Nintendo Switch is the console where indie games sell the most and the credit goes to Nintendo itself which has cultivated a user base that is more open to interesting ideas.
Indie games, like AAA, AA and any other category, can be successful or not. They often sell and a lot, but exactly on which platforms do they sell the most? Speaking of consoles, according to the co-founder of Devolver Digital Nigel Lowrie Indie games sell more on Nintendo Switch than on other platforms.
The reason, according to him, is linked to the fact that Nintendo has cultivated a user base that is more “open to interested concepts” and smaller games. It is therefore not just a hardware issue (Nintendo Switch is perfect for playing on the move for example) but more of a gaming mentality and culture.
His comment comes from an interview held at GDC with GamesIndustry.biz. Lowrie was asked what do you think about the current state of the gaming industry and what’s happening lately. Clearly we are talking about layoffs, the closures of entire teams (like the recent ones at Xbox or those at PlayStation) and the fact that larger and live service games seem to have the highest priority for many publishers.
Devolver’s commentary on indie success
Lowrie said that today all games are competing more than ever for players’ time, as live services take up more and more hours. He also expressed skepticism about the possibility of releasing smaller games on subscription plans like Game Pass, as we reported.
Furthermore, according to Lowrie, players are more willing to buy smaller and less traditional indie games Nintendo Switch owners.
“Nintendo has created an ecosystem, and therefore a user base, that is really open to interesting game concepts and ideas,” Lowrie said. “PlayStation and Xbox users, as long as I’ve been doing this job… there’s a lot of people who still love indie games, don’t get me wrong. Cult of the Lamb has done really well on those platforms. But I think most some of these people buy these platforms to show what they can really do.”
“I think the platforms themselves believe a lot in indie games“Lowrie said. “They really push them. I think on the other side, consumers, as many as they are… I think there’s still a smaller portion than we’d like, on Xbox and PlayStation, that is open to looking at a pixel art platformer and saying, ‘We I try’.”
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