Context: There was a huge backlash over Dave the Diver being nominated for best indie game because despite being a smaller pixelart game, the developer is owned by Nexon.
I think the indie games genre is just a vibe, not if something is really independent or not.
Like nobody is calling Witcher or Cyberpunk an indie game, even though it didn’t have an outside publisher. Conversely, most people would probably say Bastion or Journey are indie games, even though Warner and Sony published the games.
I hate that you were down voted but you are absolutely correct.
There’s no agreed definition of indie.
Back when I worked marketing and would attend GDC conferences, there were awards for “Indies” that had 30 people teams financed by major companies, competing against 1-2 people teams who took a loan against their house.
It’s stupid and frustrating.
And now, with Dave the Diver, it’s just highlighting the truth - Its always been a vibe, a aesthetic. You just have to make it look indie, and call it that.
Whatever definition you hold personally doesn’t matter.
