The recent statements by developer Ian Garner on the poor visibility of indie games on the PS Store, and similar revelations shared by other insiders in the sector, are at the center of the latest report by journalist Jason Schreier.
From the Bloomberg columns, the now famous videogame journalist has reconstructed what has happened in recent days on the most popular social networks and forums in an attempt to clarify and understand why Garner and other developers have decided to expose themselves and publicly express their discontent .
Schreier’s summary obviously starts from the phrases of the developer of Neon Doctrine, and then extends the discourse to the complaints and reports of other independent software house designers for what is described by them as “an inadequate support for the authors of smaller games from part of Sony “.
For example, the Bloomberg editor’s reconstruction reads how “contacts with Sony (by indie developers, ed) can sometimes take weeks or months to wait before receiving an answer, if you are lucky enough to get a contact. . And while big productions are featured prominently on PlayStation Store, indie games are hard to stand out and be discovered by users. “
At the time of writing, however, the issue raised by Garner has involved few developers, and this net of the thousands of comments and posts shared on social networks by those who are participating in the debate. As pointed out by Schreier, the complaints of some indie designers should be seen in a broader perspective that goes beyond the individual cases of “poor visibility” on the PS Store: the Bloomberg journalist explains that “marketing is more important than ever for video game developers, with more and more titles being launched every year and competing for the attention of users. Promotional passage into a store can mean the difference between success and failure. That’s why there are developers who decide to complain publicly and risk burning their relationship with Sony by doing so. “
Kotaku journalists have also recently intervened on the subject, with new reflections and testimonies from indie developers on the relationship with Sony.