Tag: Indies
News Indie Publisher Merge Games Closes Down After 15 Years
Update claims it's actually been "integrated within Maximum"
Another video game company has announced its closure this week. This time it's Merge Games, who is apparently "closing down" after a 15 year run. In a now-deleted post, it was mentioned how the indie-focused team was made up of "incredible" people who "worked their hardest". "Starting...
News Penny's Big Breakaway Dev Downsizes Due To "Volatile Market Conditions"
"It is now an unavoidable reality for us"
It's been a tough week in the video game industry with Microsoft announcing another round of layoffs at its Xbox division and staff resigning at Annapurna Interactive. Now, to unfortunately add to this, Penny's Big Breakaway developer Evening Star has announced it's had to
Reminder Dredge's New Expansion Update 'The Iron Rig' Is Out Now
More DLC has arrived!
Update [Fri 16th Aug, 2024 06:00 BST]: The new expansion for Dredge 'Iron Rig' is out now on the Switch eShop. You can see what it has to offer in the original post below. Nintendo has also uploaded a launch trailer. Original article [Sat 8th Jun, 2024 22:00 BST]: The spooky fishing sim Dredge is getting its next dose...
News Switch Physical Release Of Psychological Horror RPG 'Omori' Cancelled
After "technical problems" impacting European localisation
Physical releases have thrived during the Switch generation, so this latest announcement is quite unique. The Spanish publisher Meridiem Games has announced it will actually be cancelling its previously announced physical copy of the psychological horror RPG OMORI. This impacts not only the...
News Mario Kart Live Dev Interested In Returning To Knockout City Universe "When The Time Is Right"
The live service multiplayer shut down last June
Although the free-to-play multiplayer brawler Knockout City shut down last June, developer Velan Studios is still interested in revisiting this new IP one day. In an official update about its "big week" where it announced a new multiplayer shooter M
News Retro-Style Racer 'Victory Heat Rally' Power Slides Onto Switch Winter 2024
Published by Playtonic Friends
Victory Heat Rally has been a long time coming but the indie title published by Playtonic Friends has finally locked in a Switch eShop release date. It will be speeding onto Nintendo's hybrid system at some point in "winter 2024". The exact date will apparently be shared "very soon". As previously mentioned, this game...
Round Up Every Switch Highlight At The Future Games Show - Summer Showcase 2024
So many games!
There's already been a bucketload of game announcements this week, and now the Future Games Show - Summer Showcase for 2024 has featured more than 40 exciting upcoming games for multiple platforms including the Switch. Some of these include console announcements and a handful of them have also been confirmed for the Nintendo Switch...
News New Cartoon-Like Game Teased By Ex-Cuphead And Rick & Morty Developers
A full reveal will take place later this year
To go out with a bang, the Future Games Show teased a new project by the indie studio Woodrunner Games. This team has developers who worked on games like Cuphead and Rick and Morty, so it's easy to see where some of the inspiration has come from. The brief scene features a frog in a teacup trying to eat...
News Homebrew Games Summer Showcase 2024 - Celebrating 120 Titles Across 15 Platforms
NES, SNES, Game Boy and Virtual Boy titles featured
Although the game industry is all about moving forward, there are still many talented individuals and teams out there developing titles for past-generation systems. That's where the 'Homebrew Games Summer Showcase' comes in - celebrating new games on retro consoles and classic handheld devices...
News Yacht Club Broadcasting Shovel Knight 10th Anniversary Presentation Next Week
Celebrate a decade of digging!
Yacht Club Games has announced it will be hosting a "special edition" of its broadcast to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Shovel Knight. This event will take place next week on 14th June 2024 and will be live-streamed via YouTube with a runtime of approximately 20 minutes. You can see your local time and date for...
News Crash Bandicoot And Spyro Studio 'Toys For Bob' Is Now Officially Independent
It will partner with Xbox to publish its next game
In March, the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro developer Toys for Bob announced it would leave Activision and the Xbox team to become an independent studio. In an update on social media, it's now made this official with a profile update. In its bio description on X, it now says "We are an independent game...
Round Up Indie Live Expo 2024 - Every Nintendo Switch Game Showcased
The 10th outing featuring more than 150 games
The digital showcase Indie Live Expo returned for its 10th outing and as part of this, it's showcased more than 150 games - with plenty of them coming to the Nintendo Switch. Some of these games have already been released, some are coming soon and the rest are arriving at a later date. So, in case you...
News Sonic Adventure-Like 3D Action Platformer 'Spark The Electric Jester 3' Coming To Switch
Electric!
If you're a fan of series like Sonic Adventure and want a similar slice of speed, you'll be pleased to hear Spark the Electric Jester 3 is on its way to the Switch. Following a PC release in 2022, this high-speed 3D action platformer starring Spark is now "coming soon" to Nintendo's hybrid device. It's being ported by FreakZone games and...
