Consolidation always leads to job loss, the industry is very very small. At the same time, legacy publishers have a very different role now.
If I'm an indie dev, I don't need you to print the discs or box things up. The only 2 things publishers really do are QA and Marketing.
QA, for projects with a good community, can be free or very cheap.
Marketing, with again a good community,can be free or cheap. I think about the hikikomori game Pull Stay.
Nothing stops that game from selling millions.
The big publishers are much weaker now.
One could argue that Apple's actually the world's biggest game publisher.
They have the final say as to if your game reaches the masses
Battlefield 2042, GTA Definitive Edition, Warcraft Reforged, and Cyberpunk 2077 beg to differ.
At the same time, the best QA team on earth won't help if you rush the games.
Consolidation always leads to job loss, the industry is very very small. At the same time, legacy publishers have a very different role now.
If I'm an indie dev, I don't need you to print the discs or box things up. The only 2 things publishers really do are QA and Marketing.
QA, for projects with a good community, can be free or very cheap.
Marketing, with again a good community,can be free or cheap. I think about the hikikomori game Pull Stay.
Nothing stops that game from selling millions.
The big publishers are much weaker now.
One could argue that Apple's actually the world's biggest game publisher.
They have the final say as to if your game reaches the masses