Mike Bithell has commended Sony on its support of indie games, but has also highlighted that Sony gets a lot out of that support.
With the PS4 not yet a year on the market, the console has a wealth of games in its PlayStation Store. That's partly because Sony has been very vocal about its support for indie games and has been quick to get them on its latest console.
While Bithell, of Thomas Was Alone fame, believes it is great news for indie developers, he also stressed that it's not a one-sided deal for Sony.
"I think it works for [Sony]. I think they get a lot out of it. They get lots of games, they get a really well stocked PlayStation Store", said Bithell speaking with TrustedReviews. "Frankly at this stage of the lifecycle of a console, it’s just about getting lots of games. For people to buy it, you have to convince them there’s so many games they want to play that are on this platform. Indie games are a very cheap and easy way of getting lots and lots of content."
Bithell's next game, Volume, is coming exclusively to PS4 some time in 2015 and is just one of the game that is highlighting Sony's support for the indie scene. Just take a look at Don't Starve, The Road Not Taken and HoHoKum for a taste of those already available on the PS4.
"Probably bringing Volume to PlayStation is going to cost Sony the same as the bar tab at a Killzone party. It’s not even on their radar in terms of the scale of production, but that means they get loads of games, they get loads of visibility, they are cool because they’re helping indies and it’s goodwill as well."
Of course, Bithell was quick to praise Sony too. He was so thrilled Sony wanted to get involved with Volume, mostly because of the company's sheer enthusiasm for games in general.
"The people making the decisions at Sony are just really nerdy games fans and it’s really lovely. These are just nerds that have managed to obtain a position of power. It’s fun that just cool people have gotten into these jobs where they can help interesting games exist."
"As a game creator, I don’t want to work with people who don’t care about the people, I want to work with people who are fans. Because I’m a fan and I want that kind of an environment around my games."
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