Despite concerns in a rough year for indie games, publisher Devolver Digital says its latest game has "exceeded" expectations and "is well on its way to success"

It's a rough time to try and sell an indie game, and while some in the industry are afraid that the latest release from publisher Devolver Digital is one of those struggling titles, the indie label says the game is doing just fine, thanks.

"Children of the Sun received enormous amounts of media coverage and exceptional reviews," Lewis Burnell of PR firm ICO Partners said on Twitter. Citing SteamDB's player counts and making some rough estimates, Burnell said, "It peaked at 208 players on its launch day yesterday, which means it will probably sell around 5,000 units in the next seven days. Undoubtedly below expectations for Devolver."

Devolver, however, says otherwise. "Thanks for you interest," the company replied. "The game has exceeded your first week prediction already and is well on its way to success. We're quite pleased with the reception and partnering with solo developers on small projects is foundational to our label." Or, put another way: "Shit's cool." 

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This exchange has gone a bit viral in industry circles, especially given the challenges of releasing an indie game in 2024. There are quotes like "the game industry is fucked" out there alongside heartbreaking stories of smaller devs who've simply had the misfortune of launching their games on the wrong day.

There have been some common themes in the responses to Burnell's tweet, including a lot of scoffing at that line about "enormous amounts of media coverage." The game has, indeed, been reviewed by a wide swathe of major gaming publications, but as Burnell notes in a follow-up tweet, "almost no content creators which is probably the root cause."

The reality, of course, is that dozens of indie games are released on Steam and other platforms every single day. Even an indie label like Devolver, whose entire business model is about curating and marketing a limited number of games, puts out more titles than your average player is willing to buy in a given year. Not every game - not even every great game - released under these conditions can be a breakout hit, but here's hoping the cream of the indie crop can find some sustainable form of success more often than not.

If you're interested in Children of the Sun as more than an illustration of the tough conditions around indie gaming, you can check it out on Steam. It's $15, and there's a demo you can try out for free. 

Would you believe there are a lot of upcoming indie games for 2024 worth keeping an eye on?