By Mason Kyle Paterson

Since the release of the mega-title Baldur’s Gate 3 back in August 2023, many now struggle to define what an ‘indie game’ is. An indie game is created by individuals or a small team without large financial backing or the backing of a large publisher.

With that in mind, this makes the developers of Baldur’s Gate 3; Larian Studios an independent company and the world-class title an indie game. It is world-class for two reasons; one that Larian Studios dedicate themselves to creating such games, per their word. The other reason is that Baldur’s Gate 3 stole six awards at the 2023 Game Awards including, the most prestigious Game of the Year award. It also won Best RPG, Best Multiplayer, Best Community Support, Player’s Choice and Best Performance. Not only was it a complete sweep, it also left few people surprised. It beat triple-A titles such as Alan Wake 2, Resident Evil 4; TLOZ: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Marvel’s Spider-man 2.

It was the only indie game to be nominated for most of these awards, especially the Game of the Year Award. Furthermore, Baldur’s Gate 3 wasn’t considered to be in the running for the numerous indie game awards. Why was this the case? This was done to keep the awards fair for the other nominated indie games. At the height of Baldur’s Gate 3’s release, many considered the game’s quality to be titanic and unquestionably exceptional. It caused such a storm; specifically in the RPG scene, that many developers went to social media pleading gamers not to use the quality as an industry standard. Xalavier Nelson Jr of Strange Scaffold said: “This is not a new baseline for RPGs – this is an anomaly”. James Berg of BioWare, a pioneer of the RPG industry agreed and said: “This. So much this. Player expectations can't reasonably anchor to this”.

From that single release we have seen a chemical explosion from the indie game scene, as games within that market have gotten more recognition and celebration. Two years later we are now endowed with a beautiful landscape of games from companies as small as one or two people. They are no longer niche and now contend with games from much larger companies and publishers regularly. Many triple-A games create for the sake of revenue and profit, while churning out bare minimum content quickly for the sake of repeated engagement. All the while, indie companies are creating games purely to express their artistic vision. When you purchase a triple-A game now, it’s usually a first purchase only. Expect to make other payments to be able to access other content within, leaving you feeling empty and as if you have subscribed to something.

So why is this not the case for indie games? What advantages do they have in their creative process? They often allow for more creative freedom and innovation as they aren’t adhering to a publisher’s business model. This means they usually have more experimental gameplay and unique art styles. When you buy an indie game there is a large chance you’ve never experienced something like it before. Furthermore, all the game’s content is available to you at a cheaper price when compared to their triple-A counterparts.

There was a time when triple-A titles crafted their games in the interest of creating unforgettable experiences, but publishers have turned most into cash pots. This is not the case for them all, as many titles are filled with artistic vision and innovation. My interest lies in playing games that I will enjoy and will leave me with a creative yearning and memories I will never forget. I hope triple-A games return to their roots.

What sets indie games apart?