News Sequel To Roguelike Hit Hades Enters Early Access With 'Overwhelmingly Positive' Reviews
Nintendo release when?
After a surprise announcement at The Game Awards in 2022, the sequel to Hades has finally entered its early access phase. While it's only available on PC for now, it's given many fans of Supergiant's original roguelike hope there'll be an announcement about console devices at some point in the future. On the developer's...
News Nintendo Partner Paladin Studios Closes Its Doors After "Almost 19 Years"
"Our quest has ended"
Netherlands indie developer Paladin, who worked with Nintendo in 2020 on the Switch eShop title Good Job!, has announced it has "closed the studio" after "almost 19 years". Apart from Nintendo, the 45-person studio (which began life in 2005 and peaked at 55 people at one stage) worked with various other "incredible partners"...
News The Switch eShop Sensation Suika Game Is Getting Official Merchandise
Watermelon themed items come to Japan next month
The eShop hit and viral sensation Suika Game (Watermelon Game) will be getting its very own merchandise in Japan next month on 24th April 2024. As highlighted by Siliconera, this new range of items will include a watermelon cushion (featuring a built-in pocket to place your arm in, so you can rest...
News Head To Outer Space In The New Free Update For Vampire Survivors
The 'Space-54 update' has arrived
If you're still enjoying the roguelite bullet shooter Vampire Survivors, you might want to check out its latest update which sends players to space (again). It's officially titled the 'Space-54 Update' and is completely free. It adds one new bonus stage, two new characters, four new weapons, a new relic, and seven...
News Crash Bandicoot Dev Toys For Bob Splits From Activision & Xbox, Goes Independent
"We're thrilled"
It's been another wild week for the video game industry and it seems we're not done just yet. After mass layoffs at companies like PlayStation and Electronic Arts, we've now got developers splitting from their owner groups. Adding to this is the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro developer Toys for Bob, which has now announced it's leaving...
News New SteamWorld Game Sales Fell "Slightly Short" Of Thunderful's Expectations
It's also putting one SteamWorld project "on hold"
The December release SteamWorld Build has not met Thunderful's sales expectations according to its latest fiscal report. Thunderful CEO Martin Walfisz explained how despite "new momentum" the game had fallen "slightly short" of expectations. He further noted how the genre didn't really appeal to...
News Indie Hit Celeste Celebrates 6th Anniversary With Free N64-Style 3D Platformer
It's officially titled 'Celeste 64: Fragments of the Mountain'
You know how Celeste is currently celebrating its 6th anniversary and the official social media account said it was cooking up something small but cool? Well, it's now been officially revealed as Celeste 64: Fragments of the Mountain. It's a computer game that allows fans to "relive the...
News League Of Legends Developer Riot Games Axes 530 Jobs Globally
"We're ending new game development under Riot Forge"
Riot Games, the American-based developer and publisher behind insanely popular game series like League of Legends, has today announced it will be eliminating 530 jobs globally across the company. This equates to "around 11% of Rioters" and the biggest impacts have hit teams "outside of core...
News Indie Horror Hit Choo-Choo Charles Arrives On Switch Early Next Year
Japan's eShop gets it sooner
If you happen to like horror games, spiders and trains, the indie hit Choo-Choo Charles by Two Star Games is one upcoming release you won't want to miss when it arrives locally on the Switch on 18th January 2024. According to the Japanese eShop, the game is arriving in Japan later this week on 21st December 2023. This...
News Sea Of Stars Developer Sabotage Replacing 'The Completionist' NPC
A "small patch" is coming soon
Sabotage Studio director Thierry Boulanger has announced via Discord the company will be removing the content creator and internet personality Jirard 'The Completionist' Khalil from the indie RPG hit Sea of Stars. Sea of Stars arrived on the Switch earlier this year in August and featured a segment in it where Khalil...
News Huge Among Us Crossover Update Celebrates Multiple Indies Including Undertale & Celeste
"Y'all are gonna freak out"
Update [Wed 29th Nov, 2023 06:35 GMT]: This absolutely massive Among Us collaboration has now been officially revealed and as part of its "biggest Cosmicube yet" there are crossovers with the following games: Untitled Goose Game, Undertale, Crypt of the NecroDancer, Celeste, Behemoth (Castle Crashers and Alien...
News eShop Indie Hit Suika Game Surpasses Four Million Downloads Worldwide
Watermelon Game has been a huge success
After becoming a viral sensation, Nintendo was quick to get a local release of Suika Game out of the Switch eShop. Since then, the title has now reportedly surpassed more than four million Switch eShop downloads worldwide. This information comes from the Japanese website Gamer. To celebrate this milestone,...
