Indie Devs Explain Why Their Games Are Successful On Nintendo Switch

The love that some of these indie devs put into their games is inspiring! Transistor is my latest plaything. Here is to a future full of quality indie devs on the Switch!

The main reason Indies do well on the Switch is the it's demographic is far more diverse than the core marketplace,a lot of people that buy a Switch do not own another console,so all of these games are new to them.

There are some people here (I’ll let you guess who they are) who will say that indies sell well on Switch only because there are no other games to play on it...

To me indies are a very important, fresh and appealing part of my gaming life. Indies have the spirit that big AAA publishers lost ages ago.

@maruse Absolutely. Portability is another high factor as well though, that a lot of folks discount. I've double (and in some cases, triple) dipped quite a few times when something hit Switch, and I am far from alone.

At least in Japan, promotion from Nintendo has a lot to do with how successful a game is. I don’t know about other regions but Nintendo of Japan runs a regular indie spotlight article series on their website, as well as YouTube shorts. That combined with floor space in the Nintendo booth at events like BitSummit really increases visibility. Games like Death Squared got that kind of direct publicity.

I think the main basic reason is that its harder to build hype for your game when you have hundreds or thousands to compete with

I serious think Nintendo Switch has found a working formula Hybrid console. I allows indies to showcase their games and brand name to co-exist together on one platform. Table locked games are no longer the way to increase your audiences.

The success of indie games on Switch is a reflection of the success they have been having on PC and other platforms. Of course, people who buy a Switch are a certain kind of demographic that is probably a bit more open to smaller titles and ones that provide a good straightforward experience. That is probably why Dead Cells and Sonic Mania have done slightly better with the Switch audience.

Their success on other platforms in general I think comes down to the fact that great indie games are “down to earth” and the content is a reflection of passionate creators/auteurs. This connection with the audience is not something you can just “phone in” and it’s obvious indie game developers are fans themselves. Many AAA developers have lost this in the constant search for what appeals to the most general demographic.

I think it’s simply because most of the games that succeed on Switch are pretty old fashioned in their design philosophies, in one way or another, and Nintendo fans really are the best demographic for those types of games. We’ve seen numerous stories where a game gets released on Xbox and PlayStation because they have a much larger combined customer base, but it sells poorly there, and then the game comes to a Nintendo system and voila, instant hit. Which is obviously a case of developers learning who their audience is the hard way.

@PhilKenSebben For me i play indie games in my car, sitting comfortably to compensate the d pad, and with that battery will stay wwwwwaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy much longer (6h) so I will keep AAA for my destination.

I still say to this day that we should be thankful for indies. AAA games are great yes but a lot of them are going the router of EA in making money either than releasing quality games. Indie devs are pushing out so many different types of games that there is something for everyone. For me, Dungeon Village, Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story, Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure, Guilt Battle Arena and Townsmen are freaking amazing games but for other they might be considered "shovelware". Shovelknight is a game beloved by millions, it made it as an assist trophy is Smash but for me that game is no fun. I think you get where I am going with this. Please keep it up indie devs.

Because there’s not that many AAA titles on the switch.

And for the most part,the ones that are , are old ports/not day and date

I can only speak for myself, but Switch is just my preferred platform to play on.

I have a decent enough PC, a PS4 Pro, an Xbox 1S, a Vita, but unless the indie game can be had for £2 in a sale, I won't buy it now until it's on Switch.

I've plenty of indie games on my Steam account, but they never get played, whereas on Switch they do.

A game like Assasins Creed wants to be played on the big screen to get the full experience. An Indie though, with its simpler graphics and sound, is fine on a smaller screen. So you may as well get it on the port device. There’s no compromise with an Indie in Switch, unlike say Doom.

@Roarsome I was coming here to say the same thing. There are so many excellent AAA games on console that my PS4 is reserved for playing them on my TV. Indie games, I feel, don’t need a big screen to play them. I’m happy playing them on my switch or Vita.

No backward compatibility, few Nintendo games compared to what we were used to on previous consoles (the main reason why people buy a Nintendo console usually), almost NO Nintendo retrogames at all (and things are even worse for those who don't pay the subscription), no wonder that people who want to stick to the Switch anyway buy many indie games.

@S4ndm4n yep, Switch has picked up where Vita left off. They compliment a PS4 perfectly.

