Smilegate's indie game platform 'Stove Indie' celebrated its 3rd anniversary. 'Stove Indie', which had only four games when it opened in 2019, has grown brilliantly for three years, and is now solidifying its position as a professional platform that serves hundreds of indie games at home and abroad. This is not just a service of indie games, but because of the cool scratching the itch of indie game fans such as official Korean language. Such 'Stove Indie' first visited Busan Indie Game Event Busan Indie Connect Festival 2022 (BIC 2022). It is 'Stove Indie', which is preparing for a bigger leap forward for the 3rd anniversary. I met with Stove's director Seung-hwan and Oh Kyung-yeop, who is preparing for what's the vision of Stove Indie and what he is preparing to run that vision.
■ Indie games can come to mind 'Stove Indie' ** Q. It seems that there is no place to care about the indie game as well as the Smilegate. I have been supporting the indie game industry in various ways before, but I wonder why I became an indie game distribution service 'Stove Indie'.
** Woman Seung-hwan: As a platform, it has a strong tool called Stove, and I was worried about how to support the indie game industry. Then, rather than showing all the major games and indie games, the indie game was tied up in a separate category. You can think of it as an indie label in the stove, not a separate platform.
Oh Kyung-yeop: Market platform is overwhelming steam, but it is not easy to compete there as it targets the world. The same is true of not only competition, but also in entry. Korea is said to be an online powerhouse, but it's not like that. In that area, there is a symbol of the domestic market platform, and it is hoped that there is a platform for indie game developers to be easily approached.
Q. In the years, the popularity and influence of indie games has increased significantly, but indie is nevertheless indie. In a way, it might be called non-mainstream, but what kind of vision did it have?
Oh Kyung-yeop: It is often called Red Ocean for the indie game market, but we thought it was Blue Ocean. However, it was actually a market that could access the blue ocean. In addition, indie games are not big in language barriers. It was a recognized indie game abroad, but I didn't support Korean, so I thought it would be possible to discover new consumers if we were Korean and released through 'Stove Indie'. The result is 'Stove Indie'. If the company invests and the number of gamers in the indie game through 'Stove Indie' continues, the recognition of 'Stove Indie' will be created later if indie games naturally naturally. I think it would not. This is our vision.
Woman Seung-hwan: In addition to thinking about 'Stove Indie' when you play indie games, if such a virtuous cycle continues, the major games they create will also be added to the stove one by one, so the stove will grow further. Just as they did not develop indie games at one time, they were once indie game developers. If you do that, if the indie game developers who have released the game through 'Stove Indie' later, if you make a better game, you can expect the flow of the game through the stove naturally. In that sense, I think that indie games should always be with the game industry, even if the areas of the entire game ecosystem are small.
Q. As a result, is there different standards for defining indie? What is the definition of Indie that Stove Indie thinks.
Female Seung-hwan: I think that indie is a personal idea rather than a 'stove indie'. It doesn't matter how much you invest in that sense. For example, even if you have 100 billion won, if you invest them in fully and make the game's charm, it's a 100 billion won indie game. In that sense, our goal is clear. It supports the energy of the creators who make what they want to make, and keeps the charm to the end.
Oh Kyung-yeop: In that sense, China's 'Black Myth: Ogong' is an indie game. Now, the development team has been larger than 100 people, but at first, about 10 people did not try to make the game of the game. I think that the spirit, not the size, quality, or dignity, is the key to defining indie.
Q. What do you think is the charm of 'Stove Indie' differentiated from other platforms? And what is the part that needs to be strengthened in the future?
Oh Kyung-yeop: First of all, I think we should reflect on the footsteps that 'Stove Indie' walked. For the past two years, I have focused on having a product, and this year, we have started full-fledged branding marketing as 'Stove Indie'. At that time, our goal was not to beat Steam. Such beings who have overwhelming influence on the market are obviously in any market, so they don't have to try to win it from the beginning.
If Steam is a department store, we can be called a so-called editing shop. The department store doesn't mean that the editing shop is gone and the strategy is different. The editorial shop provides a kind of customized service that displays the optimal product for the staple of the editorial shop and the best way for people who fit the taste through the optimal method. I like indie games, but for those who are bothersome to go through the indie parts on Steam, I introduce indie games in customized.
One more thing here. There is also a service for developers. The developer is our customers, but it's not as simple as developing and launching games. In addition to development, you should do it one by one after posting it to the market. Stove Indie is preparing a variety of support programs that care for developers who are having a hard time. If our efforts look at some light, I don't think it's a dream to choose 'Stove Indie' before Steam later.
Woman Seung-hwan: The goal is to be an editorial shop and the distance of the editing shop. In comparison, you can pick up Hongdae streets, but Hongdae Street is simply just a distance, but many shops do not naturally create a trend by gathering. In that way, we have a direct editing shop (stove indie) in the standpoint of making the streets, but the ultimate vision aims to create a new indie game ecosystem on the platform called 'Stove Indie'.
Q. In terms of indie games, it is also domestic, but it cannot ignore overseas. Naturally, I think that 'Stove Indie' should turn to the world in order to grow further.
Woman Seunghwan: Of course. Global entry is not a choice but a must. However, simply supporting English in 'Stove Indie' does not think that this is a global advancement. There are many things to think about, including sales policies, various policies by country, and our promotions depending on our market. In that sense, the Korean language of Stove Indie is not just a service for domestic indie game fans, but as one of the localization models ahead of global advancement.
Oh Kyung-yeop: Of course, 'Stove Indie' is still supporting various languages, and in addition to the infrastructure such as the distinction between the currency system by country, it is left to expand this.
** Q. The global indie game platform is inevitable in competition with ITCH.IO.
Woman Seung-hwan: Itch.io also serves as a market but has a strong personality as a developer community. 'Stove Indie' is a complex platform that provides optimal services for developers as well as optimal services for consumers and provides various community spaces for indie games. If you grow this part, I think there will be strengths of 'Stove Indie' differentiated from other markets.
Q. The goal is the platform for both indie game fans and developers, but I think I can think about crowdfunding.
Woman Seung-hwan: I had a lot of concerns about that part. As you know, in recent years, the negative perception of indie game crowdfunding has become stronger because the game and the results of the game introduced at the time of funding have been different, the news is more and more. Since the funding is not managed in the place where the project is carried out after the funding, it is possible to provide the differentiated service of 'Stove Indie' in this area. I think that if these cases increase, the negative atmosphere of the funding will disappear if these cases are increased by attaching a kind of certification mark and how the funds are used after the funding.
There are also things for developers, and if you succeed in funding, you will also provide additional development costs in addition to that amount, while also helping in marketing. Currently, these services are being prepared as a funding pack (gauze), but it will be a service that eliminates bad things and highlights good things.
** Q. Aside from this, a game related to 'Stove Indie' at the BIC 2022 event
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