When people look forward to major gaming showcases like Gamescom, Nintendo Directs, or the Xbox and Bethesda showcase earlier this year, it’s due to anticipation for the biggest upcoming titles. At today’sState of Play, folks were looking forward to hearing aboutFinal Fantasy 16and maybe evenHogwarts Legacy, which has been quiet for some time now. Instead, however, the State of Play focused on a handful of indie titles, including the anticipatedLittle Devil Inside.
When it comes to indie games being featured in showcases, they are often handled in one of two ways: either they join a line of AAA announcements at these mainstream events that often overshadow them, or they’re given a dedicated indie showcase, just as ID@Xbox orNintendo’s Indie World livestreams. While these are always great to see, what Sony decided to do with its October State of Play could prove to be a valuable method in driving players towards third-party and indie titles.
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Spotlighting Indie Games
Indie games certainly aren’t a new concept by any means, but it’s only in recent years have Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have given them an increased level of marketing and provided their developers with more accessible publishing programs like Steam has. The Nintendo Switch had previously proven to be a viable console for experiencing indie titles, but Xbox andPlayStationhave now also joined the fray.
One prolific example of Sony’s spearheading of indie titles isKena: Bridge of Spirits, which was developed by the small, California-based studio Ember Lab, but was given marketing and spotlights akin to AAA titles. PerhapsKenadidn’t incite the same negative feedback as noted above because it graphic fidelity of what one would expect from mainstream gaming and not from most indie titles, which typically instead employ unique art styles. But with Sony giving indie games a similar amount of attention as it did withKena: Bridge of Spirits, it’s more likely that other studios will see similar success stories, helping gamers find alternative titles that resonate with them.
It’s possible that the reason third-party studios made up the entirety of today’sState of Playis that PlayStation didn’t have anything to reveal. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause delays across not only the gaming industry, and it’s a viable reason for a lack of showcase-worthy content. Regardless, it’s good to see Sony still sticking with the State of Play brand instead of marketing it as an indie showcase.
The Double-Edged Sword of the State of Play Marketing
If one thing is for certain when it comes to mainstream showcases, it’s that they’re bound to see negative responses from fans hoping to see their favorite game, and that couldn’t be any truer for the October 2021 State of Play announcements. Many weredisappointed to see a lack ofFinal Fantasy 16especially, but this is quite unfortunate considering that PlayStation specifically stated that it was going to instead focus on its third-party partners in the blog post announcing the event.
Nevertheless, by instead choosing to announce and showcase indie and third-party titles under theState of Playbrand, PlayStation has likely brought them the attention that wouldn’t have come had it decided to brand the event as indie-centric. Unfortunately, not as many viewers tune into Indie Worlds asregular Nintendo Directsfor this reason. Even if some folks are upset, many others have hopefully seen a title or two that piqued their interest.
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