Indie GDC - Guest Speaker: Mike Enoch

1. Indie Development in 2014
What I learned from GDC
Mike Enoch

2. Welcome!
What is indie in this context?
About me:
• Background in console development
• Portfolio manager for the Prototype Fund
• Still developing on the side
• About to go indie full time

4. Related GDC content
• Independent Games Summit
• Independent Games Festival
• Indie MEGABOOTH
• Alt Ctrl GDC
• Experimental Gameplay Workshop
Plus side events, parties, etc…

9. Development is getting easier
• Never been as cheap or easy to build games
• Wide array of cross-platform tools and
technology available
• Unity 3D is very popular, GameMaker too
• Price drops from Unreal and Crytek may
drive indies towards higher-end 3D
• Adobe Creative Cloud and other cheap
subscription tools driving down costs and
opening up access

10. Increased competition
• Accessibility is leading to a massive influx of
new developers at the bottom end
• Consolidation of AAA development combined
with risk-averse creativity is pushing a lot of
experienced devs to go indie too
• More traditional developers and publishers
are also increasingly moving into the indie
marketplace

11. New markets
• Mobile and tablet markets increasingly taken
over by big business
• Indies are starting to target other markets first
– PC and Steam getting very popular
• Niche targets also tend to be more viable as
the market expands
• Consoles are opening up again, even
providing funding without taking IP
• A lot of indies getting excited by VR, still talk
of Apple TV and other micro-consoles

12. Opening up Steam
• A lot of debate as to whether Valve opening
up the Steam market will save or kill indie PC
gaming
• Right now it’s a good opportunity, easier to
pass Greenlight, also easier to get a deal that
puts you straight on Early Access
• In 6-months time though? Could go the way
of the AppStore, but no-one wants to write off
Valve

13. New funding
• Massive uptake of Kickstarter and other
crowd-funding sites
• Also a lot of interest in alpha funding (the
Minecraft model) – especially through
Steam Early Access
• However, many are predicting a backlash
as more people jump in and developers
take advantage

14. Discoverability
• Still the number one problem for most indies
• Importance of events, competitions, and
communities – building your profile and
networking with the in-crowd
• Teams and individuals collaborating, pooling
resources – the indie take on consolidation?
• Today’s indie, tomorrow’s publisher?
• Trend towards micro-publishers like Devolver
Digital, accelerators like Execution Labs
• What’s your story? Tell it!

15. Business models
• Indie backlash against free-to-play as players
get abused by unscrupulous businesses
• Free no longer a differentiator, virality no
longer assured, increasing costs of the model
• Excitement around alpha and crowd funding
making indies rethink relationship with the
player and what that means
• Some creative approaches – reverse
sales, live development, patronage

16. Golden opportunity?
• Many describing the current situation as a
golden age for games, especially indies
• Expanding market and rapid rate of
change leading to many new opportunities
• Indies that do well can become the new
leaders in games development
• I’m in, how about you?

17. What this means for me
• Collaboration – artist wanted
• Moving away from mobile / tablet
• Paid digital, early access or similar
• Going to take a look at Unreal, but
probably sticking with Unity
• Fast turnaround, but too big to clone
• Events, networking, publishing

18. Thanks!
M.Enoch@Abertay.ac.uk
@MikeEnoch
MikeEnoch.com