News Retro-Inspired Indie Sea Of Stars Receives A New Switch Update
Check it out today
Sea of Stars got off to a fantastic start in August with sales of the title greatly exceeding first-year sales projections. Now, to follow up on this success, developer Sabotage has released an update across all platforms including the Switch. The latest patch comes with a bunch of fixes and adjustments. Here's the full rundown...
Random Switch Exclusive "Watermelon Game" Goes Viral, eShop Downloads Skyrocket
You can purchase "Suika Game" from Japan's eShop
A Japanese Switch eShop exclusive known as Suika Game (Watermelon Game) has recently gone viral thanks to its popularity among streamers and VTubers. Earlier this year it started gaining traction with Japanese influencers, and now it's caught on here in the West. T
News First Paid DLC For Spooky Fishing Adventure Dredge Delayed
It will now arrive in 2024
It's that time of year again when we're starting to see the odd delay or two, and the latest one to join the list is an update for the spooky fishing sim Dredge. Black Salt Games has today issued an announcement via social media about the delay of the first paid DLC 'The Iron Rig', which will no longer make Q4 2023. It...
News Hollow Knight: Silksong Fans Spot New Behind-The-Scenes Updates
Some assets have been changed
We're running out of months in 2023 and there's still no sign of Hollow Knight: Silksong arriving on the Nintendo Switch any time soon. With this in mind, fans have been searching for any sign of a possible upcoming release, and it seems the game's web and store assets have been updated and changed this week. As...
News Retro-Inspired Indie Sea Of Stars Sold 100,000 Copies On Its First Day
Critics are raving about this one
The new retro-inspired RPG Sea of Stars made its debut on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms this week, and it's already off to an incredibly strong start. In an update on social media thanking fans for their support, developer Sabotage revealed the game sold 100,000 copies on its first day of...
News "DS Inspired" Precision Puzzler Reflectile Targeting Switch Release
Update: It's reached its first major goal
Update [Tue 15th Aug, 2023 02:30 BST]: In an update, the Kickstarter project Reflectile has surpassed its initial $15,000 goal for PC development. A Switch goal according to the website would require more funding, so if we hear any updates, we'll let you know. Original article [Tue 9th May, 2023 03:00...
News Toree 3D And Super Kiwi 64 Developer Hints At New Project
A reveal is "hopefully" coming soon
Toree 3D developer Siactro is currently hard at work on a new update for the classic-inspired 3D platformer Super Kiwi 64. Unfortunately, it is taking a bit longer than expected, due to the scope of it, but should be ready to reveal in the near future. That's not all, with the talented solo developer also hinting...
News Sinister Fishing Adventure 'Dredge' Receives Second Free Update On Switch
"Live on all platforms"
Black Salt's "sinister fishing adventure" game Dredge has just received its second major update on the Nintendo Switch. This latest one adds new wildlife events, a "passive mode" - allowing you to swim about the sea in peace, a photo mode, a new character, and new aberrations. The third update will follow this one adding...
Round Up Indie Live Expo 2023 - Every Nintendo Switch Game Showcased
"More than 300 game reveals"
The digital showcase Indie Live Expo 2023 took place this weekend - spotlighting "300 game reveals" across multiple platforms including the Nintendo Switch. Some of these games are already available, others are arriving soon, and the rest will be released at some point later this year. Here's the full round up...
News Zelda: Cadence Of Hyrule Dev 'Brace Yourself Games' Confirms Layoffs
Up to half of its workforce may be gone
Canadian indie developer Brace Yourself Games (known for the Switch exclusive Cadence of Hyrule) has cut "a portion" of its workforce. Brace Yourself Games shared the following statement with PC Gamer, confirming the "incredibly difficult decision" to lay off employees. In a
News Hollow Knight: Silksong No Longer Releasing In The First Half Of 2023
"Development is still continuing"
We've finally got an update about the anticipated release Hollow Knight: Silksong, but it might not be the news everyone was expecting. According to Team Cherry's marketing and publishing rep Matthew Griffin, Silksong was apparently "planned to release in the 1st half of 2023" but development on the game is still...
News Boxing Sim Punch Club Getting '80s Inspired Cyberpunk Switch Sequel In 2023
Update: Check out the new gameplay trailer
Update [Thu 4th May, 2023 03:45 BST]: Lazy Bear Games has released a new gameplay trailer for Punch Club 2: Fast Forward - detailing how the gameplay has been improved and what else to expect. There'll also be a free demo to try out between 15th May - 22nd May, but it's exclusive to the Steam platform...
News Sinister Fishing Indie 'Dredge' Reveals 2023 Roadmap, Includes Free Updates & Paid DLC
"We're excited to reveal what's next"
If you somehow missed the "sinister fishing adventure" Dredge when it launched on the Switch eShop in March, now might be the time to check it out. New Zealand indie studio Black Salt Games has officially revealed what's next for the title, with an outline of what content and DLC to expect in every quarter of...
