The indie games market has flourished in recent years as many gamers look beyond the standard AAA offerings. Typically the more under-reported and under-represented aspect of the industry compared to the larger and flashier triple-A titles, indie games have really come to the fore in the last few years. From dominating platforms like Steam and establishing their very own dedicated showcases to going head to head with bigger budget titles in award shows, indie games are experiencing a bit of a renaissance at the moment.
2021 was a strong year for indie games, with incredible releases like Death's Door, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and Loop Hero scooping up awards nominations and wins, and impressing gamers and critics alike. With such a formidable year of great games just gone, it seems like it would be hard for 2022 to compare. But from every indie game that has been announced for 2022 so far, it looks like the year is shaping up to be a worthy competitor to its predecessor. The future is bright for indie games, with larger developers championing smaller studios and gamers choosing more niche genres and experimental games almost as much as the more recognizable IPs.
The State of Indies in 2022
It seems like the breadth of independent development power in the industry right now is more impressive than it's ever been, with a plethora of studios plugging away at sequels to successful games or set to release exciting new titles. It could be said that this is the pinnacle of an indie game boom, with smaller teams able to more than pull their weight against larger behemoth studios with millions of dollars in backing. Developers like WayForward, Drinkbox Studios, and The Fullbright Company have firmly established themselves as names to know when it comes to indie games, but there is plenty of new talent on the rise as well.
Newcomers like Bunnyhug, Gummycat, Sabotage Studios, and FoamPunch are pushing boundaries and catering to a more diverse audience that might be looking for something other than a big-budget shooter or an MMO filled to the brim with microtransactions. With lots of exciting diverse new talent and advances in technology making game development more democratic and easily accessible, it's no wonder that the output from indie developers has increased both in scope and variety. Game engines like Unity, Unreal Engine, and GameMaker Studio 2 are more intuitive and capable than ever, with different strengths for both 2D and 3D production to open up the possibilities of design and game mechanics.
Indie Events to Expect in 2022
Although many events have switched from in-person to virtual in recent years, there are still plenty of gaming industry streams and shows for players to enjoy. With indie games becoming more of a prominent feature in larger mainstream events like E3 and The Game Awards, they've branched out and have begun to have their very own events that are purpose-built to showcase indie games. Thanks to many of these festivals, award shows, and conventions moving to online spaces, it's made them much more accessible for the wider gaming community as well. Much like the Indie Live Expo, which is a digital showcase that allows indie fans to connect across the globe and learn about upcoming indie game releases.
Now that the biggest names in games like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are setting aside dedicated sections in their own presentations for indies, the growing importance of these types of games is clear. Initiatives like PlayStation Indies, ID@Xbox, and Nintendo Indie World show how the bigger studios are supporting and championing independent efforts and allowing them to reach even bigger audiences.
With events like the Independent Games Festival in March, Day of the Devs at Summer Game Fest, and August's Gamescon adding an Indie Area Booth, there will be lots of chances for developers to show off both the array of talent and new indie games. Newer and smaller events like LudoNarraCon aim to celebrate interesting and innovative narrative games, highlighting indie efforts and focusing on fresh ideas. September's BitSummit is the number 1 indie game show in Japan and is supported by game developers and publishers from around the region, demonstrating how indie games have a wide and diverse audience.
Steam Deck Could Give Indies a Big Boost
An exciting development for fans of indie games in 2022 is a brand new handheld from Valve, the Steam Deck, set to release in February. With ambitions to become the Nintendo Switch for PC gaming, Valve's handheld will ostensibly be able to play any game from Steam's library – a vast collection that is predominantly made up of indie games. What's incredible about the Steam Deck, and why it will open so many doors for gamers, is that it is really a portable PC masquerading as a game console. The Steam Deck will run on Valve's Linux-based operating system called SteamOS, but players will still be able to play Windows games thanks to Valve's compatibility tech.
According to Valve, it will be aiming for a basic 30 fps for general gaming performance, with some games reportedly able to hit up to 60 fps when testers got their hands on the Steam Deck prior to its official release. Although Nintendo already has amazing indie support in place for the Switch, it will be great to have another capable handheld on the market that can cater to fans, as well as offer a dizzyingly large indie game library. Although the Steam Deck is yet to be fully put through its paces by gamers, the opportunity to have every game in the Steam library playable on a portal device opens up a whole new world for indie game fans.
