Chicago’s on fire again, but you’ll want to stay inside for this one. We’ve seen the steady glow of success from indie developers in Chicago recently, but at E3 this year, we saw a pair of trailblazing Chicago indies highlighted in a whole new field—next generation consoles.
During their press conference at E3 earlier this month, Sony showcased a number of indie games with upcoming releases on the PlayStation 4. Out of the eight games demoed, Chicago cheered twice for their own: Young Horses and Ragtag both appeared on stage to share their respective games Octodad: Dadliest Catch and Ray’s the Dead. Both games have been Greenlit on Steam, but they will make their console debuts alongside the other previewed games on the PlayStation 4.
Sony will be releasing the PlayStation 4 at the end of the year, and with it, the ability for small developers to self-publish their titles, allowing them to maintain IP and keep a greater cut of their profits than with traditional publishers. The PS4 will also feature an improved development kit for easier development and porting to the console. As part of Sony’s push to include more indie content on the upcoming generation of consoles, these features will benefit more than indie developers. Players and larger studios can expect to see quality and innovation in indie titles, which have been largely limited to PC’s to this point. How this may change the landscape of console gaming and beyond, we can only wait and see.
To see Young Horses, Ragtag, and the other indie developers at Sony’s E3 press conference, check out this clip: Indie Games at the Sony E3 2013 Press Conference.