Why is pixel graphics so popular among indie developers?

[Prismisho]

Every 2D style indie game that I see is just pixel art or 16bit or 8bit. Why does indie developers use this style to death?

[Rio]

its pixel or its re-use 3d unity assets

[Devsman]

İlk olarak Wouselz tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Devsman tarafından gönderildi:

All of the above is true, or at least close enough, but there's one major reason everyone's forgetting. Because Mega Man 9 gave them the idea.

No, it didn't. :Cat_face:

Well, sure, there were pixely indies before that.

But they didn't really surge in popularity until then.

[𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕫]

İlk olarak Devsman tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Wouselz tarafından gönderildi:

No, it didn't.

Well, sure, there were pixely indies before that.

But they didn't really surge in popularity until then.

Also...

[Devsman]

İlk olarak Wouselz tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Devsman tarafından gönderildi:

Well, sure, there were pixely indies before that.

But they didn't really surge in popularity until then.

Also... :bigpink:

Well, when you put it that way...

[Martin Harris]

I'd argue that 3D modelling is more accessible than 2D art for a non-artistic developer, however even then making your game 3D often leads with it's own host of art problems such as Lighting.

Also the animation point above, 3D models need skill to animate but to animate 2D you need a separate sprite for every frame (Rather than just moving bones in a 3D model. which again is hard and not to be discredited).

And 3D does not need an expensive engine, I'm sure everyone has head of Unity and Unreal (both of which are perfectly capable of producing excellent games in 2D or 3D, and free)

Only one constant: Megamind 9.

[𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕫]

İlk olarak Devsman tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Wouselz tarafından gönderildi:

Also...

Well, when you put it that way...

The point is, 8 and 16 bit style games were always a thing and Mega Man 9 had no impact on their popularity.

[Apexnexius]

Pixel Graphics is often good and popular because the human brain fills in and attributes physical traits to visuals that are easy for the eye and blurred.
This and nostalgia.

I grew up playing 8-bit and 16-bit games.
I found Super Nintendo Zelda's 'Link' (the main protagonist) to be a very expressive character on the screen.
Old Tube TVs actually blurred the pixels and made the human brain work to compensate for the simplicity of the on screen graphics.

2D pixels by itself is not automatically of a good high quality.
Many indie developers unfortunately fail to bring their graphics to life and many pixel artists are not really that good at their craft. Many artists should have opted for a different style that stood out more from their competition. Many artists fail to achieve their grand vision. But oh boy do they try hard to cater to 2D pixel nostalgia.

[L1qu1dator]

Because it's cheaper...?

[Devsman]

İlk olarak L1qu1dator tarafından gönderildi:

Because it's cheaper...?

I honestly kind of doubt that is is, these days.

[Duckilous]

İlk olarak Devsman tarafından gönderildi:

Because Mega Man 9 gave them the idea.

Mega Man 9 is not the sole reason why many indie games are 2D pixel art.
Most developers probably don't even care about Mega Man.
I say it's the countless amount of games released for NES, SNES, GBC, GBA, MS, MD, etc., that inspired indie developers to make their games with retro aesthetic.

İlk olarak Devsman tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak L1qu1dator tarafından gönderildi:

Because it's cheaper...?

I honestly kind of doubt that is is, these days.

Unless you can draw for yourself, no. It would be quite expensive if you either commission an artist to make all assets for your game or giving up parts of your share of the revenue.

İlk olarak ardiel tarafından gönderildi:

If you're not careful with 2D, it can easily end up looking like a cheap Flash game.

Exactly. If you're going to attempt doing non-pixelated art and you're not already a good artist then your game may likely flop because its graphics looks appalling for a priced game.
I know that gameplay matters more than graphics but you'd be competing against other games in the market so if I think your game looks very amateurish and not too charming, I rather spend my money on another similarly-priced game that is better to look at.

[Lumpy]

Amoung

[Fumo Bnnuy n Frends]

İlk olarak Lil Shelbin tarafından gönderildi:

Every 2D style indie game that I see is just pixel art or 16bit or 8bit. Why does indie developers use this style to death?

easy to make check
already popular check
easy to update check
several engines and programs to make it check
basic coding check


basically it's like unity asset flips prior to when steam greenlight was a thing. Personally i say it's a foot in the door to the gaming world but tbh i want 3D games with 64 bit graphics more so than just flat 2D. Eventually ♥♥♥♥ gets old. Very rarely do people make ♥♥♥♥ like terraria 2D games. Most games end up like rouge lite metrolovania sonic / mario styled platformer games.

They're fun the first 10 times afterwards why bother? The only exceptions imo would be r18 b/c then it's like a mini game to unlock the adult scenes and content.

[🍋 Lemonfed 🍋]

It's retro , don't need to be as much detailed then regular 2D sprites or 3D models to look good.

but it's depend , I've seen some Pixels art characters and animation being very detailed ... so it's sometime just an artistic choice.

[Martin Harris]

İlk olarak Duckilous tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Devsman tarafından gönderildi:

Because Mega Man 9 gave them the idea.

Mega Man 9 is not the sole reason why many indie games are 2D pixel art.
Most developers probably don't even care about Mega Man.
I say it's the countless amount of games released for NES, SNES, GBC, GBA, MS, MD, etc., that inspired indie developers to make their games with retro aesthetic.

İlk olarak Devsman tarafından gönderildi:

I honestly kind of doubt that is is, these days.

Unless you can draw for yourself, no. It would be quite expensive if you either commission an artist to make all assets for your game or giving up parts of your share of the revenue.

This is completely untrue, every single indie developer that adopts the pixel art style has:

A. Played Megaman 9
B. Adored Megaman 9
C. Copied Megaman 9

[Walach]

For me I believe it's the people who grew up with it is now making their own games and enjoys that style! :D