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The Guardian
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
These games were indie smash hits – but what happened next?
It is now more or less impossible to put a precise figure on the number of video games released each year. According to data published by the digital store Steam, almost 19,000 titles were released in 2024 – and that's just on one platform. Hundreds more arrived on consoles and smartphones. In some ways this is the positive sign of a vibrant industry, but how on earth does a new project get noticed? When Triple A titles with multimillion dollar marketing budgets are finding it hard to gain attention (disappointing sales have been reported for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the Final Fantasy VII remakes and EA Sports FC), what chance is there for a small team to break out? And yet it does happen. Last year's surprise hit Balatro has shifted more than 5m copies. Complex medieval strategy title Manor Lords sold 1m copies during its launch weekend. But what awaits a small developer after they achieve success? And what does success even mean in a continuously evolving industry? James Carbutt and Will Todd of Coal Supper are still trying to make sense of it. Their acerbic satire Thank Goodness You're Here!, in which players slap their way through bizarre quotidian scenarios in the fictional humble northern town of Barnsworth, is now an award-winning game. 'It's just not registered as a success in my head at all,' says Carbutt. 'The numbers are going up on screen, and there have been YouTube playthroughs and some erotic fan art. Beyond that, it won't register.' After spending three years working on the project, the pair now find themselves in the confusing glare of the spotlight, fielding questions about what's next. 'It's horrible,' Carbutt jokes. 'But I don't think we feel any sort of second-album syndrome. The space it gives you to be a bit introspective about what you want to do next is the interesting quirk of a successful indie game.' Veteran indie developer Gabe Cuzzillo (Ape Out, Baby Steps) offered them sage wisdom. 'He spoke about how you should focus not just on making something good – because how do you quantify that, it's amorphous?' says Todd. 'Instead we should look at what it is we want to explore and judge success intrinsically, based on whether we explored that thing. The pressure of speed to market doesn't apply to us, because it's never going to be possible to crank something out in six months to chase success anyway. It's more like, in the wake of this being received well, what's the next thing we want to explore? That's something we're interrogating at the moment.' Australian developer Grace Bruxner has also redefined success after leaving behind a trilogy of Frog Detective games: bite-size adventures co-developed with Thomas Bowker that quickly became cult indie hits. 'Success in games has always been a bit of a lie, a bit of an illusion,' she says, pointing to typical markers such as cultural impact, player numbers and financial gain. 'My measure of success is: did I make something I'm proud of, and has it impacted my life and other people's lives in a positive way? And yes, it did, so thumbs up.' Bruxner began working on the series during her final year at university as an experiment, to see whether she could produce a commercial game. After a relatively breezy first outing, the second Frog Detective game demanded that Bruxner and Bowker lock in, and spend most of their time on the project. By the third instalment, the hard work had paid off, though the pressure had begun to take its toll. Throw in the pandemic, as well as mental and physical health issues, and Bruxner was ready to take a break. 'I wasn't grinding super hard, but I also wasn't having a great time,' she says. 'It just was really nice to make that choice to stop.' Sign up to Pushing Buttons Keza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gaming after newsletter promotion Bruxner still has game ideas swirling in the back of her head, but she wanted to escape the endless production cycle that has swallowed up many of her peers, regardless of mounting exhaustion or burnout. 'It's not universal advice,' she says, 'but if you're a solo dev or a really small team, I don't think there's any shame in leaving it there. Unless you love making games. I'm not sure I love making games. I was quite young when we released the first Frog Detective, so it was like, 'This is my entire identity for life. I don't know how to be a separate person from that.' Three years after the series' swan song, she is on indefinite hiatus, exploring alternative creative paths – such as pottery. 'I can't imagine making games, because of the expectations on me as a creator,' she explains. 'I don't even know where I would go from here.' Bruxner has been surprised by her ability to sustain herself on the modest amount of money provided by Frog Detective. 'If your game continues to have a tail, and you can budget properly and live within your means, it is possible to have a passive income that isn't tied to being a horrible landlord,' she explains. Even so, she knows how taboo it can be to talk plainly about money, especially in creative circles like the indie game scene. 'I have the free time to chill and decide what I want to do, but I assume at some point I'll probably need to have a career again. My biggest question is will this money last forever? Probably not, and then what happens when it runs out? I don't know.' It may seem as though more indies than ever have broken into the spotlight in recent years. But enduring games industry turbulence has made finding financial support for follow-ups and debuts more complicated. 'The elephant in the room is everything that's happened over the past couple of years, with mass layoffs, studio closures and evaporating funding opportunities,' explains AP Thomson, a developer of the forthcoming indie Consume Me with fellow NYU Game Center graduate Jenny Jiao Hsia. 'Before that, there was a pretty major change around the mid-2010s when indie publishers and funders started rising in prominence. Everything we've heard suggests that the same opportunities no longer exist or are incredibly limited.' Consume Me, the duo's coming-of-age scheduling RPG doesn't have a release date but has already been nominated for five gongs at the Independent Games Festival awards. As such, Jiao Hsia and Thomson are already under pressure to decide their next endeavour. 'Multiple people have told us we should be moving forward once it launches,' says Thomson. Even with growing expectations, the pair aren't keen to get ahead of themselves. 'Everything we've heard suggests that now is really not a great time to be pitching, so we're going to focus our energy on the launch and then read the temperature of the room after that,' Thomson adds. 'I'm looking forward to finding enjoyment in making art again, instead of feeling like I have to show up to a job I never applied to,' explains Jiao Hsia. 'The idea of making art for fun, without worrying about making money off it, is something I can't wait to do.'