Switch even more so though as every few months we get a first party Nintendo release that reminds me all over again why I love gaming.

Unlike My poor Vita which was abandoned by Sony, like the parents that abdoned Haley Joel Osmont in that film AI.

I only double dip on certain titles on my Switch, otherwise I stick to indies on PC where I can probably still play/download these 20+ years later. If I can get a favorite on physical for my Switch, that's even better though!

I'm glad these guys are doing better on the Switch though. Some of these brilliant titles deserve the success.

Besides Indies, don't you find it strange that all the best AAA on Switch (non-cartoony) are demonic games? Doom, Bayonetta, Dark Souls, Diablo 3, etc?

I have a healthy library of games on my Switch. My most played games are DOOM, Hollow Knight and Fortnite. Three fantastic games, playing DOOM on TV is awesome, but then taking it on the go? Even better. Hollow Knight is just as good, call it indie but do not think that means it's inferior in any way, THAT game is better than many AAA games, it's a masterpiece. The Switch is just a fantastic platform to play all sorts of games and as much as I absolutely love my Wii U... I have no desire to go back.

@Mgene15,

There are not as many core players who invest massive amounts of hours into playing videogames,reading up on them and posting on forums.

Even with the Ps4 and Xbox One markets there are people who buy the console as a diversion rather than a full time hobby,my mate at work is a prime example,he has an Xbox one,but until I pointed it out he did not realize Forza horizon 4 was even out,and the last time he bought a game until this point was over a year ago,he just does other things with his spare time.

Nintendo's first party titles still sell the best on the Switch,but because it's market is far more leaning to the casual gamer side indies will do better.

The home console core market does not grow generation to generation,and I always see Nintendo since the gamecube as operating outside of this anyway,the market is 160-170 million consoles,and each generation the more casual part of this drop out and more new customers come to replace them,the reasonmakes more money each generation is the amount of DLC has increased in quantity and price,with extra things like loot boxes thrown in for good measure,it's more like triple pay than triple AAA.

In fact if you stand back and look at things it's the mobile market that's increasing year on year because it's very accessible due to the massive amounts of smartphones and tablets in peoples homes,this added to the free to play model with micro transactions you can see why it's so popular with all ages.

This is why Nintendo want lots of indie titles on their platform as a lot of their potential market will see the Switch as a console with tonnes of content,to us and the core this may all seem like stuff we have played before,but you have to step outside of out own viewpoint and see why the Switch is selling so well.

"It's evident indie games are selling well on the Nintendo Switch with ongoing reports of successful sales, but why exactly do these games continue to perform so well on this particular platform?"

Because real, big third party games are very rare on Switch.

I would love to play the Assassins Creed, Call of Duty, Battlefield, Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Far Cry, Just Cause, Mafia, Red Faction, Madden NFL, NHL, Project Cars, The Crew, Tom Clancy's, Tomb Raider etc. games/series on the Switch - but I can't do that, can I?

And in the absence of high-profile games, what do grownups have? Nintendo's first party titles are fun and colorful and mostly aimed at youngsters. Not everybody wants that all the time. So people with a Switch have to turn to these indies.
Personally, I think they should be fillers, not the main attraction of a console. They would still produce better sales numbers than on Steam because the Switch is more versatile.

The majority of console owners are grownups. (The average age is probably even closer to 40 than to 30.)
We really, really, really need more third party AAA games on the Switch...

Indies run well on switch without compromise and have added bonus of portability.

Indie games were successful on Switch cause it's the platform that still respect the innovations of gaming.

With multiplayer stuff I think the fact the 100% of switch owners have at least two controllers really helps, plus you've got those people who prefer to use the pro controller who will have at least 3 controllers. Whereas people paying 100ish quid on xbox or ps4 just to play with 3 players is a tough sell.

I feel like the real answer is the lack of high quality 3'rd party support. The Switch doesn't get the big name titles like RDR2 so indie games really standout a lot more. I never seem to pay much attention to these games on other platforms but I love picking them up on Switch for some reason which I suspect is related to the community. It is no secret how the Switch community tends to praise indie games and get excited about them far more often than other gaming communities. If you are a part of the Switch community you tend to get caught up in the hype.

