{"id":28772,"date":"2024-03-22T16:24:18","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T07:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=28772"},"modified":"2024-03-22T16:24:20","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T07:24:20","slug":"how-can-indie-devs-stay-afloat-amidst-game-industry-cutbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/how-can-indie-devs-stay-afloat-amidst-game-industry-cutbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"How can indie devs stay afloat amidst game industry cutbacks?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since last year, the game industry has witnessed successive mass layoffs at big companies. These cutbacks have upped the pressure on indie developers who are battling increasingly stiff competition to gain development funds from cautious major publishers. In this feature, we look at what indie creators are doing in the face of seismic shifts in how games are made and sold. We examine the support routes open to smaller developers and some recent success stories.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image Credit: Kelly Sikkema on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A spate of large-scale layoffs across the games industry has been a major topic of conversation. Many of the layoffs that hit the news in 2023 were at well-known games-related companies like Unity Technologies and Epic Games. According to videogamelayoffs.com<\/a>, a private website that documents and compares worldwide data on such incidences, around 10,000 people in the industry lost their jobs last year. These industry layoffs are continuing in 2024, as can be seen with Riot Games and other developers. This trend towards downsizing is particularly strong at large companies, as evidenced by the mass layoffs at Microsoft\u2019s Activision Blizzard and Sony\u2019s PlayStation Studios back in January and February respectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How major company downsizing impacts small-scale developers<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As reported by GamesRadar+<\/a>, indie developers are also suffering as a result of the game industry\u2019s downsizing. It seems the current climate is making it much harder for small companies to secure game development funding. Indie game studios who are unable to secure funding and therefore forced to close their doors are making their voices heard. Die Gute Fabrik, developers of highly acclaimed titles such as the adventure game Mutazione, announced<\/a> on February 26 that they were halting production. The reason given was \u201cthe challenging funding and investment scene in games right now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 7, Eggnut also announced<\/a> that they were suspending operations. The developer of the anthropomorphic detective adventure game Tails Noir stated that they had to abandon 2 years\u2019 worth of work on a new title due to \u201cpersisting complications in funding.\u201d In the announcement, the studio concluded that, \u201cThe game industry is f**cked.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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pic.twitter.com\/25oJTc33nO<\/a><\/p>— Eggnut (@eggnutgames) March 6, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>