They have played a major role for a while, no doubt. Their importance is higher now than ever imo because of the lack of diversity in AAA titles. The 360/PS3 saw the birth of tons of creative and great IP’s. Ones that we are still getting sequels to to this day rather than getting the same quality of new ones.

I feel like games like Rust and Ark have reached their peak in terms of innovation and consumer focus though. At least for now.
It seems like the games that are using the 8/16bit graphics are making a comeback due to their rise in quality. (Undertale, Stardew Valley, etc.)

I think people still look down on indie developers to a degree. They aren’t being appreciated for what they do as much as they should. AAA studios seem to be heading more towards making really pretty experiences rather than creating a unique one. Of course there are exceptions in both cases, but because of the situation they are in (not as high risk, smaller people = more control, etc.), indie studios are more likely to and have been creating more stand-out innovative experiences. They are pushing VR and making games that people are talking about years afterwards much more often than a lot of next-gen big-budget titles. That’s not to say every indie developer is all great just because they are indie. Just like in the big leagues, for every great game there are 3-4 shit ones to match it.

Thanks for the read btw.