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The full list of nominations for the Bafta Games Awards
The nominations have been announced for the 21st edition of the Bafta Games Awards, which will take place in April. Here is the full rundown of nominees. – Animation ASTRO BOT Development Team – Team ASOBI/Sony Interactive EntertainmentCALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 6 Development Team – Treyarch, Raven Software/ActivisionLEGO HORIZON ADVENTURES Development Team – Guerilla, Studio Gobo/Sony Interactive EntertainmentSENUA'S SAGA: HELLBLADE II Development Team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game StudiosTHANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE! Will Todd, James Carbutt – Coal Supper/PanicWARHAMMER 40,000: SPACE MARINE 2 Development Team – Saber Interactive/Focus Entertainment – Artistic Achievement ASTRO BOT Development Team – Team ASOBI/Sony Interactive EntertainmentBLACK MYTH: WUKONG Development Team – GameScience/GameScienceHAROLD HALIBUT Ole Tillmann, Fabian Preuschoff, Onat Hekimoglu – Slow Bros./ Slow Development Team – Nomada Studio/Devolver DigitalSENUA'S SAGA: HELLBLADE II Development Team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game StudiosSTILL WAKES THE DEEP Development Team – The Chinese Room/Secret Mode – Audio Achievement ANIMAL WELL Billy Basso – Billy Basso/BigmodeASTRO BOT Development Team – Team ASOBI/Sony Interactive EntertainmentHELLDIVERS 2 Development Team – Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive EntertainmentSENUA'S SAGA: HELLBLADE 2 Development Team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game StudiosSTAR WARS OUTLAWS Development Team – Massive Entertainment/UbisoftSTILL WAKES THE DEEP Development Team – The Chinese Room/Secret Mode – Best Game ASTRO BOT Development Team – Team ASOBI/Sony Interactive EntertainmentBALATRO LocalThunk – LocalThunk/PlaystackBLACK MYTH: WUKONG Development Team – GameScience/GameScienceHELLDIVERS 2 Development Team – Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive EntertainmentTHE LEGEND OF ZELDA: ECHOES OF WISDOM Development Team – Nintendo/NintendoTHANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE! Will Todd, James Carbutt – Coal Supper/Panic – British Game A HIGHLAND SONG Development Team – inkle LtdLEGO HORIZON ADVENTURES Development Team – Guerilla, Studio Gobo/Sony Interactive EntertainmentPAPER TRAIL Development Team – Newfangled Games/Newfangled GamesSENUA'S SAGA: HELLBLADE II Development Team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game StudiosSTILL WAKES THE DEEP Development Team – The Chinese Room/Secret ModeTHANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE! Will Todd, James Carbutt – Coal Supper/Panic – Debut Game ANIMAL WELL Billy Basso – Billy Basso/BigmodeBALATRO LocalThunk – LocalThunk/PlaystackPACIFIC DRIVE Development Team – Ironwood Studios/Kepler InteractiveTHE PLUCKY SQUIRE Development Team – All Possible Futures/Devolver DigitalTALES OF KENZERA: ZAU Development Team – Surgent Studios/Electronic ArtsTHANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE! Will Todd, James Carbutt – Coal Supper/Panic – Evolving Game DIABLO IV Development Team – Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard EntertainmentFINAL FANTASY XIV ONLINE Development Team – Creative Studios 3/Square EnixNO MAN'S SKY Development Team – Hello Games/Hello GamesSEA OF THIEVES Development Team – Rare/Xbox Game StudiosVAMPIRE SURVIVORS Development Team – Poncle/poncleWORLD OF WARCRAFT Development Team – Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment – Family ASTRO BOT Development Team – Team ASOBI/Sony Interactive EntertainmentCAT QUEST III Desmond Wong Liang Wai, Nursyazana binte Zainal – The Gentlebros/Kepler InteractiveLEGO HORIZON ADVENTURES Development Team – Guerilla, Studio Gobo/Sony Interactive EntertainmentLITTLE KITTY, BIG CITY Development Team – Double Dagger Studio/Double Dagger StudioTHE PLUCKY SQUIRE Development Team – All Possible Futures/Devolver DigitalSUPER MARIO PARTY JAMBOREE Development Team – Nintendo/Nintendo – Game Beyond Entertainment BOTANY MANOR Development Team – Balloon Studios/Whitethorn GamesKIND WORDS 2 (LOFI CITY POP) Ziba Scott, Luigi Guatieri, Clark Aboud – Popcannibal/PopcannibalSENUA'S SAGA: HELLBLADE II Development Team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game StudiosTALES OF KENZERA: ZAU TALES OF KENZERA: ZAU Development Team – Surgent Studios/Electronic ArtsTETRIS FOREVER Development Team – Digital Eclipse/Digital EclipseVAMPIRE THERAPIST Cyrus Nemati, Sheila Fell, Kim Schumacher – Little Bat Games/Little Bat Games – Game Design ANIMAL WELL Billy Basso – Billy Basso/BigmodeASTRO BOT – Development Team – Team ASOBI/Sony Interactive EntertainmentBALATRO LocalThunk – LocalThunk/PlaystackHELLDIVERS 2 Development Team – Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive EntertainmentTHE LEGEND OF ZELDA: ECHOES OF WISDOM Development Team – Nintendo/NintendoTACTICAL BREACH WIZARDS Tom Francis, Steve Lee, John Roberts – Suspicious Developments/Suspicious Developments – Multiplayer CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 6 Development Team – Treyarch, Raven Software/ActivisionHELLDIVERS 2 Development Team – Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive EntertainmentLEGO HORIZON ADVENTURES Development Team – Guerilla, Studio Gobo/Sony Interactive EntertainmentSUPER MARIO PARTY JAMBOREE Development Team – Nintendo/NintendoTEKKEN 8 Development Team – BANDAI NAMCO Studios/ BANDAI NAMCO StudiosWARHAMMER 40,000: SPACE MARINE 2 Development Team – Saber Interactive/Focus Entertainment – Music ASTRO BOT Kenneth C M Young – Team ASOBI/Sony Interactive EntertainmentBLACK MYTH: WUKONG Development Team – GameScience/GameScienceFINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Development Team – Square Enix/Square EnixHELLDIVERS 2 Wilbert Roget II, Ross Tregenza, Keith Leary – Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive EntertainmentSENUA'S SAGA: HELLBLADE II Development Team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game StudiosSTAR WARS OUTLAWS Wilbert Roget II, Simon Koudriavtsev, Erik Jacobsson – Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft – Narrative BLACK MYTH: WUKONG Development Team – GameScience/GameScienceDRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD Development Team – BioWare/Electronic ArtsFINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Development Team – Square Enix/Square EnixMETAPHOR: REFANTAZIO Development Team – ATLUS/SEGASENUA'S SAGA: HELLBLADE II Development Team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game StudiosSTILL WAKES THE DEEP Development Team – The Chinese Room/Secret Mode – New Intellectual Property ANIMAL WELL Billy Basso – Billy Basso/BigmodeBALATRO LocalThunk – LocalThunk/PlaystackBLACK MYTH: WUKONG Development Team – GameScience/GameScienceMETAPHOR: REFANTAZIO Development Team – ATLUS/SEGASTILL WAKES THE DEEP Development Team – The Chinese Room/Secret ModeTHANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE! Will Todd, James Carbutt – Coal Supper/Panic – Performer in a Leading Role ALEC NEWMAN as Cameron 'Caz' Mcleary in Still Wakes the Deep – The Chinese Room/Secret ModeHUMBERLY GONZALEZ as Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws – Massive Entertainment/UbisoftISABELLA INCHBALD as Indika in Indika – Odd Meter/11 bit studiosLUKE ROBERTS as James Sunderland in Silent Hill 2 – Bloober Team/Konami Digital EntertainmentMELINA JUERGENS as Senua in Senua's Saga: Hellblade II – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game StudiosY'LAN NOEL as Troy Marshall in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – Treyarch, Raven Software/Activision – Performer in a Supporting Role ABBI GREENLAND & HELEN GOALEN as The Furies in Senua's Saga: Hellblade II – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game StudiosALDIS AMAH HAMILTON as Astríor in Senua's Saga: Hellblade II – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game StudiosJON BLYTH as Big Ron in Thank Goodness You're Here! – Coal Supper/PanicKAREN DUNBAR as Finlay in Still Wakes the Deep – The Chinese Room/Secret ModeMATT BERRY as Herbert the Gardner in Thank Goodness You're Here! – Coal Supper/PanicMICHAEL ABUBAKAR as Brodie in Still Wakes the Deep – The Chinese Room/Secret Mode – Technical Achievement ASTRO BOT Development Team – Team ASOBI/Sony Interactive EntertainmentBLACK MYTH: WUKONG Development Team – GameScience/GameScienceCALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 6 Development Team – Treyarch, Raven Software/ActivisionSENUA'S SAGA: HELLBLADE II Development Team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game StudiosTINY GLADE Tomasz Stachowiak, Anastasia Opara – Pounce Light/Pounce LightWARHAMMER 40,000: SPACE MARINE 2 – Development Team – Saber Interactive/Focus Entertainment
