indie Archives

AppWizard

August 12, 2025

CHARTS: Mafia The Old Country debuts at No.3 on Steam

Mafia: The Old Country debuted on August 7th and became the third highest-grossing title on Steam despite mixed reviews. Counter-Strike 2 remained the top title, followed by Battlefield 6 in second place. The Steam Deck was fourth, and Cyberpunk 2077 returned to the Top Ten in fifth place due to a strategic discount. Marvel Rivals rose to sixth place, while Peak climbed to seventh. Apex Legends moved up to eighth place with a new season, Rust surged to ninth place after a 50 percent price reduction, and Street Fighter 6 rounded out the Top Ten with a 25 percent discount. The Steam Top Ten for the week ending August 12th includes: 1. Counter-Strike 2, Valve 2. Battlefield 6, EA (P) 3. Mafia: The Old Country, 2K Games 4. Steam Deck, Valve 5. Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt 6. Marvel Rivals, NetEase 7. Peak, Aggro Crab 8. Apex Legends, EA 9. Rust, Facepunch 10. Street Fighter 6, Capcom

AppWizard

August 12, 2025

A veteran Final Fantasy programmer hates how indie games deliberately recreate PS1 visual bugs he made ‘many futile efforts’ to fix: ‘I just don’t get what’s so interesting about trying to replicate that’

Veteran programmer Koji Sugimoto criticized the trend of emulating retro visual glitches in modern games, particularly the revival of the affine texture warping effect from the original PlayStation. He expressed his discontent on August 5, lamenting that what was once a frustrating limitation is now celebrated as a charming quirk. Sugimoto previously described the deliberate use of warped textures as “detestable” and highlighted the challenges developers faced in overcoming these visual distortions. He noted a disconnect between the nostalgia some players feel and the difficulties encountered by developers.

AppWizard

August 11, 2025

New Free Steam Game Is One of the Best of 2025 So Far

A new free game, Summer in Mara, is being offered through Fanatical for 48 hours, expiring on August 13, contingent on stock availability. It is a cozy farming adventure developed by Chibig, originally released in 2020, and has received over 1,300 user reviews with a 76% approval rating. This is the first time the game has been available for free on Steam or any other platform. The game typically costs a certain amount and offers 20 to 30 hours of gameplay. Its compatibility with the Steam Deck is currently listed as “Unknown,” indicating potential performance variability. To access the free game, players must sign up for the Fanatical newsletter.

AppWizard

August 11, 2025

Bithell Games laying off 11 staff

Bithell Games is reducing its workforce by parting ways with 11 employees due to difficulties in securing new projects. This decision follows the launch of their title, Tron: Catalyst, in June. Founder Mike Bithell highlighted the challenges faced by smaller studios in finding financial backing for future projects. He emphasized communication with affected staff and offered severance packages to ease the impact of the layoffs. Bithell praised the skills of his team and encouraged other developers to consider the laid-off employees for future opportunities. Despite the layoffs, the studio's existing self-published games will remain available, and ongoing support for them will continue.

AppWizard

August 11, 2025

This week in PC games: deep-sea roguelite raids, first-person horror cookery, and a spruced-up Dawn of War

Edwin is on a brief hiatus and prefers to be addressed as "Dr. Edwin" during meetings. He expects others to turn off their cameras and mute themselves if they forget. This week’s overview of new PC game releases includes: - Nebelmer: A compact open-world explorer that won Best Student Game at the Belgian Game Awards. - Echoes of the End: A narrative-rich fantasy hack-and-slash game inspired by Iceland's landscapes. - Abyssus: A 4-player roguelike co-op shooter set in sunken temples. - Dungeon Stalkers: An early access "extraction PvPvE dungeon crawler" with puzzling elements. - Alchemy of the Earth: A game where players mix potions to fend off skeletons. - Stomach: A survival horror cooking game set on an abandoned cruise ship. This week is quiet due to Edwin and Nic being on leave, while Mark plays Mafia: The Old Country. Gamescom is approaching.

AppWizard

August 11, 2025

id Software co-founder John Romero was apparently one week removed from co-founding a completely different icon of PC gaming, but he’d already made plans

John Romero revealed on Nightdive Studios' Deep Dive podcast that Paul Neurath, founder of Looking Glass Studios, invited him to co-found the company, but he declined due to a prior commitment. Romero began his career at Origin Systems in 1987, where he initially worked on porting 2400 AD from the Apple 2 to the Commodore 64, but the project was canceled, leading him to collaborate with Neurath on Space Rogue.

AppWizard

August 10, 2025

Tabletop Game Shop Simulator Launches a Free Demo

Knight Fever Games, in collaboration with Ludogram, has released a free demo for Tabletop Game Shop Simulator, allowing players to experience managing a local game shop. Players can design shop layouts, set prices, hire staff, collect and paint miniatures, and host tournaments. The demo provides several hours of gameplay, where players manage inventory, finances, and community engagement. Players can collect rare miniatures, host game nights, and grow their business by attracting customers and expanding product offerings. The demo is available on Steam.

AppWizard

August 9, 2025

Steam has a sale celebrating small developers, and you can get my favorite post-Balatro deckbuilder for just $2

The Tiny Teams sale on Steam runs until August 14th, featuring games from small development teams, including demos for upcoming indie releases. Notable titles include: - Aces & Adventures: A deckbuilder priced at .99, with 13 fully-voiced campaigns inspired by Norse and Middle Eastern mythology, offering procedurally-generated runs and gameplay that combines special abilities with poker hands. - Pager: A 1-bit simulation exploring corporate ambition, reminiscent of the series Severance. - Phasmophobia: A 4-player online co-op horror game available at a 25% discount, where players act as ghost hunters using various equipment and voice interaction with ghosts. - Ale & Tale Tavern: A cozy co-op game priced under , where players manage a tavern and engage in activities like hunting, cooking, and farming. - The RPG: A humorous game that satirizes genre tropes, featuring glitchy dragon bosses and comedic healing methods. - Erenshor: A single-player RPG designed to evoke the feel of classic MMOs. The sale includes additional discounts and a variety of indie games and demos.

BetaBeacon

August 9, 2025

Itch.io Is Restoring NSFW Games—as Long as They’re Free

Itch.io has re-indexed some adult content that was delisted last month due to pressure from conservative groups and payment processors. The move only impacts free content, with paid content being reintroduced slowly. Valve also delisted games with adult content in response to pressure from payment processors. The removals have affected thousands of creators, including marginalized developers. Itch is seeking alternative payment processors to continue supporting a wide range of creators.

AppWizard

August 8, 2025

Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator Announced For PC

Indie game developer To-Go Games, in collaboration with publisher Astragon Entertainment, has announced Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator, set in Faremont National Park. Players will manage daily tasks such as clearing trails, assisting lost hikers, and responding to wildlife emergencies. They will use tools like an axe, hammer, and litter picker while exploring diverse biomes, including forests, meadows, and rivers. The game features a ranger camera to document wildlife encounters, with over ten animal species and multiple subspecies. Players can drive a ranger pickup, engage with visitors, and experience dynamic day-night cycles and changing weather. Ranger’s Path is set to launch in Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store later this year.