By Editorial Staff
December 20, 2021
In a poignant announcement that marks the conclusion of a significant chapter in independent game journalism, The Indie Game Website (TIGW) confirmed today that it will be entering an indefinite hiatus. Effective later this week, the publication—which has served as a vital lighthouse for developers operating outside the mainstream spotlight since 2017—will cease active operations. While the site’s archives will remain accessible to the public, the news signals a strategic shift for the parent company, Game If You Are Ltd, as it pivots toward new initiatives for the coming year.
The Genesis of a Vision: Why TIGW Mattered
Launched in 2017, The Indie Game Website was born out of a perceived systemic failure in the traditional gaming media landscape. During the mid-2010s, the indie explosion was in full swing, yet the barriers to entry for smaller studios—particularly those led by marginalized creators or developers located outside the primary English-speaking hubs of North America and Europe—remained daunting.
"As indie game fanatics, we were frustrated by what we perceived as an increasing dearth of opportunities for indie developers of all walks of life to gain visibility," said Lewis Denby, Managing Director of Game If You Are.
The publication was designed as an antidote to the "noise" of the industry. While many outlets prioritize titles with massive marketing budgets or those expected to drive high search-engine traffic, TIGW intentionally carved out a space for the obscure, the experimental, and the underrepresented. It functioned not merely as a news portal, but as a cultural curator, bringing attention to titles that might otherwise have vanished into the digital ether of storefronts like Steam or Itch.io.
Chronology: Four Years of Advocacy and Evolution
The trajectory of The Indie Game Website is a testament to the volatility of independent media.
- 2017 (The Launch): Game If You Are, an indie-focused marketing agency, identifies a gap in the media landscape. They establish TIGW as an editorial project, separating the journalistic arm from their commercial marketing services to ensure creative independence.
- 2018–2020 (The Editorial Rotations): The site undergoes several leadership transitions, with editors such as Neil, Jon, Jason, and Khee Hoon shaping the publication’s unique voice. During this period, the site establishes a reputation for thoughtful, critical analysis rather than mere press-release regurgitation.
- 2021 (The Strategic Pivot): As the global pandemic continues to shift the landscape of indie development, the team at Game If You Are begins to re-evaluate their resource allocation. The realization grows that financial sustainability for a passion-led site is difficult to balance against the desire to create more tangible, direct support systems for developers.
- December 2021 (The Hiatus): Lewis Denby announces the hiatus, citing a need to redirect investment toward more impactful, equity-focused initiatives.
Supporting Data: The Cost of Independence
The financial reality of The Indie Game Website was transparently difficult from its inception. The site operated at a loss throughout its four-year lifespan.
For the team at Game If You Are, this deficit was initially viewed as an acceptable cost—a "loss leader" that served the broader mission of supporting the community. However, as 2021 progressed, the internal debate shifted from "How do we keep this site running?" to "How can we best support those who struggle to be heard?"
The economics of digital journalism are notoriously unforgiving. Ad revenue, which typically fuels such sites, is heavily skewed toward high-traffic mainstream coverage. By choosing to focus on marginalized voices and niche titles, TIGW intentionally opted out of the high-volume traffic game, making it impossible to achieve self-sustainability through traditional advertising models. Ultimately, the decision to pause was a cold, pragmatic calculation: the capital required to sustain the site was better deployed elsewhere.
Official Response and Leadership Perspective
In his farewell address, Lewis Denby emphasized that the decision was not made out of a loss of passion, but out of a desire for greater impact.
"The more we have thought about this question—how to shine a light on those who struggle to cut through the noise—the more ideas we have had," Denby noted. "The reality is that we needed to make a decision on where our investment was best spent in order to achieve this goal."
Denby praised the editorial team, noting that the diverse perspectives of their freelance writers were the lifeblood of the project. He highlighted the "astonishing number of titles" covered and the "unique perspectives" provided by a rotating cast of contributors. The tone of his announcement was distinctly bittersweet, balancing the sadness of ending a beloved project with the palpable excitement for 2022.
Implications: The Future of Indie Advocacy
The departure of TIGW leaves a void, yet the team behind it insists that their work is not over—merely changing shape.
A Focus on Marginalized Voices
The primary implication of this shift is a sharper, more focused commitment to marginalized and minoritised developers. While the "broad-spectrum" coverage of TIGW is ending, the company intends to launch specific initiatives in 2022 that target systemic barriers within the industry. By moving away from the daily churn of news and reviews, Game If You Are appears to be positioning itself to act as a more direct benefactor or partner for indie studios.
The Sustainability of Media
The hiatus of The Indie Game Website serves as a sobering reminder of the fragility of the independent gaming press. When outlets depend on the generosity of parent companies or the unpredictable nature of independent funding, they are often the first to be sacrificed when strategic pivots occur. It raises a broader question for the industry: how can the gaming ecosystem better support the critics and journalists who provide essential visibility to non-mainstream creators?
The "Hibernation" Strategy
Notably, Denby confirmed that the website will remain live indefinitely. This "hibernation" approach is common in digital media, allowing for the potential resurrection of the brand should the financial or strategic environment change. It ensures that the historical record of the games covered—many of which received their only major review on the site—remains intact for future research and archival purposes.
Final Reflections
As the industry looks toward 2022, the legacy of The Indie Game Website will be defined by its empathy. In an era dominated by algorithmic optimization and click-driven journalism, TIGW stood for a different set of values. It proved that there is a hunger for thoughtful, slow-burn criticism and that even a small, loss-making operation can change the career trajectory of an indie developer by simply giving them a stage.
For the readers and contributors who have supported the site since 2017, the closure is a moment of reflection. The "noise" of the industry remains as loud as ever, but for a few precious years, The Indie Game Website helped the quietest voices be heard. While the lights may be dimming on this particular project, the mandate to support the indie community remains a pressing priority for all involved.
"We’ll be keeping the website live indefinitely," Denby concluded. "Who knows, maybe one day it’ll be the right time to resurrect it!"
Until then, the digital pages of TIGW stand as a quiet archive of the passion, labor, and artistry that defines the independent gaming movement. The site may be going dark, but the community it helped build—and the commitment to marginalized creators that motivated its founding—is clearly just beginning its next phase.
