--- title: "\"Heavyweights ruined the industry... now we live on the indies\" Nordic Game embraces smaller devs and games with soul" url: https://daily.dev/posts/heavyweights-ruined-the-industry-now-we-live-on-the-indies-nordic-game-embraces-smaller-devs-an-rgbfsjtb8 source_url: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/heavyweights-ruined-the-industry-now-we-live-on-the-indies-nordic-game-embraces-smaller-devs-and-games-with-soul type: article source: "GamesIndustry.biz" published: 2026-03-25T16:03:29.152Z updated: 2026-03-25T16:06:52.632Z tags: ["gaming"] reading_time: 6 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # "Heavyweights ruined the industry... now we live on the indies" Nordic Game embraces smaller devs and games with soul **[GamesIndustry.biz](https://daily.dev/sources/gamesindustry)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Nordic Game program director Jacob Riis reflects on the rise of indie gaming as a counterreaction to large studios dominating the industry with profit-driven, live-service games. He argues that indie developers are the true creative heart of the industry, citing data showing four of the top ten Steam games by units sold over the past year were indie titles. Nordic Game 2026 will feature over 100 indie games on the show floor, expanded publisher and pitch sessions, and a new People's Choice Award. Ticket sales are up 33% compared to recent years, partly attributed to GDC's attendance drop. The conference has shifted away from big corporate sponsors like Epic, Microsoft, and Sony toward smaller businesses, which Riis sees as preserving editorial independence and a grassroots focus on Nordic game development. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Nordic Game 2026 was full of smiles, but they hid a very tough reality \| Opinion](https://daily.dev/posts/nordic-game-2026-was-full-of-smiles-but-they-hid-a-very-tough-reality-opinion-pyywlosjf) · GamesIndustry.biz · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Indie games have built a thriving economy in territory traditional publishers abandoned or ignored \| Opinion](https://daily.dev/posts/indie-games-have-built-a-thriving-economy-in-territory-traditional-publishers-abandoned-or-ignored--iozue0no6) · GamesIndustry.biz · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The industry makes great games, but nobody can find them](https://daily.dev/posts/the-industry-makes-great-games-but-nobody-can-find-them-gzvly325o) · GamesIndustry.biz · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#gaming](https://daily.dev/tags/gaming) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/heavyweights-ruined-the-industry-now-we-live-on-the-indies-nordic-game-embraces-smaller-devs-an-rgbfsjtb8)