🎮 From AAA to Indie: Why Events Like New Game Plus Matter More Than Ever

There’s something quietly powerful happening in games right now.

Ten years ago, expos were dominated by massive booths, AAA trailers, and marketing budgets that felt bigger than the games themselves. Today, walking into New Game Plus (London Games Festival) feels completely different and honestly, better.

This year, I went along partly to check out some sweet games but mostly to experience it properly.

Overall, it was a great event and a strong reminder of where the industry is heading.

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🎤 A Talk That Stuck With Me: EVE Forever

One of the standout moments was a keynote by @HilmarVeigar:

“EVE Forever: Designing a Living Game That Lasts”

It focused on something we don’t talk about enough — longevity.

Not just building a game, but sustaining a world over time built by the love of players and the communities they hold dear.

The talk explored how EVE Online has evolved into something much bigger than a game:

• Player-driven economies
• Social systems and politics
• Real-world relationships forming through play

One key takeaway stood out:

Even in a game built around conflict, players naturally choose cooperation.

Over time, the game has become something closer to a society with its own systems, behaviours, and culture.

It’s a reminder that if you build systems deep enough, players won’t just play… they’ll live inside them.

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🕹️ The Show Floor: Creative, Experimental, Personal

The show floor was where the energy really came through.

Rows of setups from students, solo developers, and small studios each showing something unique.

What stood out most was the variety:

• Some games were mechanically clever
• Others were visually stunning
• Some were small but incredibly polished

There was no single “trend”, just a wide range of ideas being explored.

And that’s the biggest shift from older expos:

• Less focus on safe, repeatable formulas
• More focus on identity and experimentation

You could feel that these weren’t just products they were projects people cared about.

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🎯 A Few Highlights

Rather than going deep into each game, a few stood out for different reasons:

• Tournamentris – A clean, minimal puzzle game that took familiar mechanics and made them feel competitive and precise

• Smash ‘N Grab – A visually bold project with strong art direction and personality

• Ratatan – A high-energy, expressive game full of colour and character

Each one approached design differently, but all felt intentional.

👉 https://games.london/newgameplus/ – List of games shown at festival

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🌱 The Bigger Shift

Walking through the event, one thing became clear:

This isn’t just a showcase, it’s a pipeline for the future of games.

• Students turning into studios
• Small teams building their first releases
• New ideas being tested in real time

The barrier to entry is lower than ever, but the level of creativity is higher.

And importantly, the people feel different too.

There’s a strong sense of:

• Collaboration
• Openness
• Support

Which ties back to that earlier idea, even in competitive spaces, people tend to help each other.

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🤝 Final Thoughts

Huge credit to the team behind New Game Plus.

Events like this are important.

They:

• Give developers a platform
• Help players discover new experiences
• Push the industry forward

We’ll definitely be back next year and hopefully showcasing something of our own.

To everyone who showed their work:

Keep going. You’re building something bigger than you think.

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🚀 What This Means Going Forward

As developers, it’s a bit of a reset moment.

You don’t need:

• Massive scope
• AAA budgets
• Perfect polish

What matters more now:

• A strong idea
• Clear identity
• Something people can connect with

That’s what stood out most across the entire event.

And honestly that’s a really exciting place for games to be.

Team Sharkbowl