I'm sorry, but I'm one of 'em sayin', it's 'cause of the lack of gamez, that Indies do best on Switch. If it'd have a monthly exclusive output like on PS4, I'd doubt the same success, mate. :/

@construx you're absolutely right mate, as rare as unicorns. I don't think the Switch will ever get real, big third party games either, like FIFA, NBA 2k, The Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, Doom, Diablo, LA Noire, Civilization, Football Manager, South Park, Payday, Fortnite, Rocket League and so on, you get my grip. All we ever get is Just Dance and Carnival games, Nintendo plz, do something, I need real games in my life, none of that cartoony stuff.

PS: One day, when you will become an adult, you might understand that the quality of a game has nothing to do with its budget. Multiple games in the series you mentioned have been dumpster trash despite the massive amounts of money thrown at them.

@gortsi You just disparaged the best selling video games which means you think low of most gamers.
It's as if you say, Hollywood pictures are trash, go and watch art movies.
Sure, some people will.
But the majority won't. For a reason.
If you can't see that, you're naive.

I didn't say there aren't any good third party games on the Switch. I'm saying there aren't enough.
I'm happy for the success of the Switch. But I think it deserves more than half a dozen old ports from other consoles.

Here we go again with the same Troll lines "Switch doesn't have enough games" when will those Trolls grow up. And for having AAA games that isn't going to sell when those will not be the bread/butter for your demographics. If you can't get beyond AAA games then consider your model a dead end model. Home based consoles are not going portable and that is a fact. Gaming laptop is good but expensive and the size becomes a factor on the go.

@ActiSwitch

Hopefully not while driving. 😉

Its a combination of a lack of top first party games on the switch and the ability to pick up and play stuff for 20 minutes without waiting for a console to boot etc.

I had a load of the same indie games on PS4 and never touched them because I had so many triple A games to play and I could never convince myself to boot up the console to play a little indie game that might not hold my attention.

I can just grab the switch, go to another room and play hollow knight for 30 minutes really easily. My PS4 felt like I had to sit down for a "session".

Let be honest though, if we had all the top games from other platforms on the switch indies wouldn't be doing anywhere near as well. For a while there you were looking at mainly ports from the Wii U and a couple of big games and that was it. Indies have filled a huge gap in the Switch catalogue.

If indie games do better on Switch than on other systems then it may be because other systems get more AAA games for consumers to buy instead. I don't know but I can tell you that indie worship has been a pet peeve of mine since...always. As a person who mostly plays retro games I can't see the point of buying games that try to be retro. I just play real retro games. As for AAA, I rarely play them and never buy DLC or microtransactions but atleast they take advantage of the current gen graphic capabilities. As I said, if you want the retro look there are plenty of actual retro games that were AAA for their time.

@construx I did not disparage anything, read my comment another time. I said games within these series have been trash. There have been amazing Tomb Raider games as well as awful ones, that's a fact. Ditto with Assassin's creed, COD, Battlefield, etc. Same applies to Hollywood movies, some are great and some are not. If you want to have all the blockbuster games buy an Xbox, that should keep you happy. It's better to just accept that you won't be getting these on the Switch rather than be disappointed.

I think indies and the Switch are perfectly suited for each other. As some here are quick to point out, AAA 3rd party titles are relatively scarce, and you can't discount that fact, but I'd say more significant success factors are:
1) Audience
I'm one of those who own the Switch and no other current-gen console, like @johnvboy insightfully pointed out. We're probably a more casual market, as we may not have the time/desire to own multiple platforms. Nintendo's appeal is its top-notch 1st party titles, accessibility (parents like me actually appreciate the family-friendliness), and huge back-catalog of great nostalgic games. As much as I'd love to play RDR, Horizon, Spider-man, Witcher, etc, I'd never give up my Nintendo to do so. Indies mix of diversity, nostalgic homages, and some games being enjoyed on PC and other consoles perfectly complements the Switch's AAA offerings. So many of the indies are works of love made by gamers for gamers, and recreate the magic charm that many powerful big-budget modern games lack. Nintendo supporters tend to really value that!
2) Form Factor
As @PhilKenSebben said, portability is a huge advantage Switch has over other platforms right now. If you're going to get these Indy titles, get them on the hybrid! They're usually not affected by Switch's comparably lower performance specs. Also, NS is tailor-made for multiplayer.
3) Marketing
I agree with @Koke - Nintendo historically has owned console gaming in Japan, where they recognize indies as a hot new & mostly unknown prospect they can introduce to their huge user base there. Nintendo has an incentive to cultivate the indies market outside of Japan, and then leverage it there.
I'll end (finally) by saying I adore indy games, and will keep supporting them as much as my budget allows. 😅

