20 Recent Indies That Put AAA To Shame
1. Baldur's Gate 3 Traumatized AAA
Given its big sales and even bigger success, some might be shocked to see Baldur's Gate 3 on this list, as it's easy to assume it's been made by a big studio.
However, Larian, the developer behind this behemoth of an RPG, is a relatively small privately owned company, and their gem of a game, which was unequivocally the best release of 2023, has been published fully independently, thanks to the fans funding it during its early access period.
The team has grown considerably since those more humble days, turning Larian into a big studio, but the history of Baldur's Gate 3's development still remains the most awe-inspiring (and controversial) rise of an indie title to this day.
The level of detail, interactivity, and tangible choices the player can make throughout the game's lengthy three acts is truly astounding. So much so that proper AAA developers were expressing fears about Larian's release for putting way too many expectations on the production value of modern video games!
The fact that this was achieved with a small initial team and an independent budget speaks volumes, and anyone who has played Baldur's Gate 3 can attest that it's the best modern RPG on the market. Period.