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FPS legend John Romero is optimistic about the future of the games industry, though not because of the various stables of AAA powerhouses. Rather, he's looking at the teams behind the likes of Baldur's Gate 3, Balatro, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as "these people are the ones that make triple-A studios go, 'Wait a minute, we need to start doing this.'''
Making an appearance on Nightdive Studios' Deep Dive podcast, the Doom and Quake veteran is eventually asked for his take on the current state of the games industry. A fair question, given the constant stream of lay-offs, with Microsoft being the latest to chop headcount – it's worth noting, though, that Romero took this question before news of his own studio losing funding broke.
Romero begins by noting that the industry is "so much bigger than it used to be," especially in the indie space.
"Just go to Itch.io if you want to see how many indies there are out there," Romero says (thanks, PC Gamer). "How many games are released on Steam every month? Most of them are indie games. iOS, Android – indie, indie, indie."
Discoverability issues aside, a lower barrier to entry compared to years past offers a huge bonus that we all benefit from. Just look at the Game of the Year award categories each year. "Half the time it's indies," he adds, before listing off the likes of Balatro, Baldur's Gate 3, Helldivers 2, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
"These are all indies," Romero explains. "These people are the ones that make the triple-A companies go, 'Wait a minute. We need to start doing this.'"
That's not to say the industry isn't facing issues. Romero touches on discoverability, but you've also got the battle to secure funding, and word of more layoffs is rarely far from the news feeds. One thing we do benefit from, thankfully, is barriers of the past being knocked down.
"You can make a game now and put it out there for people to get. Distribution is nothing now," Romero says. "Like back in the day, no way. Getting on a disc? That was expensive. To get in a store? Forget it. You're never going to do that as an indie."
Indeed, Romero isn't the first to shine the spotlight on games that avoid the swelling budgets and headcounts of AAA games. Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has championed the return of AA games several times, whereas several developers have praised Clair Obscur's development this year, from veterans of The Witcher to Baldur's Gate 3 itself. The challenges facing the industry are lofty, but people are finding ways to let creativity shine through despite it all.
