indie games Archives

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 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.

AppWizard

August 8, 2025

I’m so tired of being advertised at, man

The digital landscape is saturated with advertisements, infiltrating various platforms such as e-readers, televisions, and music streaming services. This saturation has led to a focus on advertising over product quality, diverting resources from enhancing user experience to creating compelling promotions. While some alternatives like indie games and physical books still prioritize user satisfaction, they are becoming rarer. The aggressive advertising strategy aims to maximize revenue through volume, raising concerns about sustainability and the impact on consumer attention. The current trajectory suggests a need to reconsider the relationship between advertising and media consumption.

AppWizard

August 7, 2025

I cannot believe one of the best indie games of all time just got new DLC 17 years later

The indie game studio The Behemoth announced new downloadable content (DLC) for Castle Crashers, originally released in August 2008. The Painter Boss Paradise DLC, launched in June 2024, includes access to the Steam Workshop with approximately 8,000 new files uploaded in the last 24 hours. Trending character mods include ISAAC CLARKE from Dead Space, DOOM FELLA, and a Bottle of Ranch.

AppWizard

August 5, 2025

Peak dev would rather you pirate Peak than play a ‘microtransaction Roblox slop ripoff’

Peak, an indie game released for PC in June, has become one of the top 15 most-played titles on Steam and inspired clones on Roblox, including a game called Cliff, developed by PewStudio. Cliff has over 7,000 active users and 59,173 favorites, acknowledging its inspirations from Peak and another game, Mountain Climbing. The resemblance between Cliff and Peak has raised concerns about originality in game development, with some developers expressing frustration over the prevalence of imitations.

AppWizard

August 5, 2025

Gamescom Asia is joining with the Thailand Game Show this year, and Dead Space creator Glen Schofield will keynote

Gamescom will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from October 16 to 19, 2025, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, in collaboration with the Thailand Game Show. Major gaming companies such as Bandai Namco, Capcom, Ubisoft, Xbox, and Razer will participate. Glen Schofield, creator of the Dead Space franchise, will give a keynote presentation. Smaller developers like Toge Productions, Super Evil Megacorp, and HoYoverse will also be featured. The public segment will include live tournaments, meet-and-greet sessions, the Thailand Game Award proceedings, a cosplay contest, and various live performances and gaming challenges. Tickets will go on sale starting September 1.

AppWizard

August 2, 2025

GOG is giving away a selection of adult games to protest censorship

GOG has launched a new platform, FreedomtoBuy.games, allowing users to download select "adult" games for free, in response to the removal of certain titles from Steam and Itch. For 48 hours, GOG is offering 13 games, including POSTAL 2 and HuniePop, which have faced controversy and bans. The initiative aims to preserve diverse gaming experiences and ensure compatibility with modern hardware. The removals from other platforms were influenced by new policies from payment processors and pressure from organizations like Collective Shout. Itch is working to reinstate removed games and restore free NSFW titles.

AppWizard

July 31, 2025

Space Marine 2 publisher says even he ‘didn’t believe that we could hit 7 million unique players,’ but it’s proof that players are hungry for sicko games: ‘When the execution is right, it ends up resonating with many more people’

Pullup Entertainment has seen a quarterly revenue increase of over 130% compared to the previous year, driven by titles like Farming Simulator and Space Marine 2, as well as contributions from in-house studios such as Deck 13 and Dovetail Games. CEO Geoffroy Sardin noted that the game development industry is facing challenges with projects that have limited return on investment struggling to secure financing, leading to a necessary adjustment towards growth. He highlighted the financial risks and long development cycles associated with triple-A games, suggesting that this environment favors mid-budget and indie games. Sardin emphasized the advantages of double-A and indie games, which allow for greater budget control, creativity, and faster market entry. Pullup's success is attributed to its focus on creating targeted games for specific player demographics, particularly within the passionate PC gaming community. Sales data from Steam indicates a growing interest in double-A and indie games in 2023, with recent releases like Roadcraft exceeding expectations.

AppWizard

July 31, 2025

Where Eric Barone used his indie bucks to buy a proper PC, creator of Stardew Valley-inspired hit Rusty’s Retirement says he’s got the same $1,000 rig after selling half a million copies: “We’ve literally done nothing else differently”

Many indie game developers experience financial success but often reinvest their earnings into their work rather than indulging in leisure. Eric Barone, creator of Stardew Valley, upgraded his PC after the game's success instead of making extravagant purchases. Jordan Morris, who sold around 550,000 copies of his game, expressed admiration for other indie titles like Hollow Knight, feeling it was underpriced and purchasing it multiple times. These examples highlight the dedication and continuous drive of indie developers to create new projects.

AppWizard

July 29, 2025

One of 2024’s best games and a new horror classic has been delisted on Itch.io amid the payment processor crackdown on NSFW games

Itch.io confirmed that the game Mouthwashing has been de-indexed since October 2024, a decision not related to payment processor crackdowns. The game is currently not indexed due to not meeting specific criteria for discoverability on the platform, as it directs users to its Steam page instead of offering purchasable content directly on Itch.io. Despite this, Mouthwashing remains accessible on Itch.io via a direct link and is available for purchase on Steam.