This sets an extremely dangerous precedent. It effectively means that any non-indie developer can snatch “indie game of the year” as long as they can make a case that their game is indie “in spirit.” Which means literally nothing, so he might as well be saying that there are no rules. Because what makes a game indie in spirit? If it’s a budget issue, where’s the cutoff line? And does the fact that a major publisher did the marketing for Dave the Diver count against that?
This isn’t just an attempt to confuse the issue, it’s actively harmful to actual indie developers who will simply get outcompeted by major publisher-backed studios if this is allowed. Even just being nominated for indie game of the year is a huge publicity boost for small developers and it’s ridiculous that non-indie devs are allowed to just take up precious slots in the indie category. Never mind what happens if they’re allowed to win it.
This sets an extremely dangerous precedent. It effectively means that any non-indie developer can snatch “indie game of the year” as long as they can make a case that their game is indie “in spirit.” Which means literally nothing, so he might as well be saying that there are no rules. Because what makes a game indie in spirit? If it’s a budget issue, where’s the cutoff line? And does the fact that a major publisher did the marketing for Dave the Diver count against that?
This isn’t just an attempt to confuse the issue, it’s actively harmful to actual indie developers who will simply get outcompeted by major publisher-backed studios if this is allowed. Even just being nominated for indie game of the year is a huge publicity boost for small developers and it’s ridiculous that non-indie devs are allowed to just take up precious slots in the indie category. Never mind what happens if they’re allowed to win it.