If you ever want to see the current status of the game industry, just play one of the big budget games from the small group of big-time gamer publishers. But if you want a peek at the future of gaming, keep your eye on the little guys: the independent (“Indie”) game developers.
Indie developers spend an immense amount of time pouring their heart, souls, creativity, and often their personal bank accounts into games they hope will entertain us, with no guarantee of success — even if “success” means nothing more than people playing their free game. Indies are in it for the pure joy of making an awesome game… but making a profit off their creativity wouldn’t hurt, either. But before that can happen, independent game developers face a serious hurdle: how to get their games into the hands of people that want to play.
Just like most Indie development studios, CheatCodes.com is a small business. We were started by a couple of gamers over a decade ago, and we’re still plugging along with those same two guys at the helm. We don’t have a fancy PR department, or business development division, or senior vice-president of marketing liaison to have power lunches with production houses or to facilitate corporate sponsored development. We are not, and never will be, like the corporate game sites (GameSpot, IGN, etc.). That’s never been our goal. We’re gamers who like games. In that sense, we’re “Indie Game Content Publishers.”
So it’s in that spirit that CheatCodes.com has decided to launch an initiative to help out the Indie game developers. We floated the idea on reddit and received positive feedback, so we’re charging ahead. We’ll help Indie developers get the word out about their games, and our millions of monthly visitors get to learn about some new games that the “big boys” are too busy to care about. So, ladies and gentlemen (drum roll), CheatCodes.com proudly presents:
The Indie Game Spotlight
The Indie Game Spotlight (“IGS”) is a new ongoing series at CheatCodes.com EXTRA! that will features a new game developed by an independent individual developer or software company. We’ll introduce you to the creator(s) of the game, show you some screenshots, include a brief review or preview, and maybe even toss in some gameplay hints or cheats! We’ll also let you vote on whether or not you liked the game, and give you a chance to share your opinions with the developers, with us, and the rest of the world.
Are you an Indie developer who wants your game in the spotlight? Tell us about it!
