Freelance Music Composer for Video Games, Films & Media. "As someone new to gaming, gaming conventions, and game design, Metatopia was an entirely new experience. What it does: One of the great indie-breakout stories of the decade, Heart Machine launched with Hyper Light Drifter, a Zelda-inspired quest RPG that connected with audiences for its 2D/8-bit throwback aesthetic, minimal-synth soundtrack (by Disasterpiece, who also scored cult-favorite horror flick It Follows) and tragic metaphorical depth — the game was partly inspired by developer Alex Preston’s serious chronic health issues. The gameplay is notoriously challenging — “laughably hard,” as one Forbes contributor wrote — but it’s also rewarding as well as a ton of fun. It’s an alternative to the standard publisher funding model and has been designed to support indie developers to create amazing games and to grow financially independent. Serenity Forge is a game development studio with a publishing arm and wealth of other services dedicated to supporting indie developers with their game projects. If you'd like help with music for any project, feel free to contact her now. (Perhaps not surprisingly, half of Drool is Brian Gibson, bassist for — also delightfully overwhelming — noise-rock duo Lightning Bolt.). The second-best-selling video game ever is arguably an indie one, too. Companies, use this job board to reach artists and programmers with knowledge of today's game engines and hardware. You can connect with their 12 million customers, own your IP, get help with marketing and PR, leverage the Humble Bundle brand, get help with financing and more. Having the ability to speak with so many talented people, from all aspects of the RPG publishing industry, was an invaluable experience to have and helped me grow as a new designer.”. The effect is often a deep sense of community among players and, for game inventors, an ever greater sense of personal identification. We support inclusivity in both the products of our member companies and in the membership of our organization. Attract the cream of the crop Why recruit a beginner to game design when you can recruit a modder. Surprise Attack Games is an independent games label focusing on games that bring something new or different to the table. Five years after the first game’s debut, Freddy’s has spawned book adaptations, memes galore and at least two film knockoffs — with no signs of slowing. (Incidentally, the top-selling video games are Minecraft and Tetris.). The Indie Game Developer Network (IGDN) is an international volunteer trade organization that supports indie game developers creating, publishing, and promoting fantastic games. But it was an indie upstart that arguably achieved the finest iteration of the genre, MegaCrit’s popular 2017 deck-builder Slay the Spire. An expansion is due in 2020. In addition to our direct contribution, we crowdfund additional money each year to cover the costs. Humble Bundle has a publishing arm, which can help you with indie game. That sector has blossomed with everything from self-consciously retro counterprogramming (see the ongoing platformer revival) to bleeding-edge (if divisive) subversions of traditional gameplay — i.e. What it does: Mossmouth serves as homebase studio for Derek Yu, who helped develop indie standouts Aquaria, Eternal Daughter and the modern classic Spelunky — one of the most notable indie titles of the last decade. And thus the new vision of the IGDN came about. That’s not to conflate return with value, but it illustrates an undeniable fact: even in this era of AAA-studio supremacy, a truly inspired independent vision always has the potential to emerge, thrive and — in exceptional cases — even dominate the gaming landscape. (The game is “designed to be winnable only about 10 percent of the time by seasoned players,” according to the New York Times.)