A narrative-driven adventure exploring themes of adulthood, featuring memorable characters.
Dead Cells: A roguelike action platformer with dynamic combat and procedural generation.

What Are AAA Games?

This term feels more and more like something that is just thrown around to let the players know that the developers and publishers wasted millions and millions on development of the game and even more on marketing. Which doesn’t always mean that the game was made for players and their enjoyment. Or that the game is flawless without any issues. Which we all know in fact, that’s not the case. Aside from the few ones that actually delivered, you know which games I’m talking about.

What this term was supposed to mean is that a game is developed by a dedicated game development company that has various teams, experts and tons of financial backing.

And sometimes having all of this is just not enough, because some person on top just won’t let the talented people they hire do what they hired them for but instead just push them to meet the deadline no matter the outcome. Again, kudos to the exceptions.

Here are some examples of successful AAA games:

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: A critically acclaimed sequel offering a massive open-world adventure with innovative gameplay mechanics and deep storytelling.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty: With significant updates and a story expansion, this futuristic RPG has redeemed itself after a rough launch, offering immersive narratives and gameplay.
Final Fantasy VII Remake: A modern reimagining of a beloved classic with enhanced graphics, real-time combat, and expanded lore.
DOOM Eternal: A fast-paced first-person shooter that continues the series’ legacy of intense action and hellish visuals.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: An open-world action RPG set in Viking-era England, praised for its storytelling and visuals.

And here are some of the biggest AAA game flops:

Skull & Bones: After years of development, Ubisoft’s pirate adventure suffered from shallow gameplay, lack of meaningful content, and ongoing delays. It failed to meet the hype, leaving players unimpressed.
Concord: Sony’s online hero shooter lasted just 11 days before being shut down due to poor engagement, outdated mechanics and a $40 price tag when all its competitors are free to play.
Marvel’s Avengers: Despite a star-studded cast and potential for a great superhero experience, Marvel’s Avengers was hindered by repetitive gameplay, a lackluster story, and a failed live-service model.
Fallout 76: Another game that was hyped but plagued by technical issues, bugs, and lackluster content. The combination of poor reviews and a rushed release led to significant damage to the franchise’s reputation.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League: Developed by Rocksteady, this game was marred by lackluster combat, repetitive missions, and heavy reliance on live-service elements. Its weak launch performance caused financial setbacks for Warner Bros., further exacerbated by negative reviews and limited replayability.

What’s the Difference? Which One is Better?

On one hand we got a company with all sorts of teams filled with a bunch of people and on other hand we got either one person or just a small team made out of few people. So the one is obviously better than the other one right? Well it’s hard to make such statements and be right all the time.

Indie games/companies are all about freedom and creativity. They don’t have big publishers breathing down their necks, so they can take “risks” and try out new ideas that might be considered wild by some.

Usually, it’s a small team or just one passionate person with a specific idea in mind. This leads to some of the most unique and innovative games out there. Additionally, indie game developers are in touch with their players, most of the time directly communicating with them, listening to the feedback and constantly improving on it.

Besides that, Indie games are usually way cheaper than most of the AAA titles. So for one AAA title, you can get a few Indie games that can give you way more enjoyment. That’s why so many of those high budget games flopped recently and many Indie games are prospering.

Will It Change?

The question now poses itself — is this a temporary trend or will this be a permanent thing? Will AAA games continue to flop while indie games thrive? One thing is for sure, nothing is permanent in this accursed world. In the end, it doesn’t even matter, as long as they keep making great games whether they’re indie companies or some rich companies, people will be happy.

Final words of wisdom

I really enjoyed talking about this topic and I’ll try to cover more on it in the future. For now make sure to stay safe, enjoy gaming, and have a nice holiday. And not to be pushy, but I’ll say it one more time — make sure to check out one of those talented/amazing people and support them in any way, at least sharing their work with others.