@gortsi : I have all the other consoles. Since I have a Switch, I rarely use them. It's that good.
I just wish I could play those high quality third party games on it, too, that I can't right now.
I literally would rather buy any multi-platform games on the Switch, that excellent and versatile I find it.
For me, it's a whole new era of console gaming. I've been waiting for that for a long time.
So naturally, I'd like every possible game to appear on it.

It's basically having a good game, luck that the big N will promote it in a Nindie showcase, and marketing skills like promoting it on Nintendo fansites like this one.

Then once the game is released, it's gaming the system! After the initial wave of buyers, if the game doesn't make the bestseller list, offer it at outrageous discount like 90% off, to push the game to the top or near the top of the bestseller list. That's why so many mid-tier games are on the list even if higher priced and higher quality games don't.

@Forill strikbold is great!!

1- what game is that with the bunny at the top?

2- considering#1, this is going to sound odd...
Am I the only one that hates this Indie crap? Lazy clones of other better games for the most part. Ridiculously high priced for the most part as well.
3- digital only sucks and is the first part if the death of gaming. The final straw is streaming games.

@construx while that's a noble aim, even when Nintendo is at its most successful (as with the Wii for example) it still doesn't get many of these games. Some will come, like the next Doom and the next Wolfenstein, and others will not. I think the failure of certain games on the Wii U (assassin's creed, Watchdogs, Splinter Cell, COD, Need for Speed, Madden) makes the return of these series highly unlikely and that's not only due to technical limitations. I think that the publishers who are willing to take a risk though, like Bethesda, will be rewarded in the long run, hopefully others will follow suit too

It still at 3% for Ubisoft and didn't Help SE make enough cash. But lets pretend everything is fine because it sells budget $5 or $15 Indie games.

I didn't play $15 random Indies when ZBOTW or Xeno 2 came out... not playing them when TR, RED2, AC:O, KH3 are out. Or when we finally get Metroid, Boyo or FE.

Keep this up and we will end up like the Wii. 90 million sold and by the end we were getting shovelware and trash like Just Dance.

People are wrong if they say that switch has a lack of third party games. They do not. Just because there are no tomb raiders, assassins creed or red dead redemption doesn't mean that there are lack of triple AAA games. Nintendo put out more first party games in less than two years than on the Wii u. I am also counting ports as well. There are some gamers that didn't or don't have the Wii u, so ports would be good for them also. It is not just indies, but also retro and arcade games as well. There are some arcade games that were never on a Nintendo system until the switch, and these were triple AAA games before they were ever on a console. The switch has hundreds of games to choose from, so I find it disturbing that people complain that the switch has lack of games.

@ekwcll I find it disturbing how you moved the goalposts here. You said:

People are wrong if they say that switch has a lack of third party games. They do not.

..and your evidence is:

Nintendo put out more first party games in less than two years than on the Wii u.

Nintendo isn't third party. There is a lack of third party AAA games in comparison to other systems as you admit to:

Just because there are no tomb raiders, assassins creed or red dead redemption doesn't mean that there are lack of triple AAA games.

@Royalblues here we go again a Troll. And using the same old lame comments. Take good look BoTW still 1.5+ years out and still on the top list. So looks like both the taste here is not the majority of Nintendo Gamers. I love it when someone thinks they can tell a bad game a mile away that just tells me the total opposite they have no refine gaming taste. So unless your a Game tester don't tell us that you can tell the difference when your bias already was shown.

@SwitchForce Just because you disagree with someone doesn't make them a troll. The question is, does calling people you disagree with trolls qualify as trollish behavior?

As time goes on, the Switch be left behind more and more. There will be very few (if any) PS5 and NextBox ports. What if Nintendo is left with ONLY a handheld because the Switch won't be able to compete as a console.

