So this is kind of a funny article to write considering it was just over a month ago where I wrote about how bundles might be the future of indie game distribution. Then again a lot has happened in the past month which has not changed my mind on whether they really are the future, but has, unsurprisingly, changed my stance on whether they’re good for the industry.

But let’s jump right to the heart of the matter: indie game bundles are out of hand. Since I wrote my previous article here are the bundles that have surfaced (and these are only the ones we know about):

• Humble Introversion Bundle
• Humble Indie Bundle 4
• The Xmas Bundle (Indie Royale)
• The Really Big Bundle (Indie Royale)
• Indie Gala
• Little Big Bunch
• Indie Game Christmas Bundle
• Indie Music Bundle (not entirely applicable)
• 99% Bundle (free and with a different purpose)

And that’s not even including the Humble Voxatron Bundle and The Difficult 2nd Bundle (Indie Royale) both of which ended just about a month ago.

Also it’s worth noting that the Indie Music Bundle and 99% Bundle are really there just to emphasize the power of “bundles” not to argue they’re making the industry worse since both has an entirely different purpose.

So there you go! In a single month we’ve had approximately 44 indie games get put on a “pay whatever you want” bundle sale, and I say approximately because at this point I’m never sure just how many bundles there actually are. I feel like one could spring on me at any moment.

It’s to the point where I’m seeing commenters, forum goers, Redditors, etc. actively saying that they now hold off on buying indie games until a bundle pops up featuring it. And why not? As an industry unto itself now, the bundles have trained gamers to sit back, relax and just wait for a bundle to pop up where they can get the game they want and much more for a ridiculously cheap price. There is also the adverse affect of the bundle where it trains gamers to feel “cheated” or “saddened” when they see a bundle appear that already has games they own. As if they should never have bought the game for its original price in the first place. This, I can tell you right now, is not a sustainable model for any industry.

You also have to wonder just how much damage is being done to developers who release their games around the same time as these bundle launches? Are gamers really going to spend $10-$20 on this or that indie game when they just picked up a few equally as great, if not older, indie games for a few bucks? These are the kind of stats that are missing right now, but I believe will actually show that there’s actually much more going on behind the scenes than we realize.

Now granted there hasn’t been a large outcry from developers on this yet so I don’t believe any real damage has been done. But then again prior to these last couple months we only had a singular bundle that launched every few months. If you really think about it, it’s quite amazing how rapidly this idea has sort of taken hold of the industry and gamer mindsets.

Now, I’m not here to say that the guys making these bundles are bad, evil, or anything like that. In fact, knowing some of them personally, I can tell you they have some of the best ideas and intentions with regards to the indie game industry. What I’m saying now is that they just need to slow down.

Unfortunately, I find even myself not wanting them to do that. I’ll say it right now. I love indie game bundles. They’re exciting. They cause an almost adrenaline rush when one comes out. All the games, all the bonuses, helping charity while getting new games? Sign me up!

Which leads me to believe that we’re are, in fact, in very serious trouble because if somebody like myself, who largely gets any and all indie games for free due to my responsibilities on this blog, doesn’t want indie game bundles to go away and falls into the same habits of gamers everywhere by saying stuff like “when will it be out in a bundle?” then I would say something needs to change before we ruin the traditional economics of PC indie games.

And if PC developers can’t earn money on the PC they’ll move to where they can make money: iOS and as somebody who doesn’t particularly care for mobile gaming that’s a nightmare scenario for me.

But what do you guys think? I’m just a single guy with an opinion.

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