While massive AAA games like GTA 6 and The Witcher 4 are always going to draw in a lot of fans, one former Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 writer suggests that indie games encourage "originality" because of the "constraints" their devs are working with.
Jakub Szamałek served as a writer on The Witcher 3, as well as lead writer on Cyberpunk 2077, Rebel Wolves' upcoming vampire action RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, and also Rockbeasts – an upcoming narrative-driven indie that sees you step into the shoes of a rock and roll band manager in a world of anthropomorphic animals.
In an interview with GamesRadar+, I'm curious if Szamałek approaches stories any differently when it comes to working on a big AAA title or an indie game. He acknowledges that "video game writers need to be aware of what is feasible and what isn't, and adjust the story they're telling to the specifics of the title they're working on," but "I don't think of this as necessarily limiting."
He explains: "Of course, in a AAA game, I'd have other mechanics and tools at my disposal, but indie games allow you to… like, you don't have to be as explicit in what you're trying to show and present.
"Like, there's more space for theater. I feel like AAA games are like blockbuster movies, and everything needs to be presented in crisp detail, whereas indie games are more like a theater where there's some level of understanding between the player and the audience that, you know, there's a prop, and it's something to get your imagination going, and it's perfectly enough for the story to resonate with.
"So even if you know the visual language is a little bit different, the story can hit just as hard."
Given that he's worked in both spaces, I'm interested to get Szamałek's perspective on whether he believes indie games allow developers to explore narratives that they might not be able to in a AAA release.
"Indie games indeed are a space that encourages originality," he agrees. "Because indie games can't really compete with AAA games in terms of their budgets, or expertly crafted interlocking gameplay mechanisms. Because to do that, you need huge budgets and huge, huge teams.
"So in order to stand out, in order to present something unique, I think indie game developers are encouraged, are tempted, to be original, to be creative with what they have. And I think constraints do frustrate game developers or any artists, but working with constraints often results in something original and unique."
As far as Szamałek is concerned, "I dip my toes in both pools, so to say so, like I worked on Rockbeasts, an indie title, and I absolutely loved my time working on it, and I'm super happy with the results. But at the same time I'm working for and with Rebel Wolves on a AAA title, which is a great experience too. It's just different.
"I think each type of game comes with its own challenges and I think some creatives might be drawn to one or the other, but I'm very happy existing or working in both," he concludes.
While The Blood of Dawnwalker isn't set to release until sometime in 2026, Rockbeasts, which is being developed by indie studio Lichthund, should be upon us at some point this year.
