this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2026
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Indie devs should avoid 'most indie publishers' says Manor Lords indie publisher Hooded Horse: 'The vast majority of indie publishers are predatory and opportunistic' (www.pcgamer.com)
submitted 2 months ago by alessandro@lemmy.ca to c/pcgaming@lemmy.ca
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[–] Screen_Shatter@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

Indie is short for independent, as in, independent from outside support, specifically a publisher. Publishers frequently dictate how a developer does certain things as a result of wanting a return on their investment. The whole indie movement came from studios who wanted to do their own thing without a publisher squashing their ideas, and would therefore self publish.

There's a huge misunderstanding that pervades the gaming industry where people associate small studios with being indie. They really aren't. You can't be indie if you depend on another entity to handle marketing, distribution, etc., who as a result has influence on your work. Being a small studio who uses 8 bit graphics or other stylistic devices doesn't make a group indie, it just means they are trying to emulate being indie. "Indie publishers" know this is a marketing ploy that sells, and will therefore invest in and influence such projects.