Mark Kevin A. Ong Yiu and David Demitri Africa
Indie Steam Games
Welcome to the Indie Steam Games Data Story!
In this interactive visualization, we will explore various aspects of indie games from 2009 to 2022. Let's dive in and discover the fascinating world of independent game development.
To start us off, here are some basic numbers and highlights about indie games on Steam. We have a staggering number of 46,547 indie Steam Games that were released during this period. We also have data on the number of indie game developers, which amounts to an impressive 33,104 that have poured their hearts and souls into creating unique gaming experiences for players worldwide.
46,547
Indie Games on Steam
from 2009 to 2022
33,104
Indie Game Developers
from 2009 to 2022
$199.99
Most Expensive Indie Game
from 2009 to 2022
灰烬行星与填鸭少女
98,215
Highest Peak Concurrent Users
Indie Games from 2009 to 2022
ARK: Survival Evolved
Have you ever played ARK: Survival Evolved?
This is the indie game with the highest peak concurrent users of 98,215 from 2009 to 2022. We've included an image and a short description of the game below. At the time of writing, ARK: Survival Evolved costs $29.99 to purchase on steam.
ARK: Survival Evolved
98,215 Peak Concurrent Users
Indie Game with highest peak concurrent users in Steam as of Dec 2022
Stranded on the shores of a mysterious island, you must learn to survive. Use your cunning to kill or tame the primeval creatures roaming the land, and encounter other players to survive, dominate... and escape!
Price: $29.99
Release Date: Aug 27, 2017
Metacritic Score: 70
Indie Game Subgenres
Yearly Count from 2009 to 2022
You may hover to inspect the value
Indie
Now, let's delve into the subgenres of indie games. This visualization showcases the yearly count of genres of indie games from 2009 to 2022. Hovering over the heatmap allows you to inspect the values and observe the trends and popularity of different indie game genres over the years.
We also have visualizations depicting the monthly average count, price, and metacritic score of indie games from 2009 to 2022. By clicking the buttons and highlighting specific areas, you can navigate and zoom in to explore trends and fluctuations within the indie game market.
Surprisingly, even as indie games get more popular, the price goes down! Why do you think indie games have increased in number throughout the years?
Number of Indie Games
Monthly Count from Jan 2009 to Dec 2022
You may click the buttons to navigate and highlight to zoom
Price of Indie Games (USD)
Monthly Average Price in USD from Jan 2009 to Dec 2022
You may click the buttons to navigate and highlight to zoom
Metacritic Score of Indie Games
Monthly Average Metacritic Score from Jan 2009 to Dec 2022
You may click the buttons to navigate and highlight to zoom
Top 10 Indie Game Developers
Number of Indie Games Developed
You may hover to inspect the value
We have a visualization displaying the top 10 indie game developers based on the number of games they have developed. In this chart, you can see the developers who have made significant contributions to the indie gaming industry.
Next, we have the top 10 indie games based on their peak concurrent users. Hovering over the graph allows you to inspect the specific values and discover the indie games that have captivated the largest audiences.
Top 10 Indie Games
Peak Concurrent Users
You may hover to inspect the value
Comparative Analysis with All Games
This next part of the story provides a broader perspective through a comparative analysis between all games and indie games. The monthly statistics of all games versus indie games from 2009 to 2022 is depicted in the graphs below. It seems like the price and count of indie games closely matches that of games on the Steam platform in general!
Number of All Games vs. Number of Indie Games
Monthly Count from Jan 2009 to Dec 2022
You may click the buttons to navigate and highlight to zoom
You may also click the labels to show and hide graphs
Price of All Games vs. Price of Indie Games (USD)
Monthly Average Price in USD from Jan 2009 to Dec 2022
You may click the buttons to navigate and highlight to zoom
You may also click the labels to show and hide graphs
Are Indie games better or worse than the average game?
Check out this visualization below which shows that there isn't really a clear winner, interestingly enough.
Metacritic Score of All Games vs. Metacritic Score of Indie Games
Monthly Average Metacritic Score from Jan 2009 to Dec 2022
You may click the buttons to navigate and highlight to zoom
You may also click the labels to show and hide graphs
Final Thoughts
1. Indie games are the backbone of the video game industry, having the most games out of any genre, and the most developers as well.
2. Price seems to be a major driver of indie game popularity, especially when you consider that the price has declined slightly over the years when it should really be going up due to inflation.
3. The major subgenre of indie games is casual, suggesting that indie game audiences enjoy a more relaxed or leisurely gaming experience.
Thanks for Reading!
Thanks for taking the time to look through our project! If you want to dig deeper, check out our visualizations about other genres by going back to the home page and clicking on a genre you're interested in.