News Sports Story Version 1.0.5 Is Now Live, Here's What's Included
More changes to the "Secret Dev Room"
Update [Sat 25th Feb, 2023 03:05 GMT]: The Version 1.0.5 update for Sports Story is now live. Developer Sidebar Games says more updates are coming soon: Original [Wed 22nd Feb, 2023 02:55 GMT]: The indie title Sports Story didn't get off to the best start last year when it was shadow-dropped. Since then,...
Random Indie Dev Giving Away Free Game Codes Until Nintendo Closes Wii U & 3DS eShops
Both eShops will close this March
It's now officially 2023 and that means we're getting closer to the closure of the Wii U and 3DS eShops. The last part of the closure will take place on 27th March 2023 and after this you'll no longer be able to purchase in-game content, download demos, add funds or redeem download codes. In response to this, indie...
News Excellent Sci-Fi Survival Horror Signalis Scores A Physical Switch Release
Arriving towards the end of February
One of the highlight survival horror experiences on the Nintendo Switch last year was the indie title Signalis. If you've been holding out for a local physical release, you're in luck - with the developer Rose-engine announcing a hard copy published by Humble Games. It will release towards the "end of February...
News Two New Side-Scrolling Action Platformers Are Coming To Nintendo Switch In 2023
Publisher PID Games confirms
Publisher PID Games has today announced its plans to bring two new action-platformers to the Nintendo Switch and multiple other systems in 2023. First up we've got Gravity Circuit by Domesticated Ant Games - a "flashy" action packed 2D platformer drawing inspiration from the classics of yesteryear. Players take control...
News Celeste Creator Shares "First-Look" At New Title Earthblade
"Coming 2024"
At The Game Awards earlier today, the team behind the award-winning indie hit Celeste, gave fans a first look at its new 2D platformer Earthblade. Platforms and a specific release date have not been announced yet, but it won't be out until 2024. "NEW game by EXOK Games, the creators of Celeste! You are Névoa, an enigmatic child of...
News It's Official, The Roguelike Hit Hades Is Getting A Sequel
Early Access launches in 2023
Supergiant Games has lifted the lid on its next big title, Hades II. It'll star the "Princess of the Underworld" and will be available in early access in 2023. Platforms and a specific release date haven't been confirmed just yet, but it will "eventually" make its way across to consoles. According to Supergiant Games...
News Dark & Disturbing Indie Hit 'Inscryption' Scores A Physical Switch Release
Pre-orders open December 1st
One of the many highlights at this week's Indie World was the "dark and disturbing" deckbuilding roguelike Inscryption. If you were hoping to display this one on your shelf, you're in luck - with publisher Devolver Digital announcing there'll be a hard copy of the game for the Nintendo Switch. It'll be handled by...
News Smash-Style Indie Brawler Slap City Gets A Surprise Release On Switch eShop
Featuring new characters and online crossplay
Nintendo Switch is home to all sorts of brawlers and if the existing lineup of offerings wasn't already enough, Ludosity (the same team behind Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl) has today released Slap City. Slap City is an indie-themed platform fighter featuring characters like Ittle Dew and Ultra Fishbunjin...
News Oxenfree II For Nintendo Switch Has Been Delayed Until 2023
"Thank you for your patience"
Back in April last year, an Indie World presentation went out with a bang - revealing Oxenfree II: Lost Signals for the Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, it seems the same title has been delayed again. In an update on social media, developer Night School Studio said it needed some more time to make the game "truly...
News Video Game YouTuber Dunkey Launches His Own Indie Publishing Company
"I'm sick of all the spam"
YouTuber Jason 'Dunkey' Gastrow has announced his very own indie game publishing company called Bigmode. In a five-minute upload on his YouTube channel, Gastrow explained how he felt he had been sitting on the sidelines for too long, waiting for "great games" to appear, and now wanted to leave a mark on the industry by...
Hands On All Of The Exciting Upcoming Games We Played At PAX West 2022
Indies, Nintendo Switch titles and more!
Recently, we sent our American video producer Zion Grassl to PAX West 2022 to try out the latest and greatest games coming out in the near future. Now that he's completed his assignment, he's put together the above video - where he and his friend, Zach Driscoll, share their impressions about all the games...
Round Up Eastasiasoft Showcases 10 New Switch Games, Coming Soon
That's a lotta titles
Eastasiasoft today revealed its 'Fall 2022 Showcase', providing a rundown of everything that the studio will be releasing over the coming months. The showcase revealed 13 new titles, 10 of which will be playable on the Switch. The presentation comes in at 10 minutes in length, with highlights across a wide range of genres. We...