@Crono1973 you find this disturbing? I know that Nintendo is not third party. I simply stated about their first party games. Yes we talked about lack of third party games, but be honest, if Ps and Xbox had lack of third party games, would they be dead in the water? I stated that switch do not lack third party games. They are getting more support from third parties more than ever. Some games can't simply be put on the system.

@ekwcll Some games can't simply be put on the system.

That's going to become worse as time goes on. I honestly don't see how the Switch will compete against the PS5 and the Nextbox.

No offense to these indies, but I think it's because people just want something fresh to play on Switch, so they'll buy any old thing. That's exactly what I did with Wii U; I bought a lot of junky indie games just because I wanted something to play on the thing; most of those purchases I later regretted. I don't think it's a sign that Nintendo systems are the new home for indie games or anything like that.

I think the death of VC is one of the biggest factors of indie games being successful on Switch. They don't have to compete with Nintendo's classic games and even if Nintendo Switch Online eventually adds more systems, you still can't buy the games but rather have to pay for a poor quality online subscription instead.

@Grumblevolcano In other words, people would rather play real retro games instead wannabe retro games. I agree.

@Crono1973
Cross that bridge when the time comes. Right now there are no next generation consoles and I seriously doubt there will be for some time. X1X is still $500, and the next generation is going to have to be a full generational leap beyond that, and it's going to have to sell for $400 (because launch consoles for $500+ have historically struggled). And that's not going to happen until technology moves forward enough for X1X to sell for $249.99. So we're a good ways away.

If and when new consoles arrive, even then games will also be developed for PS4/X1 for the first several years anyways, which means by the time the majority of games are actually developed exclusively for those consoles, the Switch will have a successor.

@yuwarite
I don't think that's true at all, despite a number of people using that as the default response anytime a game does well. There are countless examples of mediocre games tanking on the system, and even some great games tanking on the system, simply because people won't buy a game if they don't really want it, and there are too many good games to keep up with. Maybe you bought mediocre games on Wii U, but most people don't (hence StarFox Zero failing miserably- because most people don't just buy games out of desperation, they'd rather play their backlog). And most people have so many great games to play they have a backlog that could fill the depth of the ocean trenches. Add to that the fact most people have multiple consoles, and there's really no explanation left aside from: people enjoy these types of games more on this platform, hence they sell better on this platform. Hence, Nintendo systems are indeed the new home for indies.

As evidence of this, just check the eShop best sellers list. Despite countless amazing games out like Dark Souls, Diablo 3, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, World of Final Fantasy, Mario Party, Valkyria Chronicles 1 and Valkyria Chronicles 4, Starlink, etc etc, you still see half the list filled with indie games. Many times in spots well above those bigger name games, even despite being out longer. There is no other explanation aside from the fact those games cater to this fanbase more, and appeal more on a hybrid system than a traditional console. Sometimes it frustrates me how much value this fanbase puts on indies, often to the detriment of bigger games (I swear if I see Civ 6 tank while indies top the charts...) but at the end of the day you can't fault someone for the types of games they like. I don't care if the fanbase loves indies, my concern is the disinterest in bigger budget games.

Indies + Nintendo Switch = greatness

@electrolite77 I can respect that but indies don't do it for me.

@Crono1973 disagree is no problem but when they use the same line trolls use "Switch has no good game" that is a TROLL line. And your talking about system that hasn't come out so that is also trolling to a extent already-neither of those are portable. Gamers nowadays want a change and choice and Switch is providing that-did you miss Nintendo never said they were competing with xbox/ps4 but trolls always want to make this comparison even when told otherwise. And don't forget Stardew Valley that was a one man operation and look how big it is now. So for one to openly dismiss indie developers is very disappointing here. Tell that to all those whom own and play StarDew Valley and see what they have to say back.

I am loving the indie scene (especially as they move on from the 8 bit artstyle) as many of the games get back to brass tacks and distill a lot of the qualities that made gaming so addicive and fun in my childhood; however many try to improve upon those old formulas (The messenger is pretty much my dream ninja gaiden game....even if I keep dying lol) . I'm at a point that many AAA games feel bloated and full of sound and fury signifying nothing, so it has been nice to go back to games that are more enjoyable. Indies are the new B-list devs (some are A list, really). Keep em coming.

@Royalblues,

That's not the reason fella,it's the Switch's demographic that makes these games sell so well.

