Discoverability expert Simon Carless has shared his thoughts on the problem of indie games selling poorly on consoles.

At the end of June, Unity updated parts of its licensing rules with no public announcements. The update changed the way smaller developers create games for closed platforms. For example, it requires a Pro license to launch a title on Xbox.

On July 29, Panic opened pre-orders for Playdate, a handheld device for indie games fitted with a crank. It has been making a buzz for its design and cute look for a while. And it seems that the hype was justified, as it took less than 20 minutes to sell over 20,000 units.

Steam Deck, a new handheld PC from Valve, drew a lot of attention from the games industry professionals. People are now making memes, comparing the device with Nintendo Switch, and praising its concept and hardware. However, the question is whether it will be able to compete in the market?

The console market is still relatively small in China due to its strict regulatory environment. However, domestic indie developers are now trying to fill this content gap by producing more games that appeal to the audience.

Between 2017 and 2019, the Chinese authorities relocated 80,000 Uyghurs out of Xinjiang to the East of the country. Their forced labour might be used at the factories where hardware is manufactured for Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.