Creators earning higher pay
Creators earning higher pay
Hey everyone, I know many have heard about the earnings reports in the gaming industry. What bothers me is that marketing teams usually take the biggest paychecks or companies keep most of the profits. I’m wondering why developers who created AAA titles don’t leave big studios to run their own projects. Imagine a world with much smaller marketing staffs, where companies operate with lower overhead, and game promotion happens mainly on social media. In that case, most revenue would go directly to the creators themselves. What are your thoughts? And I’m sure you’ll agree it’s more about indie games, but those who built big hits have the talent to make exceptional titles—not just simple side-scrollers.
People misunderstand what an indie game really represents. Indie doesn’t refer to a small team making a low-budget retro title; it signifies independence from major publishers and the associated costs. It can include high-quality, ambitious projects like Star Citizen.
They're just following the advice from those who try to sell you marketing tricks.
These games require significant investment, mainly through payroll licensing and distribution, without relying on marketing revenue. Failing to cover these costs can lead to financial failure and closure.
An indie game can be developed by 200 creators, regardless of the situation. There are numerous games comparable to big studio titles that are actually indie projects. As Antoin said, it's not about being "essentially indie," but rather embracing the indie spirit.
It's likely many creators who built big games eventually moved to smaller studios after growing weary of the routine.