I didn't buy Indies until I got the Switch.

1. A lot play/feel better on the portable screen.
2. 4K or HDR are not used/needed, so they are fine on the 1080p docked Switch.
3. Indies hold no value on Xbox/PS.

I never bought Indies on Xbox/PS because the thought is that they'll just be 'free' on the subscription services the next month. That doesn't happen on the Switch, so it makes them seem like a more worthwhile purchase.

@johnvboy "That's not the reason fella,it's the Switch's demographic that makes these games sell so well."

Remember the Trolls don't want to hear that. They just want to hear Switch doesn't have enough games and doesn't have power to run AAA games. They are clinging to straws here.

Nintendo Switch is the most popular hybrid console of all time and ever made. Therefore have NES Games.

@SwitchForce,

I think it's very difficult for some people to see that we are not the entire video game market.

@johnvboy They still want to think Nintendo is a kids game that is the sad fact they can't seem to get their head around.

@Royalblues
I own all 3 systems and I don't find that it's a case of nothing else on the Switch or that there's simply mountains of great games elsewhere. The PS is actually the one that we have the least amount of games for (only bought Spiderman this year) because we get multiplats on Xbox or Switch.

3rd party AAA games don’t do it for me, which is why I bought a Switch. If they were my bag, then I’d get a PS or Xbox.

I think the Nindies are successful as their games fit the form factor better (portability), and they tie in better to the community feel that Nintendo fans have - I’ve bought several Indie games purely because the developer has come on NL comment sections and answered questions - I support those that are passionate and following their game design dreams

Meh, some of the same people always demanding the latest big Western AAAAA game to come out on Switch are always the same folks who go on about how Doom, Wolf 2 etc. etc. are downgraded and "unplayable messes", or "why would anyone play this on Switch".

@gcunit I'm of the very same mind set. With every option open to me the switch just fits these games best.

@KryptoniteKrunch
Exactly this.

@construx

"For a reason"

Eh, this is a tangent, but I think you're off-track here. There's little correlation between box office success and quality. Some terrible movies make tons of money, while some fantastic movies make very little. And vice versa. That's not because people are dumb - it's because almost anything can be a "blockbuster" if you give it a $100 million marketing push, and because people are simply unaware of anything playing outside their local multiplex.

It's also partially a matter of expectations - Hollywood has trained people to expect certain styles and formulas and special effects. If someone who has only ever watched films with $100 million budgets randomly stumbles upon a film by Andrei Tarkovsky or even a Hollywood hit from 60-years ago, they'll almost certainly be bored. It'd be like trying to read Proust after only reading Dr. Seuss books.

However, if they keep exploring outside the arbitrary boundaries of Hollywood, they'll find that it gets easier and easier to get into the "rhythms" of other styles of filmmaking and appreciate what they have to offer.

The barrier is a cultural one, not an intellectual one.

To put it another way - the worldwide box office charts of the most profitable films of all time are almost exclusively filled with Hollywood films. But anyone who has actually explored the wide, wide world of films made outside Hollywood will realize it's absurd to suggest that almost every single one of the greatest films ever made came from Los Angeles.

And yes, I understand that art is subjective - but even then, the notion that box office success proves a title's worth is silly. Once again, that's not because people are stupid. It's because most people aren't even aware of movies that aren't advertised on TV and billboards.

People aren't objectively evaluating the great Hong Kong action films and finding them inferior to the films of Steven Segal. Rather, they're generally not even aware that the Hong Kong films exist.

As someone who watches both Hollywood blockbusters and many foreign films and indies, I understand that Hollywood makes some great movies - and so do smaller-scale filmmakers like Kelly Reichardt and Mike Leigh and Werner Herzog and Hayao Miyazaki.

Even if someone only wants over-the-top action movies, I know of some French and Japanese filmmakers who do that style of film better than Michael Bay - but their films will still only make a fraction of what the next Transformers retread makes.

In short, Hollywood's stranglehold on the worldwide box office is about marketing and exposure, not about quality. If people were exposed to more indie and foreign films, they would quickly realize there's a great deal of creativity and innovation happening outside the confines of Hollywood mega-studios.

I'm not sure where this notion that indies are all just retreads of older games comes from, but it's quite baffling to me.