Indie Game Calendar 2022
The calendar for indie game releases across 2022 will no doubt cause a flicker of excited anticipation in the hearts of many gamers, and barring any major delays or setbacks, it's looking like a very strong year. As always, there are some question marks around exact dates for a number of games, but with a strong indication of a 2022 release date, the indie game calendar for this coming year looks just as compelling as 2021 (if not more so).
With highly anticipated sequels like Hollow Knight: Silksong (potentially) and Sons of the Forest, 2022 is showcasing the continuation of beloved indie titles that give players the chance to dive back into their favorite worlds and stories. On the other end of the spectrum, there are brand new titles like Trek to Yomi and Tunic, which may be reminiscent of games like Ghost of Tsushima or the Legend of Zelda series respectively, but still bring something fresh and innovative to those legacies.
One of the best things about indie games is that they allow studios to bring all of their whacky and weird ideas to the table, and develop games that might otherwise have caused a lot of raised eyebrows or confused expressions when the concepts are seen on paper. For example, the notion of playing as a stray cat that explores a city populated by robots sounds bizarre, but the glimpses players have been shown of Stray so far paint a compelling and beautifully realized picture. Similarly, the ability to play a game where a bear runs a B&B in the woods in Bear and Breakfast or to control anthropomorphic dinosaur characters who are about to graduate in Goodbye Volcano High may seem like fever dreams, but there's undeniable genius in these concepts if studios can pull them off.
Although by no means exhaustive, here is the list of the major indie titles players can expect in 2022:
- Weird West - January 11
- The Anacrusis - January 13
- Windjammers 2 - January 20
- Wanderer - January 27
- OlliOlli World - February 8
- Sifu - February 8
- Shredders - February TBA
- Tunic - March 16
- Sons of the Forest - May 20
- Card Shark - TBA
- Goodbye Volcano High - TBA
- Little Devil Inside - TBA
- Kerbal Space Program 2 - TBA
- Afterlove EP - TBA
- Stray - TBA
- Tchia - TBA
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge - TBA
- Ready or Not - TBA
- Somerville - TBA
- Slime Rancher 2 - TBA
- Nobody Saves The World - TBA
- Shady Knight - TBA
- Trek to Yomi - TBA
- SpiderHeck - TBA
- Blood Bowl 3 - TBA
- Loco Motive - TBA
- Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals - TBA
- Midnight Fight Express - TBA
- Sea of Stars - TBA
- Jack Move - TBA
- Slime Rancher 2 - TBA
- Atomic Heart - TBA
- Mineko's Night Market - TBA
- Hollow Knight: Silksong - TBA
- Bear and Breakfast - TBA
Indie Updates: Haunted Chocolatier and More
2022 may be looking like a busy year for indie games, but there are still several titles that gamers are waiting patiently to hear more details about. ConcernedApe's Haunted Chocolatier, developer and publisher Eric Barone's follow up to the immensely popular Stardew Valley, has been fairly reclusive so far. Only confirmed towards the end of 2021, Haunted Chocolatier has a similar aesthetic to its predecessor, but will see players moving to a new town and attempting to become a chocolate-maker as they gather resources and forge friendships with the townspeople. ConcernedApe released some new screenshots of Haunted Chocolatier recently, showing off previously unseen locations and the familiar 16-bit art style. Although there is no release date yet, ConcernedApe has assured fans that more news will come throughout 2022.
The upcoming action role-playing game from Chinese developer Game Science, Black Myth: Wukong, has been pretty quiet since mid-2021. Set to release in 2023, players were treated to a 12-minute gameplay video in August 2021 after the game's surprise announcement the previous year. The game has been described as a souls-like and is based on the 16th Century novel Journey to the West. An Unreal Engine 5 gameplay trailer for Black Myth: Wukong took the gaming community by storm when it was released, showing off the monkey-like protagonist engaging in dynamic combat amidst the stunning landscapes. With a release window of 2023 and no news in recent months, it's likely players will get more updates throughout 2022.
And that can be said of the many indie games to be revealed, showcased, and more this year.