Independently produced music, games, novels and television shows have become increasingly popular over the past decade. Indie, or independent productions, are those created outside of major commercial companies or conventional industries.
The video game” Minecraft” (2011), TV show” Happy Tree Friends” (2000) and the feature film” The Blair Witch Project” (1999) are examples of some of the most influential and successful media productions in almost 30 years.
If indie media has been around and quite successful, why is it only gaining more traction today? With the consolidation of media empires and Artificial Intelligence (AI) replacing the work of humans, originality is at an all-time low. Disney alone has produced more sequels and remakes than ever, placing more value on financial returns than the quali-ty of the film. Television studios are feeling the effects too, with layoffs affecting writers and animators.
Layoffs have been especially cruel and growing in numbers this past year. Walt Disney Co. began layoffs, cutting 1,000 jobs across the company in product and technolo-gy. Paramount shed 2,000 jobs; Sony said it would be eliminating hundreds of jobs and Epic Games is laying off 1,000 employees to save money.
With outsourcing at companies’ hands and the rise of AI replacing media employees, it’s safe to say these commercial companies are making these decisions for one reason: greed.
In 2021, animation was at an all-time high, and these c omme r c i a l c o m p a n i e s began hiring more animators, increasing production and promising projects for many creators. These studios would soon realize spending on high quality animation project does not generate the same level of returns as the streaming sites do, therefore cutting jobs and shifting spending to invest in projects they can rely on resulted in more sequels, remakes and restreaming old films.
Original content is no longer a spending priority for these companies. The CEO of Paramount, Brian Robbins, admitted in an interview, “We’re not going to release an expensive original animated movie and just pray people will come.”
This continues to be a fact with the terrifying rise of AI. Meta is laying off 8,000 employes and leaving another 6,000 jobs unfilled, the reason being due to the rising cost of AI. This includes Instagram and Facebook, where Meta-AI is already in use and moderates the platforms.
With AI beginning to replace technological jobs and improving everyday with easier access, there are high fears that AI will take over the entire entertainment industry, including animation, game coding, music and writing.
With corporate media companies prioritizing returns over content, viewers are leaving the bland word of commercial content in search of something better, which is driving the recent boom in independent production.
That’s when independent media came to the screens of our computers and televisions like digital angels, delivering the beautifully created work and fresh stories that the viewers craved. The big studio productions were nothing in comparison.
Viewers gained a newfound love and support for indie creators with consistent writing or beautifully made animation; the audience could support the entertainment with creators who wanted fair deadlines, fair wages, and something they can be proud of. Because of the support of indie fans, it has given smaller creators massive wins for their hard work and dedication to producing great content.
Mark Fischbach, known online as Markiplier, was on everyone’s mind back in January for his independent science-fiction-horror film “Iron Lung.” The film grossed $51.2 million in the United States and Canada alone.
Originally intended to be released in 60 independent US theaters, its popularity expanded the release to more than 4000 screens globally. Fischback expressed overwhelming gratitude in a video on his YouTube channel. “I didn’t think it was possible,” he said, tearfully thanking his fans for getting the film to theaters and describing the success as a “hero moment” for independent filmmakers.
Eric Barone, professionally known as ConcernedApe, is the game developer behind the hit indie farm survival game,”Stardew Valley.” Although the game was released in 2016, it is still played by millions with several planforms to choose from including Steam, Xbox, PlayStation and the Nintendo Switch. By the end of 2017, the game had sold more than 3.5 million copies on all platforms and, as of February 2026, “Stardew Vally” has sold over 50 million copies for PC and 7.9 million for the Nintendo Switch.
On ConcernedApe’s website, stardewvalley.net, he posted a statement expressing his thoughts on his success.
“I’m thankful for everyone who has played Stardew Valley,” he said. He went on to express his gratitude for how popular the game has remained for the past 10 years. “At the end of the day, it’s not so much about me, anyways. I’ll be gone someday, but this world I’ve dreamed up may live on forever. That idea is humbling and gives me a solemn sense of purpose,” he said
Gooseworx, a Youtuber, musician, cartoonist, animator and director, is famously known for her popular show “The Amazing Digital Circus,” which reached its largest all-time audience in April. The studio that streams the show, Glitch Productions, announced the show’s “Final Act” would be released in theaters.
The show was originally supposed to be released in just three countries, but because of overwhelming support, the “Final Act” is now being released globally with a reported $5 mil-lion in presale tickets.
With a constant demand for content comes a decrease in quality, and the decrease of crea-tive jobs as a whole. It’s the job of the viewer and the community to support independent artists who work hard to keep the entertainment industry alive. These forms of media are not only important because of the money and fame that validate their work, but also because of the care and hard work that was put into them.
The rise in popularity of indie content proves that fame can still be achieved with quality over quantity, and it’s only because of the viewers’ support that the creators make riches. It also inspires fellow creators to make great work and take risks instead of playing it safe to make money like greedy corporations.
What viewers support is what the producers listen to, and it is the independent creators who are forging new ground. Send love to a small artist. Play an indie game and support creative content in general for the future entertainment you and viewers want to see.
