While PC gaming has enjoyed smaller downloadable games for just about as long as the Internet has been around, the console space has only just begun to embrace this concept. The incredible ease of obtaining digitally distributed content along with the rising cost of game development for AAA titles has carved out a nice niche for independent developers to showcase their wares.
Sony has proved that downloadable games can offer large, retail game-sized experiences (see Warhawk , GT 5 Prologue and the upcoming Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty), however, the space is primarily inhabited by more casual “pick up and play” games. Titles like Geometry Wars Retro Evolved or Super Stardust HD are extremely addictive twin stick shooter gems, but they’re also great games to play for 10 to 15 mins, while you wait for your buddy to join you online. In a way, they’re really more like palette cleansers that can be loaded up quickly while you’re in between game sessions. These games also don’t require individual discs, which means you can turn on your console and then decide what you want to play, possibly after you’re glanced at your friend’s list. And since they tend to be smaller, less complicated games, you’re more apt to find a local multiplayer game everyone can join in on. Rather than entice your friends to come over and play Halo 3 or Madden, you can boot up N+ or Calling All Cars! to bring out some good old fashioned couch rivalries.
Creating these smaller bite-sized games also means you can charge less and still turn a decent profit because the development times are drastically lower. Independent development studios like thatgamecompany or NinjaBee would have probably never existed or at least might not have been as successful had it not been for the smaller canvas and digital distribution. Rather than deal with one of the incredibly massive multi-national publishers, Xbox Live Arcade, Playstaion Network, and Wiiware, offer direct channels for consumers to buy their products. Since a lower cost of development means lower investment risk, developers are given more freedom to innovate. The single-man production of Everyday Shooter is a great example of a game that seems unlikely to have ever existed on a console 5 years ago. Such is the potential for this brand new medium.
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