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gi.biz: The Nintendo Switch indie gold rush

Z

Zedark

Member
Jonneh3003 said:
Who's buying Yono next week? It looks so jolly.

zarvkkcsqjcrvzuet4vz.gif
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Looks so good! Will wait for some impressions, but it's definitely in my crosshairs.
 
H

Hero

Member
This is what I said before Switch launched, that Nintendo and indies could benefit from the hesitation from the AAA developers. Glad to see the strategy paid off.
 
A

Aaron D.

Member
It's really exciting to see indies embracing Switch.

I don't own the console yet but seeing the digital-only catalog continue to grow makes an ever compelling argument.

I think it's great that big games like Doom are making their way to the system, but when I think of portable gaming I'm more drawn to the likes of Stardew Valley.

I'm so happy that Nintendo is finding success with Switch and I hope 3rd party support flourishes on the new hardware.
 
Z

zelas

Member
Every indie out there who has paid any attention is aware of both the indieapocalypse and the new storefront gold rush cycle.
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It can lead only to exactly one thing; more competition being acutely sensitive about time to market, and doing everything they can to be one of the actors benefiting from the brief period of low competition.
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There's always going to be a window of opportunity for anyone competent launching a game early in the life of a device; it's high demand, low supply.
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So basically indies are benefitting from Switch still not having big third party support. Something we've seen happen with other platforms. And yet it's a disputed narrative that Switch's library is lacking for the majority of consumers that care about those third party games.
 
D

DrGrus

Member
AdropOFvenom said:
Call me skeptical that there will be the "AAA" rush still.

Sure, we'll get sporadic titles that are extremely downscaled in order to get running on Switch occasionally, like the Doom port. And certainly not same date release with any other version of the game. But then, it's a matter of priorities for the consumer, do you want to wait maybe a year to play a lesser looking version of the game in favor of portable? And at the price point that AAA developers charge, buying both seems less viable. That's less of a choice for Indie games where there's still graphical parity and with recent sales on Switch, more likely to be same day releases going forward.

But I don't think a dozen or so of those AAA ports is really going to impact the Indie market much.
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This whole argument is based around people owning another console on top of Switch.

I do not own a PS4 or a Xbox One and I mostly game on my two years old laptop plus some retro consoles. I cannot see myself having the time to buy both a PS4 and a Switch. So if I bought a Switch then that would be my platform of choice. If the game is released later that doesn't matter as I do not have another system to game on.
 
C

Coiote

Member
I don't know if I expect an indieapocalypse. I don't see the AAA coming in droves to the switch. The platform may become the Indie Heaven that the Vita would be, if it was successful. Nintendo needs only to curate and market these games.

I am still waiting for the Undertale port though.
 
D

DriftingSpirit

Member
Yeah, it reminds me of the PS4. The devs who get in early will see the most benefit over the Switch's life. As more and more games (particularly, AAA games) release on the platform, the less visibility for these smaller titles. So they need to get in there while the potential for notable success is high.
 
P

peanutbutterlatte

Member
I remember on 3DS each relatively decent indie game would be promoted heavily and it would be a big point of focus.

With the Switch I’m struggling. So many indie titles coming out! I want Golf Story, Axiom Verge, and Stardew Valley to name a few, but I just spent my money on Steamworld 2. That goes without saying all the titles I’d love to repurchase.

The thing is a Vita successor to me; playing indie games on a HD screen in portable form factor.
 
Z

Zedark

Member
zelas said:
So basically indies are benefitting from Switch still not having big third party support. Something we've seen happen with other platforms. And yet it's a disputed narrative that Switch's library is lacking for the majority of consumers that care about those third party games.
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There's a reason why it's disputed: numbers from NPD showed that retail sales for Switch games were some of the best, and likely the best when you assess retail + digital, of any Nintendo platform launch aligned since 1995. People are buying retail games in droves, they're just also buying a lot of digital-only indies.
 
C

Coxy100

Banned
Switch is the first console where I've owned more digital titles than physical.

I would always choose physical over digital - but damn there are some great digital only games out so for the first time ever (since the late 80's..!) I have more digital over physical.
 
F

Forkball

Member
People are exaggerating. Indies are selling now because Switch owners are literally starving for content. They call the left and right joycons the fork and spoon. Switch carrying cases are known as fridges. The eShop is also called "The Soup Kitchen" and eShop cards are ration tickets. DLC is a second helping.

Am I getting through to you people here?
 
C

Coiote

Member
Forkball said:
People are exaggerating. Indies are selling now because Switch owners are literally starving for content. They call the left and right joycons the fork and spoon. Switch carrying cases are known as fridges. The eShop is also called "The Soup Kitchen" and eShop cards are ration tickets. DLC is a second helping.

Am I getting through to you people here?
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?

I already have a huge back log on the switch. We are not starving.

OrbitalBeard said:
Sweeeeeet, I'd love Spelunky on Switch and he's also working on UFO 50. Bring me both pleeeeeeease!
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To me, my dream ports are Pillars of Eternity I & II. I would want Divinity 2, but I don't expect it to run well on the switch.
 