Yes, there are plenty of filler/shovelware indie titles, just as there are AAA games that fail to give us anything new, but... The best indie games - including some that mimic the graphical styles of older generations - are actually quite innovative and bursting with creative ideas. Others have offered emotional experiences that no AAA game has replicated.

To dismiss everything made by a smaller studio as inferior to bigger games strikes me as being no less misguided than assuming that big budget Hollywood productions are inherently superior to everything else or that John Grisham and Dan Brown are obviously the best writers on the market.

I love the fact that the Nintendo Switch has so many good quality indie games. I also love the fact that indie games that are not so good are kept to a minimum.

@Mgene15 You must be joking, right? Or you have visited the wrong site.

I think part of the bad reputation indie games are getting is because Steam allows almost anything made by basically anyone to be released on their platforms. Which has resulted in a lot of trash being released and tarnishing the overall reputation of games made by smaller teams and studios.

@PhilKenSebben I have double and triple dipped on some games as well just to support the switch, and the game devs as well. But it easy to triple dip on GameStop like bastion, transistor, shovel knight, etc.

I love indie games and I even used to be an indie dev myself and would like to get into it again eventually. However, I despise the Wii and casual games. That's why I'm done buying new Nintendo systems and instead going to play retro, mobile, and PC games only, unless I'm convinced the next Nintendo system will be more like my beloved GCN and not like Wii, Wii U, or Switch.

@Frendo LOL, it's true that western games often look the same but that's true of Japanese games as well, especially RPG's.

I wished they were in separate areas. Hate seeing what I may believe is a good attempt at an rpg and find out it's just a mobile game with a higher price on switch. Is so flooded with low quality games makes it's hard to buy anything hard doesn't have made by nintendo on it.

@Sondheimist Yeah I totally agree with on comparing AAA developers to Hollywood. Another problem I have with with many AAA games is how they try to copy ideas and direction from so many formulaic Hollywood films. Being forced to watch countless uninteractive cutscenes to devulge exposition is really lazy and could be excused in the PS2 era but not in 2018. They don’t even know or consider what is possible with interactive storytelling.

Indie games tend to have way more heart. Whereas a lot of the bigger AAA titles tend to attack our wallets with microtransactions, indie titles are just made for you to play the crap out of. I have sunk so many hours into Hollow Knight, and it's one of those games that is perfect for Switch's on-the-go play, yet still looks so beautiful when docked. I'm so glad I double-dipped and bought Hollow Knight on Switch, because even including the price of the PC version, both of them together is cheaper than most AAA titles and easily has enough content for hours of play.

@S4ndm4n @Roarsome Yeah, see, this is, as most of these things, very subjective AAA games only get played because they're available handheld in my case.
I absolutely hate having to sit tethered to a monitor.

Big screen gaming doesn't look that much better anyway, and unless I get a TV with the same kind of "pop" in the colors, it'll feel like a bleak experience anyway.

Generally, I agree with some of the other people in here (like @PhilKenSebben), people downplay the handheld aspect a lot. It's legit the ONE thing (besides wanting to replay or just play the games I double/triple/quadruple/quintuple-dip on cough Dark Souls cough ) that makes me fork out my wallet for games I already own.

The handheld aspect is absolutely magical, and it has (yeah yeah cliché, I know) singularly saved gaming for me.

I even thought I was done with Diablo 3 after playing it for years and years, feeling it getting stale... Tried it on Switch, and it is FRESH man. That handheld aspect simply makes it priceless in terms of value. PC and PS4/XB1 has nothing on this, as far as I am concerned. Nothing.

EDIT: Quick note, I just found out I own 6 copies of Dark Souls, two of them limited editions... Waw.
PS3
PS3 PTD Edition
PC (Steam)
PC (Steam) - Remastered
XB360
Switch (Remastered)

Safe to say that game has gotten some playtime. Still does (on Switch).

It's definitely the portability factor, and a lot of is nostalgia aswell for me. If an indie game is released on both PS4 and Switch, it's Switch every time for me and I'm willing to pay more for it.

The 8 bit and 16 lookalike games reminds me so much of playing the GBA as a kid and I love it. Can't wait to purchase Moonlighter once I'm done with Spiderman on the PS4 (by the way what a game that is!).

@Uncensored that is why Man invented internet lol.

