EA Unleashes its "Indie Bundle"

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

*tilts head*

Doesn't the term 'indie' refer to the independent status of a developer, meaning they pay to develop and publish their game by themselves?

Indie means they independently created and funded the game. Someone else can still publish it for them.

Um, I don't think you understand what 'publish' means. Publish = funded.

No...

Publishing is physical production (making the discs and such) and distribution to retail outlets. And marketing if they're in the mood for that.

Or with digitally distributed games indie games can end up with a publisher involved because of the console market. Bastion was entirely self-funded and developed, but they had to get a publisher to put their name on it for console distribution because you basically cannot self-publish on things like XBLA. The only options right now are either a publisher or XBLIG. There's been disagreement over whether Bastion can be considered an indie game for that reason, and depending on whether you you define it as "self-funded and retaining creative control" or "entirely done with no outside assistance (even if that's not really possible/practical in some situations)", both sides are right.

Oddly enough, Shank was in one of the Humble Indie Bundles too.

 

[XandNobody]

Okay, I feel I need to share this, but I have no idea how to cite twitter posts, so bear with me.

Markus Persson @notch

EA releases an "indie bundle"? That's not how that works, EA. Stop attempting to ruin everything, you bunch of cynical bastards.

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Markus Persson @notch

Fwiw, I don't even call Mojang inde any more. Vlambeer is indie. Polytron is indie. Stephen, Ed, Terry, Derek, Tommy and Chris are indie.

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Markus Persson @notch

Indies are saving gaming. EA is methodically destroying it.

So, yea. That sums up my feelings before I even had a chance to type them myself.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Wait a minute. Doesn't something being Indie mean that it was independently funded and published? Or are we turning Indie into a genre now?

 

[Azuaron]

...hell is ironic?

Seriously, though, I have zero problem with this. The games are indie. As someone else mentioned, Shank was even in one of the Humble Indie Bundles. It's not like they're claiming Mass Effect 3 is indie or anything.

 

[Wintermoot]

indie
EA
maybe the Mayans where onto something

 

[Abedeus]

I think the real irony comes with this being on STEAM...

I still don't get how Deathspank, which came out like 2 years ago, is still more expensive than Shank 2, which just came out like 2 months ago...

Maybe Deathspank is better?

I like Deathspank a lot. Haven't finished yet, despite having purchased both games on a sale, but it's a really fun and funny game.

 

[boag]

Wait a minute. Doesn't something being Indie mean that it was independently funded and published? Or are we turning Indie into a genre now?

Its probably being branded as such so they can get better sales.

 

[Woodsey]

*tilts head*

Doesn't the term 'indie' refer to the independent status of a developer, meaning they pay to develop and publish their game by themselves?

Indie means they independently created and funded the game. Someone else can still publish it for them.

Um, I don't think you understand what 'publish' means. Publish = funded.

No...

Publishing is physical production (making the discs and such) and distribution to retail outlets. And marketing if they're in the mood for that.

Publishers (help) fund projects the vast majority of the time. And having a multi-million dollar company run ad campaigns for you pretty much removes your indie certificate, at least for that particular game.

Essentially, independent studios aren't necessarily indie (I thought that was obvious). Valve are independent, they're not indie.

 

[cynicalsaint1]

As long as EA doesn't actually own the studios that developed the games, I think they can technically get away with calling it an 'Indie Bundle' since they'd just be publishing games made by independent devs ... Maybe?

*Shrugs*

 

[jFr[e]ak93]

So EA launch a competitor to Steam, prevents PC gamers (who don't want Origin) from getting Battlefield 3 and Mass Effect 3. Then, they launch an indy bundle...
I can't decide if I'm more excited to see what stupid stunt is next, or disgusted that this junk keeps happening.

 

[teh_Canape]

they're probably going through the same singularity they had in 2008 when they released something else for a change

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Is EA alright? Can someone check for signs of a hematoma or of a concussion?

I'm worried about you, Big Business. Go get yourself checked out, will ya? Or, you know, stop being disingenuous and don't call the things *you* funded "indie". You're devaluing the word by doing that.

 

[Tipsy Giant]

Wanted all the games but only two were on mac, so buying 3 games I can't play is hardly a deal, why isn't there ports of Shank yet? Damn!

Captcha: Shake a leg hahahhahahaha

 

[Micah Weil]

Meanwhile, in EA's headquarters on a skull shaped mountain...

I'm not sure if this is a case of "Hey! Lookit all that money the Humble Indie Bundle made! We want a piece of that!", "Like us! Please! Like us again! We're desperate!", or "Okay, and that's something else we've ruined...what's next? Oooh! Puppies!"

Ya have to hand it to EA. Occasionally, they'll go ahead and do something that makes you wanna pinch their cheeks and give them a lolly.

 

[JediMB]

Wait a minute. Doesn't something being Indie mean that it was independently funded and published? Or are we turning Indie into a genre now?

"Indie" has been listed as a genre on Steam and various other places for years now, sadly.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

EA promoting an indie bundle? I'm pretty sure that's ironic. That's ironic as hell.

That's not ironic. That has nothing to do with irony. It's a misnomer (a misnomer is a word or term which suggests a meaning that is known to be wrong -- also a word that is used incorrectly or misleadingly. Examples include JRPG (they aren't RPGs) and a "lead pencil" (lead isn't used in pencils anymore).

It's is, however, ironic that you called something ironic and it isn't.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

*tilts head*

Doesn't the term 'indie' refer to the independent status of a developer, meaning they pay to develop and publish their game by themselves?

Hey, if "indie" can be a genre of music that is counted regardless of who publishes the music, why not games?

Indie when referring to music labels means the label doesn't give the band any money. For example, Neurot Records is an indie label that bands sign up to in order to use their recording gear and have their record shown on a big website. The recording is independently made and produced and no money changes hands. The company makes money by charging a small fee for online record sales and from bands under their name being booked for shows.

Think of indie bands like this: if your dad buys you the instruments, pays for lessons and drives you to your first gig, you still did it all within the spirit of indie, you just had help. The exact, literal definition of indie can't really be used in any realistic way, as everything can be said to have benefited from something bigger. Unless you plant your own seeds, cut down the tree that grows, build your own guitar and shit--but you would need to get the seeds from someone else and even if you find them, they came from somewhere else.

Simply put: did you get paid? Yes: not indie. No: possibly indie.

Source: lots of years in the indie scene.

 

[j0frenzy]

Wanted all the games but only two were on mac, so buying 3 games I can't play is hardly a deal, why isn't there ports of Shank yet? Damn!

Captcha: Shake a leg hahahhahahaha

I thought there was a port for Shank. I got it through the Humble Indie Bundle. Maybe its not on Steam. I remember having that problem with Hammerfight.

 

[MrBrightside919]

I think the real irony comes with this being on STEAM...

I still don't get how Deathspank, which came out like 2 years ago, is still more expensive than Shank 2, which just came out like 2 months ago...

Maybe Deathspank is better?

I like Deathspank a lot. Haven't finished yet, despite having purchased both games on a sale, but it's a really fun and funny game.

I'm not bashing Deathspank...it's a great game...

 

[MrFalconfly]

Did anybody actually watch Extra Credits?

They basically said that EA could benefit from creating a dedicated EA indie branch.

Maybe EA is actually trying to make money the sensible way. By making games we'd like to play.