Indies Pave the Way

Indie developers are quietly creating the next-generation of games already

Now that we’re already some way into 2020, everyone in the industry is anticipating the transition from current-gen to next-gen consoles. And already, there’s a great deal of speculation building around the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. There are still many questions to be answered, too: when will we see more detail about the hardware? How much will they cost? When, exactly, will they launch?

Although much of the focus right now is on next-gen hardware, it’s worth bearing in mind an important lesson: a great piece of hardware won’t go very far with audiences unless it is backed by compelling software. Games are what sell consoles, even if a given machine isn’t as powerful as its competitors —a point that the Nintendo Switch has taken to the bank on many occasions.

When it comes to games, we already know that the current era is coming to an end in spectacular fashion thanks to many anticipated titles confirmed for release within this year. It stands to reason, too, that the ground has been laid for the next-gen as well. It’s likely we’ll see an increasing focus on next-gen titles at E3 and other gaming expos throughout the year. I wonder though, if these games will be enough to really build interest in the next-gen platforms. Yes, we…