During Sony’s PlayStation conference at E3 last month, the company surprisingly neglected to show any indie games, something it has put a special focus on in past years. When asked about this by Games Industry, Sony Worldwide Head of Sales and Marketing, Jim Ryan, said that indie games are “less relevant now,” which sparked some outrage in the community. But several indie developers have come out on their own to defend Ryan’s statements.
Speaking to Waypoint, Roll7 (Not a Hero, OlliOlli, Laser League) Creative Director John Ribbins said:
When Ryan says that indies are ‘less relevant now,’ he means they’re less relevant to Sony’s current funding strategy, not as a worldwide proposition. But that doesn’t mean you’ll get less support if you bring an amazing indie game to the PlayStation.
Former member of Sony’s in-house indies acquisition team and founder of Ultimatum Games, Shahid Ahmad, also said:
I can see where Jim’s coming from. He clearly said that indies are still important, but that [they were] a story in 2013 and 2014. It’s the story that’s less relevant, not the activity. It’s hard to think of another console manufacturer that has more indie titles available than PlayStation; and it’s hard to think of many people who have put more behind the support of indies, in every way, than Jim Ryan. And, of course, there are many games being made by indies for VR, so they’re a part of that picture, too. What I got from Jim’s points was that indies are as much a part of PlayStation’s business as any other partner.
While Sony’s press conference lacked indie presence, the company did eventually announce a slew of new indie games after the conference that are coming to the PlayStation 4 this year and next, so indies are definitely still a big part of the PlayStation platforms.
[Source: Waypoint]
