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For some experienced game developers, starting an indie studio after a closure or stalled project feels more controllable than depending on another employer or publisher. That is a personal judgment, not proof that indie work is objectively safer: going independent can mean greater creative control, but also lower pay, uncertain funding, and personal financial exposure.
Why developers leave large studios to go indie
The move is not always a clean break made from a position of financial security. In GamesIndustry.biz’s October 5, 2026 report, developers described studio closure, projects being put on ice, and difficulty finding another job alongside a desire to choose what they make. These pressures can turn independence from an abstract ambition into a practical way to keep working.
Justin Fischer and Brock Feldman formed Airlock Games after Player First Games was shuttered in 2025. Murray Pannell, Phil O’Connor, and collaborators started Big Dumb Games in early 2026 after their previous studio was put on ice. Their stories illustrate different routes into indie development; they do not establish how common those routes are across the industry.
What the two studios are making and how they are approaching scope
| Studio | Reported project | Approach and funding described |
|---|---|---|
| Airlock Games | What the Stars Forgot, a sci-fi horror management sim | Fischer said the team is keeping the project small enough to finish and ship, rather than pursuing a large multiplayer budget. The founders said they intended to ship without outside investment and were relying on severance. A report says the Kickstarter raised more than $25,000; its exact campaign date is not established in the accessible article text. |
| Big Dumb Games | Starship Bloopers, a co-op space survival game | The studio was described as unfunded and relying on founders’ savings, with grants and small seed investment considered as possible funding sources. |
The funding details are interview accounts, not audited financial statements, and the report does not establish either team’s current runway. The useful comparison is not which studio has the better business model; it is how each team is matching project scope to money and time it can realistically access.
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What independence changes—and what it does not
Independence can give a small team more say over the project, its priorities, and how it communicates with players. Fischer described the appeal as being able to control what the team makes even when it cannot control the publisher landscape. That control is meaningful, but it does not remove market risk: Fischer also noted that user-acquisition costs are difficult for everyone.
The trade-off is that founders may give up predictable salaries and take responsibility for sustaining the work. In these accounts, the financial base included severance or personal savings, while outside support remained uncertain. Pannell characterized the experience as deeply rewarding but financially poor for him. These are personal accounts, not a general forecast of indie income.
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Is going indie less risky than staying in AAA?
There is no universal answer in these examples. A salaried role at a large studio may offer steadier income while it lasts, but the developers’ accounts show that closures, canceled or paused projects, and hard job searches can undermine that stability. An indie studio gives founders greater agency, while concentrating financial and production risk on a smaller team.
O’Connor’s phrase about being “masters of our own fate” describes why he chose that exposure over dependence on an industry he viewed as unreliable. It should be read as his framing of a personal choice, not as evidence that starting an indie studio is safer overall. The report offers interviews, not a measured comparison of career outcomes or a representative survey.
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What to assess before making a similar move
- Project scope: Can the team finish and ship the game without needing a budget or audience far beyond its reach?
- Funding source: Separate money already available—such as savings or severance—from grants, crowdfunding, or investment that is only a possibility.
- Personal runway: Work out how long founders can sustain lower or no pay, and what happens if the game takes longer than planned.
- Team structure: Clarify who owns which work, how decisions are made, and how much control the founders retain.
- Market exposure: Creative control does not guarantee discoverability, sales, or affordable user acquisition.
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