Indie games will only save us if anyone funds them

The developer behind one of 2025's coziest games is shutting down When I learned that Epic Games laid off over 1,000 developers, I wanted to believe that indie studios would be what saved the struggling video game industry. Smaller teams banding together to create more innovative and alluring titles based on new and existing franchises could blaze the best path forward. Unfortunately, most indie studios still face the same funding and support problems as bigger studios. Take the recent closure announcement of Ivy Road. That studio was founded by The Stanley Parable's Davey Wreden. Last year, the studio released Wanderstop, a cozy game about a fighter farming and working at a tea shop to recover from burnout. Although Wanderstop received positive reviews and got a Games for Impact nomination at The Game Awards 2025, the studio couldn't find funding for its next game. According to a post on Ivy Road's website, the studio had been tinkering with a new project called Engine Angel. Early footage shared by Ivy Road's Liz Caingcoy shows that it's an action game where players fight using the car they are driving. It's a novel concept, but the studio ultimately couldn't get it funded. "It's