Everything is easier to do in 2017. Games like Skyrim and Fallout have map editors and open source files so they can be easily modified and changed. Game engines from RPG Maker to Unity are low cost – the Unreal Engine 4 is even free, charging a 5% royalty fee for sales instead. At this year’s Devcom, developers had a lot to say about this – mostly that indie devs could do more than they are by trying to leave the realm of small PC titles or mobile games and to start taking on genres that only AAA titles currently develop in.

At one panel, the speakers explored the idea that the growing interest on quality indie games could easily put them in competition with AAA titles, as in, with how well indie games are doing, they should start actively trying to compete. This could be a fairly difficult venture, but the question is if they could, and more and more the competitive landscape seems to be indicating that they very easily can.

One doesn’t have to go too far to find powerhouse indie game titles. Limbo has sold over 3 million copies worldwide, Binding of Isaac – 2.5 million, Super Meat Boy – 2 million. This only scratches the surface of games that have outsold many AAA titles. By comparison, Mass Effect: Andromeda sold roughly 1 million copies. EA has produced a number of flops that haven’t even broken the million games sold benchmark, so indie games definitely have firm ground to stand on.

We may not yet be at the point where indie devs are taking on AAA titles on their own turf, but we certainly aren’t far off. One of the speakers and founder of Warhorse Studies, Daniel Vavra, cited his own upcoming game Kingdom Come: Deliverance as a competitor for the likes of games like The Witcher III but with only one-eighth the budget for marketing.

Arguably, the best marketing is still word of mouth, as that is how Limbo, Shovel Knight, and many other indie games have risen to great heights. This is especially true considering how powerful the community has become as a force in gaming. After all, it was the widespread mocking of Mass Effect: Andromeda that hurt its sales, but it was the aggressive spotlight on indie games ­– such as when powerhouse youtubers like the GameGrumps played and endorsed Shovel Knight – that has helped indie games compete.

We’ll have to see what the future holds, but there are no signs indicating that indie games are taking less of the market share, and there are no signs that gamers aren’t continuing to endorse them.