The likes of Grand Theft Auto VI or the inevitable The Witcher IV are likely to be monumental moments in gaming. Akin to a big leap forward, AAA games that define an era’s quality, style, and influence stand to live on years after their release. When we look at gaming as an entertainment market, however, is the path toward some semblance of stability in the world of indie development?

Nobody looks at a Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and thinks it’s an indie game, but it is. I don’t want to spend time on the outsourced dev positions or the fact that the main cog of Sandfall Interactive is former Ubisoft employees. The fact is that Expedition 33, a Game of the Year for countless gamers and media outlets, is an indie title.

When we think of an indie game, we tend to think small. We think about unique art styles that go against the grain of a AAA title. We might even consider a lower price tag, since many indie studios have fewer people and use fewer resources. A few other qualities however, point to what makes indie devs work so well.

For starters, they don’t need to answer to a larger ownership. That’s not to say they don’t need to stay on budget or aim for a high-quality release. If anything, the lack of a safety net leaves many of these studios more vulnerable to closure. The difference is that major studios like the EA and Square Enix-types need home runs to even begin to pretend a game met expectations. After pouring resources into something, and a healthy dose of criticism and noting, they need blockbusters, not cult classics.

What makes a game sell well? The developer for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Ubisoft Montpellier, created what many believe to be an all-time great Metroidvania. Yet, when mega-publisher Ubisoft didn’t see the return it wanted, the studio was shuttered. That’s despite 1.3 million copies sold in its first year and 3 million players reached through things like Ubisoft+ and PlayStation Plus. 1.3 million copies could be a major win for a smaller team. Yacht Club Games is hoping to at least move 200,000 copies of Mina the Hollower to consider the project a success. It’s safe to assume 1.3 million copies could keep the studio around for another handful of projects.

But for Ubisoft, a publicly traded company, keeping the lights on and folks employed isn’t the goal. Shareholder value rules all, and as we’ve seen over the past 3 or 4 years in particular, sacrifices will not be made in the market. They’ll be made in staff reductions, studio closures, and the gaslighting of hard-working teams who are given the impossible task of striking gold with every swing of the pickaxe.

It’s not like after The Game Awards 2025 announcements, we saw that top-shelf studios are going away entirely. I just think in a year where three of the five Game of the Year nominees were indies, followed by a handful of years of record profits for execs but massive layoffs for actual talent, we’re at a crossroads. Change is slow, always has been, always will be, as J. Cole said. We just might be nearing a point where the feasibility of quality, memorable games isn’t coming from indie studios as an outlier but as the norm in an industry that those at the top didn’t ever understand in the first place.

Where do games go in 2026 and beyond? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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