The Indie Game Website is entering hibernaiton
When we launched The Indie Game Website back in 2017 (good heavens!), we did so for one key reason. As indie game fanatics, we were frustrated by what we perceived as an increasing dearth of opportunities for indie developers of all walks of life to gain visibility within the media landscape.
Having worked in and around the indie game space for years, we knew how tough it was for indies to cut through the noise – especially smaller studios and solo developers, and doubly so for developers outside of the core, English-speaking game development scene.
We already ran an indie game marketing agency, but The Indie Game Website was different – a space where our editorial team could shine a spotlight on a much wider range of indie games, without having to worry about budgets. Under the direction of Neil, then Jon, then Jason, then Khee Hoon, and then Jason again, our fantastic team of freelance writers have covered an astonishing number of titles and – on a personal level – introduced me to games I would never otherwise have known existed.
Today is a difficult day, because we’ve made the decision to put The Indie Game Website on hiatus. This will happen as of later this week.
The Indie Game Website has always run at a loss – but we were okay with that, because it has always been very important to us, and we were happy to take a monetary hit in order to keep it afloat. As the year has progressed, however, we have often found ourselves returning to one central question: how can we best shine a spotlight on indie developers who would normally struggle to cut through the noise?
The more we have thought about this question, the more ideas we have had, and the more plans have started to take shape. The reality is that we needed to make a decision on where our investment was best spent in order to achieve this goal, and that means The Indie Game Website – for now, at least – needs to be put on the back-burner.
It’s bittersweet. I am excited about the future, and some of the plans we have in place for 2022 – in particular around how we are going to invest in supporting marginalised and minoritised indie developers. We will have more to share on this in the New Year and I can’t wait to get stuck into these new initiatives when the time comes. Watch this space.
I am overwhelmed by the achievements of all of The Indie Game Website’s editors – how they have striven to expand the site’s remit, amplifying important voices – both of people making games, and of people writing about them. And I am incredibly thankful to every single writer who has contributed to the site over the past several years. All of their unique perspectives have made the site what it has become, and it’s been a joy to read all of the fantastic reviews, stories and guides that adorn The Indie Game Website’s digital pages.
Even though it will enter hibernation this week, it is our absolute aim to ensure TIGW’s ethos continues into 2022 and beyond. And by the way, we’ll be keeping the website live indefinitely. Who knows, maybe one day it’ll be the right time to resurrect it!
For now, thank you – from the bottom of my heart – to everyone who has ever contributed to or read The Indie Game Website. You’re all heroes.
With sadness, pride, and excitement for the future,
Lewis Denby
Managing Director
Game If You Are Ltd