# Palworld lead says what makes an indie game has become “so blurred” but “creative control is king”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/palworld-lead-says-what-makes-an-indie-game-has-become-so-blurred-but-creative-control-is-king/
- Published: 2026-11-02T17:29:36+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T14:12:06+00:00
- Original publisher: GamesRadar+
- Original article: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/is-clair-obscur-expedition-33-not-indie-just-because-someone-helped-with-marketing-palworld-lead-says-the-definition-of-an-indie-studio-has-become-so-blurred/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Gaming

## Key points

- Pocketpair’s John Buckley says indie status is increasingly hard to define.
- He says creative freedom matters more than outside funding or marketing support.
- Pocketpair describes itself as fully self-funded and independently controlled.

## Summary

John “Bucky” Buckley, Pocketpair’s head of publishing and communications, says the definition of an indie game studio has become blurred as funding, studio size and success no longer provide clear dividing lines. He argues that creative independence matters most, and that outside funding or publishing support does not automatically make a studio less independent.

Buckley says Pocketpair is fully self-funded and has no outside investors, though he recognises that Palworld’s success leads some people to question the indie label. Discussing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Stardew Valley, he asks whether marketing help alone should disqualify a game from being considered indie. In his view, the key question is whether another party influences a studio’s creative decisions.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.