One of the biggest differences between PC and console platforms is that, on PC, yesterday’s indie developers have become today’s AAA developers, and today’s indie developers are likely to become tomorrow’s AAA developers. Here’s some examples:
id Software - started off making cheap shareware titles, and is now a AAA studio that makes Doom
Epic - started off making cheap shareware titles, and is now a AAA studio that makes Fortnite
Bungie - started off making cheaply produced arcade knock-offs for the Mac, and is now a AAA studio most famous for Halo and Destiny
Larian Studios - started off making isometric Diablo knock-offs, and is now a AAA studio and publisher most famous for Baldur’s Gate III
Arrowhead Game Studios - started off making low budget isometric RPGs, and is now a AAA studio that just released Helldivers 2
This is the way it is with PC gaming. Something can be made on a small shoestring budget and become a giant hit. This has happened multiple times with games like Spelunky, Minecraft, Rocket League, PUBG, and many, many more titles.
The reason this happens more often on PC than console is because the barrier to entry for PC game development is so low. Since games are made on PCs, it’s easy to release them for PC. There’s multiple storefronts. If Steam is too much of a barrier for you, there’s always itch.io.
And not only that but a game can be as simple or complex as you want and still have an audience. To this day, games are still released for low budget, low spec PCs. And there’s also games that can push an RTX 4080 to its limits. No matter what, there’s probably an audience on PC that will appreciate a game, even bizarre titles that are too risque for Game Stop.
With console, it’s harder to have that indie-to-AAA pipeline because there’s only one storefront. You have to get your game approved by Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft. And there’s always that concern about what happens when storefronts go dark – which is what recently happened with Wii U and 3DS.
PC is often praised for, specs-wise, being the best way to play a game. But it’s also an indie powerhouse, the go-to way to find an unassuming title that turns out to be a masterpiece. This is why indie developers that make games for PC can often become AAA developers.
@harmag Yeah, good point from @atomicpoet here. But I could argue with him about one point - writing that id Soft or Epic made "cheap shareware games" is a bit tricky. Remember that in those days such distribution was better for developers that weren't in big software houses. And I think it's the same today with Steam, itch.io or music service like Bandcamp.
@PanNindyk@harmag But to put things into perspective, in 1994, I purchased the first episode of Xargon (developed by Epic) at the local dollar store for $1.
Renting a SEGA Genesis game cost $5.
And buying a new SEGA Genesis game cost $70!
Now obviously, a 3.5” floppy was easier to distribute than a cartridge. But even so, the difference in price was stark.
Also, I want to make it clear that I don’t think the goal should necessarily be AAA development. It’s perfectly fine to be a small indie studio forever, and make unassuming games for people that love them.
That’s what Spiderweb Software does. They’ve been an indie developer since the 90s. They still make the same quality RPGs now.
Same deal with Team17. For awhile, they just made Worms games. And now they publish cozy little indie titles.
And Croteam is another example. Since 2001, they’ve stuck with two well-regarded series: Serious Sam and the Talos Principle.
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