T

Tazmin

Neo Member
Forkball said:
People are exaggerating. Indies are selling now because Switch owners are literally starving for content. They call the left and right joycons the fork and spoon. Switch carrying cases are known as fridges. The eShop is also called "The Soup Kitchen" and eShop cards are ration tickets. DLC is a second helping.

Am I getting through to you people here?
Click to expand...
😂😂😂
 
T

ThoseDeafMutes

Member
Sales seem to be currently very good on the platform. When more and more games come to the platform, both indie and otherwise, it's going to start suffering from the same, broadly unsolved discoverability issues that plague other storefronts. The highly limited state of the current eShop functionality / sorting makes it particularly vulnerable, so I hope they fix that up very soon.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
GI.biz said:
With major AAA publishers taking a cautious approach to the console, and with Nintendo spacing out its AAA titles throughout the year, there's been a big opportunity for smaller developers
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That's what people have been saying (which was met with ridicule by some very eager Nintendo fans). Indies found a great niche on Switch due to the absence of support from major third parties, but also because indies made games that cater to the Switch/Nintendo audience really well.

So would games from major third parties have sold really well on Switch had there been support as someone in this thread suggested? That's debatable. Most of the big AAA games cater to a rather different target audience than the very successful indie titles on Switch.
 
P

Platy

Member
Forkball said:
People are exaggerating. Indies are selling now because Switch owners are literally starving for content. They call the left and right joycons the fork and spoon. Switch carrying cases are known as fridges. The eShop is also called "The Soup Kitchen" and eShop cards are ration tickets. DLC is a second helping.

Am I getting through to you people here?
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meanwhile in the article sub title

In a week where 18 Switch games hit the eShop, we ask developers: Is it already becoming saturated?
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it is both starved and saturated at the same time
 
T

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
Nintendo has done well to court independent developers. The messaging isn't always perfect, with 'Nindies' implying a kind of ownership that is dissonant.
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Yeah I'm not a fan of the Nindies phrase anymore either. It made some degree of sense on the WiiU and 3DS where games were often custom developed by people making a passion project for Nintendo platforms, but most eShop games these days are just...indie games
 
S

Skittzo0413

Member
My Switch library is starting to come close in size to my Steam library. That I've been adding to for at least 6 years now.

It's not just a matter of getting in while the competition is low and the visibility is high, which, don't get me wrong is definitely a huge factor. It's also that- for some people like me- I have a lot more time available to play games on the Switch than I have on any of my previous consoles purely due to its hardware, so I am hungry for more and more games. There's a reason the Vita was also such an indie haven- being a portable opens up a lot more time for gaming and requires very little effort to play at least a little bit of a game.

In my experience this has not been the case for TV-bound consoles or PC.

Colonel Mustard said:
Divinity 2 is probably coming, actually. :)
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I saw that the other day, funnily enough I think the audience that bought Mario + Rabbids could be interested in that too. The games seem wildly different from first glance but a lot of the strategic elements are similar (at least to the original which I played on PC).

I'd be all over that on Switch. No time for PC gaming these days.
 
Toadthemushroom

Toadthemushroom

Member
Forkball said:
People are exaggerating. Indies are selling now because Switch owners are literally starving for content. They call the left and right joycons the fork and spoon. Switch carrying cases are known as fridges. The eShop is also called "The Soup Kitchen" and eShop cards are ration tickets. DLC is a second helping.

Am I getting through to you people here?
Click to expand...

Think you're on to something here

source.gif
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Always interesting to see how well Indies do on launch consoles in the months following release or even years. The serious lack of competition really lets a lot of games shine, especially with an ever growing audience hungry for more content. Didn't something like this happen on the PS4 after it launched and there weren't a ton of options outside of the couple of AAA games on the system and what have you? I remember Indies doing great.
 
P

phanphare

Banned
honestly for the quality indie titles out there and in the future I don't think it'll ever be too late. obviously that cuts out a lot of stuff that gets released but in the future even if the eshop is crowded the Nintendo audience has shown a willingness to buy downloadable indie games if they're of a high quality. this has been true for the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS. couple that with the Switch's hybrid design and being an amazing piece of hardware specifically for indie games (think Vita on steroids) and I think many games in 2018 and beyond will find a home on Switch.

basically the end of the article mirrors my feelings and because so many indie games are in genres that appeal to the Nintendo audience (pure platformers, exploration heavy platformers, arcade type experiences, puzzle games, brawlers, couch coop, etc. etc.) I think there will always be an audience on Switch for indie titles, it'll just be paramount in the future to make sure your game is quality and that the audience lines up.

I'm loving it. the Switch is killing it right now from a software perspective and a big part of that is all these indie games filling in the gaps of the big Nintendo games.
 
J

jwhit28

Member
I hope Nintendo keeps the promotion of the indies up and doesn't pull a Sony. I know most of the games are also on the Steam but it's so much easier to come across games on the Switch and I don't think it will ever be as flooded as Steam.
 
L

Lonely1

Unconfirmed Member
Cerium said:
I wonder if it was the deal with Sony that led Nintendo to prioritize other titles.
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They had a deal with Sony? On what did it consisted? If it was an exclusivity window, I can see how they had low priority when the devkits were scarce.
 
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