Last week, a couple of indie developers attracted attention with their comments after they suggested (amongst other things) that Xbox Game Pass deals had "come down in scope" since the service first began.
Darkest Dungeon director Chris Bourassa also stated in that interview that the "gold rush is over" in relation to indie funding, mentioning that the team secured their Epic Games deal at the right time. Now, in a follow-up interview this week, Bourassa told Gamer Social Club that the "gold rush" comment was aimed far beyond just Xbox Game Pass:
"My gold rush comment was meant as an overall appraisal of the indie funding situation – as I said, deals are more difficult to line up, their average size has diminished, and many companies are facing layoffs."
Someone else who was involved in the interview was Casey Yano, co-founder of Slay The Spire studio Mega Crit Games, who clarified this week that his comments were mainly focused on Epic Games rather than Xbox Game Pass:
"[Epic] deals have dropped in value. Game Pass deals are a bit more nebulous as there’s little data out there, a lot more hush hush. I know of two studios who locked great deals though (last year)."
"It’s not that there is NO money, or that funding is an impossibility, but publishers and platform holders are being much more conservative."
Yano went on to mention that many developers he's spoken to recently are seeking funds from different sources in 2024, and from his perspective, a lot of smaller teams are struggling to secure that funding right now.
Ultimately, this situation clearly extends far beyond the boundaries of Xbox Game Pass. The good news is that XGP is still providing us with plenty of exciting indies this year, including the likes of Harold Halibut and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes later this month. Let's hope that continues well into the future!