The organizers of E3 are reimagining E3 2021 to highlight indie games on a global stage. This is a first for E3, because historically the event only covered AAA block buster games.
How will this impact indie games and developers? Many indies are craving exposure, so this could be a golden opportunity for some. But, entrance to the event will not come free. This article will explain the impact of this news on the indie games community.
Who Are the IGDA and ESA?
The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is a non-profit organization that supports individuals who make games from all around the world. Their mission is to support and empower all game developers, including indies and AAA studio workers.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is an advocate for the US games industry. They work to expand and protect the video games industry and oversee events like E3.
The ESA partnered with the IGDA for this upcoming E3 2021; partly to let indie games share some of the spotlight. It is also worth nothing that the ESA made E3 2021 a virtual event, because of the pandemic.
What Does the Partnership Mean for Indie Game Developers?
In the official IGDA partnership announcement, Stanley Pierre-Louis, President & CEO of the ESA, said,
“We are reimaging E3 in a variety of ways, and part of that is engaging with indie developers by offering opportunities to help highlight them and their work on a global stage.”
He goes on to say,
“Indies provide heartfelt stories and groundbreaking creativity that lead progress of our industry. It is an honor to help indies onto this grand stage for the first time so they can share their efforts and inspiration worldwide.”
This partnership means that indie game developers can show their games off at E3 2021, one of the largest events in gaming. This exposure could be invaluable to small indie developers who don’t necessarily have the time or money for big marketing campaigns.
The exposure will not come free, however. Indie developers will incur an entrance fee if they wish to take part. Indies will have to buy a package in order to gain entry to E3 2021, and they will also have to be IGDA members. These requirements could certainly isolate a few developers. Time will tell whether indies will pay the price of admission.
Why Are Indie Developers Important?
Indie games are blowing up in the games industry, having provided some of the industry’s biggest hits in recent years. Compared to AAA studios, indie game developers possess more freedom and ownership over their product. This allows them to take risks and explore ideas that may not be conventionally marketable. Sometimes, these risks pay off in big ways.
If you have played any of the following games, they were all made by indie developers: Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Issac, Braid, Spelunky, Gone Home, Minecraft, Hyper Light Drifter, Stardew Valley, Undertale, Dead Cells, Owlboy, Cuphead, and many others…
Almost all major gaming platforms include indie games now. The PS5 had a miniscule library of AAA games on launch; most of its lineup actually consists of indie games. The Nintendo Switch has hundreds of indie games on its eShop, and an Indie World site which only covers indie news. Xbox has the Xbox Live Arcade, where users can buy and play indie games.
On computer platforms, the story is largely the same. Steam has dozens of indie games being uploaded to its store every day. Steam charges $100 per game you upload directly. Epic Games is following suit; recently announcing that the indie storefront itch.io will come to the Epic Games Store.
For indie developers, getting your game onto a store is no longer that difficult. Now the hard part is actually standing out from the crowd. The market is awash with indie games now, and most of the indie games that are uploaded to stores every day do not make the news. Getting any sort of coverage or exposure for your game can help it stand out.
Good News for Indies
This partnership between the IGDA and the ESA is good news for indie developers, because it creates opportunities where there were none before. Besides indie games already becoming more mainstream, now they will appear at E3 2021, one of the gaming industry’s largest events.
For your average gamer, now you may hear about cool indie games more often, specifically games that you otherwise may never have heard of. For indie developers, now you may have a way to show your project off at one of the largest events in gaming, if you are happy to pay the cost of admission.