Triple-A publishers understandably play it safe. Often, it takes an Indie dev to prove that a risky idea can actually make some money. In many cases, entire genres were ignored by big studios for years until one breakout indie made them impossible to ignore.
I’ve lost count of how many mainstream games are now chasing mechanics that small teams did better (and first). These are the genres that only got the Triple-A treatment after indie games took the creative leap (and, sometimes, do it better).
10Farming Sims
Stardew Valleydidn’t just revive the farming sim genre. It redefined it. It was everything cozy and nostalgic fromHarvest Moon, but modernized with deeper characters anddungeon crawling. Plus, it was made by one guy.
Suddenly, publishers were dusting off their hoes.Fae FarmandDisney Dreamlight Valleyare clearly gunning for that Stardew magic, andStory of Seasonseven started copying its own spiritual successor. It took an indie to remind everyone that planting parsnips could be fun.
9Roguelikes
Once upon a time, permadath was seen as a niche punishment. Then games likeThe Binding of IsaacandDead Cellsmade randomized runs not just bearable, but addictive. Now we’ve gotReturnalfrom Sony, Remnant II from Gearbox, and even Assassin’s Creed Infinity rumored to includeroguelikemechanics.
Triple-A devs are finally realizing that dying over and over is the point, not necessarily a failure. Now, studios with billion-dollar budgets are starting to use these mechanics that were pioneered in literal basements.
8Social Deduction Games
Among Uswas made in 2018 and ignored until 2020, when it suddenly dominated Twitch streams and classrooms. That led to a cascade of social-deduction clones like Deceit 2,Goose Goose Duck, and most notably, Ubisoft’s Project U. EvenFortnitehas a Sus mode now.
The indie success of a few crewmates and imposters wasn’t the first of its kind, but it was the first to see such popularity (and it led to a slew of copycats). It reminded publishers that the biggest thrill can come from lying to your friends.
7Narrative-Driven Walking Sims
Gone Home.Firewatch.What Remains of Edith Finch. These games proved you didn’t need combat to deliver emotional gut punches. For years, AAA studios brushed them off as ‘not real games.’ However, now we’re getting games likeThe Last of Us Part II, which has entire sections that play like a walking sim, and Death Standing.
It’s a bit strange to see this ‘boring indie concept’ start popping up in much larger games. Now, it’s considered prestige-level storytelling.
6Survival Crafting
Don’t Starve,Rust, andThe Forestmade survival brutal and chaotic (and oddly satisfying). For a while, big publishers stayed away from games in this category. Then Valheim exploded in Early Access and sold five million copies in a month. Fast-forward: now we’ve got Grounded from Obsidian,Palworldfrom Pocketpair climbing the charts, and Ark II trying to rope in Vin Diesel for survival clout.
EvenMinecraft Legendsis a little on the survival side of things. Indies made campfires cool, and now AAA is starting to catch interest.
5Deckbuilders
WhenSlay the Spirequietly launched in Early Access, most players didn’t expect it to spark an entire genre renaissance. However, something about its tight loop of strategic cardplay and roguelike structure made it an instant indie darling.
Triple-A games started to take notice, and we suddenly got games like Marvel’sMidnight Sunsfrom Firaxis blending deckbuilding with tactical RPG mechanics, andGears: Tacticsexperimenting with similar systems. Plus, there are tons of other games that are starting to integrate this system into their gameplay, even if their games aren’tonlydeckbuilders.
4Cozy Life Sims
BeforeUnpacking,Spiritfarer, orA Short Hike, most big publishers didn’t know what to do with ‘cozy’ as a game category. However, now, ‘cozy’ is starting to be implemented across the industry. Nintendo’sAnimal Crossinghas always been a little bit cozy, but it was indies that really grabbed onto the concept and ran with it as an entire genre.
After that, EA jumped in withThe Sims 4: Cottage Living, and Disney followed with Dreamlight Valley. The fact that Xbox literally featured ‘Cozy’ as a genre in its 2023 showcase tells you indies built this wave.
3Top-Down Extraction Shooters
Escape from Tarkovbuilt its hardcore rep with high-stakes gunfights and loot extraction, but games likeDark and DarkerandZero Sieverttook the concept even further. These weren’t just shooters. They simulated real loss (with real stress).
Now, we’re also starting to get things like Exoborne from AAA studio Sharkmob, and DMZ mode in Call of Duty: Warzone 2. Smaller indie games proved that this gameplay loop could be a big win, and then AAA publishers swooped in with polish.
2Bullet Hells
Vampire Survivorsdropped in 2021 and wasn’t taken very seriously. It had auto-attacks, retro sprites, and continuous waves of enemies. But, then it became successful, and everyone started raising their eyebrows. Plus, it probably helped that it cost under $5.
Soon after, Ubisoft announced Project U, and HoloCure brought VTuber fandom into the genre. Even Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor from Ghost Ship Games takes heavy notes from the formula. Somehow, the formula of minimal controls and maximum chaos was a winner.
1Battle Royales
Before Fortnight was even thought of, the genre was invented by indies. H1Z1’s King of the Kill mode and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) laid the groundwork, built by small teams and modders. It wasn’t even its owngame.
It wasn’t until PUBG pulled in millions of players that the big publishers pounced. EA launchedApex Legends, Activision fired up Warzone, and Ubisoft threw Hyper Scape into the ring (RIP). AAA didn’t even come close to inventing battle royales. They just showed up after indies proved 99 people losing could be wildly profitable.