Trolls can talk whatever they like but games sell well (yes, all type of good games if good ports) because people enjoy playing more on swirch. Is that simple. If you doubt see the software sales numbers.

Now, about all the people that crap on Indies I would just remember that 90% is the AAA games released in the last few yearsare nothing compared with games like Celeste or hollow knight. Do yourselves a favour and don't be that closeminded

@SwitchForce "anyone who holds another opionion than me is a troll, waaaaah!"

Great reasoning skills there, dipstick XD

@G_M we got a Troll alright...guess those need to go back to education 101. Spreading falsehood is what makes one a Troll. Opinion is when it has bases to inform not contradicted themselves. Which you just did. But then again that's what makes a Troll to start with.

@JaxonH Perhaps Nintendo is the home for a select number of indie games, specifically like the ones in this article.

But in the grand scheme of things, PC will always be the home for indies and the core platform where genuinely good indie games, like Undertale, FTL, Minecraft, Terrarium, Doki Doki, Stardew Valley, Amnesia, Slender Man, PUBG, etc, blow up first on and or go viral on the Internet.

PC gaming is intrinsically connected to Twitch/streaming and mainstream Internet culture; most of the biggest Twitch games are PC games and the platform attracts a massive number of PC streamers and gamers. Not to mention that the most popular content creators on the Internet, such as PewDiePie, AngryJoe, JacksepticEye, Markiplier, Dr Disrespect, etc, all lean towards the PC and all contribute to the viral success of many PC indie titles.

Also, another very important and obvious point is that PC is the easiest platform for any independent developer to publish their game on. With PC being a free open platform, it's much easier for any developer to get their work out fast and keep it regularly updated, without going through the hoops they would have to on console. So by that definition, PC is the home of Indie games, because it's typically the easiest one to publish on.

@yuwarite I dont dispute the role PC plays with indies, but its important to note that's only been historically true before Switch existed. Now that Switch exists, that's changing. And are often blowing up with sales on Switch outpacing PC and other platforms.

That's not to say PC isn't still a primary hub, but right now, we're seeing a trend of indies on Switch greatly outperforming STEAM, and without nearly as much junk cluttering the release lineup (although it seems Nintendo wants to rival Steam for shovelware nowadays).

PC will always be a hub, but that doesn't take away from Switch becoming the hot new home for indie to be successful and escape the clutches of STEAM releases where games get buried

@JaxonH The Switch is definitely a good secondary system for specific console-style Indie games, such as those designed for console style controls.

But there's still so many Indie games, such as simulation, crafting and survival games, that are primarily designed for PC, whether it be their use of mouse/ keyboard controls or their highly detailed on-screen user interfaces, that just don't translate well to TV or a 720p small screen. And many of these games do actually sell in the millions on Steam.

There are games, like VR Chat, which rely on user generated content created in Blender and Unity, which could never be done on a closed platform home console. Garry's Mod is another game that just wouldn't work or make sense on console. Then there are online Indie games, which rely on private user-created servers, which is another facet of PC games that could never exist on consoles.

There's so many odd type of games out there that could only exist on PC, games that console-only players would never have known existed or would even want to play; like, who would want to play something like Hacknet on console?

And yeah, there is a ton of shovelware on Steam, but the store thankfully does have a lot of ways to filter content, narrow searches or browse by popular curated lists. But you're right that it can be hard to just go in blind and find a gem in that store.

@yuwarite
Ya, like I said, my statement wasn't intentionally dissing the rightfully earned place of PC in the indie market, but rather elevating the status of Switch within the indie market.

We hear so many consistent stories of games selling best on Switch, to the point it's getting ridiculous just how many developers have stated their games sold 10x, 20x all other platforms combined. But every time I hear people saying "oh it's just cause there's nothing better". Which I believe to be demonstrably false. I think it's more than evident there is a clear market for those games on the system and the audience tends toward those types of games. And that's changing the market rapidly, as more and more developers flock to the system because they see how well the audience receives these types of games.

Nintendo's careful curation of when games release on the platform is key. Unlike Steam and mobile storefronts where anyone can release all at the same time, Nintendo's curation works to get most, if not all, indie releases noticed by potential customers. Indie devs can point to anything they want to as reason for their success on the Switch, but Nintendo's curation will always be the 500-pound gorilla in the room.