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Indie devs react to Hades 2's stealth launch: 'Good thing we picked a quiet news week to launch a video game'

The release of Hades 2 in Early Access has put pressure on smaller indie developers, highlighting the challenges of competing in the shadow of major releases.

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Hades 2 has finally entered Early Access as of May 6 2024, and while it's a triumph for all us patient fans, some indie game devs pray you spare a thought for them during these trying times. 

SFB Games' Tom Vian, co-creator of upcoming horror game Crow Country, was able to make light of standing in Supergiant's godlike shadow. "Good thing we picked a quiet news week to launch a video game," he remarked on Twitter. Crow Country releases later this week on May 9, meaning survival horror fans will be pulled between the PS1-style shooter and the sequel to everyone's favorite roguelike.

Meanwhile, Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island creative director Alex Kanaris-Sotiriou took the opportunity to shout out his fellow indie devs in a quote Tweet. "A heads up to support any smaller indies launching in the shadow of this," Kanaris-Sotiriou says in solidarity. With Mythwrecked slated to launch later this year at an as-yet unconfirmed date, however, players eager for more Greek mythos-fuelled adventures might want to wishlist it on Steam to check out later in 2024.

For some, it's a situation to make light of. Keen Games, developer of survival game Enshrouded, joked that development had been "pushed back 3 weeks," while indie publisher Devolver Digital claimed it had abruptly ended an entire meeting after the shadow drop. Dan Fornace, creator of platform fighter Rivals of Aether, says that his sequel "is planned for late 2024 because I have incredible foresight" in response to the release.

But it's not all fun and games. Aggro Crab, which launched its underwater soulslike Another Crab's Treasure last month, said that while its sales were not really affected, "I feel bad for people releasing this week." Elsewhere, consultant Richie De Wit asked "can we collectively stop doing shadow drops for majorly anticipated games? It is, respectfully, a massive fuck you to your peers who have had to squeeze the most out of (in most cases) minimal marketing budgets."

I’m happy a sequel of a massive indie game is doing well, but can we collectively stop doing shadow drops for majorly anticipated games?It’s is, respectfully, a massive fuck you to your peers who have had to squeeze the most out of (in most cases) minimal marketing budgets.May 7, 2024

De Wit's comments might seem extreme, but it's not long since we saw the impact of EA's sudden drop of a host of old Command & Conquer games, which bulldozed their way through Steam's new game charts - crucial for indie devs hoping to get in front of the largest possible audience. Hades 2 developer Supergiant doesn't quite have that same heft behind it, but it can't be denied that it's got a massive reputation for an indie company, and a sequel to a game that contested for GOTY status in 2020 is always going to draw plenty of attention. Shadow drops are probably never going away, but their impact on the indie scene isn't ever likely to diminish either.

Get a closer look at what's on its way with these upcoming indie games.