Without huge development teams and vast marketing budgets, it can be hard to be an indie studio, but digital marketplaces like the PlayStation Network allow the developers to sell their games with relatively little costs involved. The PSN has been home to some truly amazing indie games, helped greatly by Sony indie-friendly schemes, including the $20 million Pub fund which provides additional development budget in return for a certain level of exclusivity.
Sony has now released the list of the top selling PSN games of the year, broken down into 3 categories – third party, SCEA published and pub-funded. What’s interesting to see is that some of the games aren’t from 2011, showing strong tails on PSN titles.
Top 10 Best-Selling Indie PSN Games of 2011 – Third-Party Self-Published:
- Limbo (Playdead)
- Castle Crashers (The Behemoth)
- TestYourself Psychology (Creat Studios)
- Marvel Pinball (Zen Studios)
- Worms 2 Armageddon (Team 17)
- Dungeon Defenders (Trendy Entertainment)
- Armageddon Riders (Targem Games)
- Braid (Number None Inc.)
- UnderSiege (Seed Studios)
- Hamsterball (TikGames)
Top 10 Best-Selling PSN Games of 2011- SCEA-Published Indies:
- PixelJunk Shooter 2 (Q-Games)
- Fat Princess (Titan Studios)
- Flower (thatgamecompany)
- Aquatopia (Playlogic Entertainment)
- Hustle Kings (VooFoo Sudios)
- Eat Them! (FluffyLogic)
- Top Darts (Devil’s Details)
- Super Stardust HD (Housemarque)
- Linger in Shadows (Plastic)
- Rag Doll Kung Fu (Qi Studios)
Top 5 Best-Selling Pub Fund Titles of 2011:
- Hoard (Big Sandwich Games)
- Tales From Space: About a Blob (DrinkBox)
- Joe Danger (Hello Games)
- Eufloria (Omni Systems Limited)
- Explodemon! (Curve Studios)
In the post, Sony also highlighted how SCEA “seeks out the best development talent from colleges and universities through [their] academic program” as well as through trade show like IndieCade and GDC, and also hosts developer mixers. Last month, some of the PlayStation Network’s best developers told us why they love the network and Sony.
