'Octodad,' 'Don't Starve' and 'Never Alone' Headed To Nintendo Wii U

''Mario'', a character in Nintendo Co Ltd's ''Mario Bros'' video games, is seen at the company's showroom in Tokyo July 28, 2011. Reuters/Toru Hanai

Even as major console players continue to focus on AAA videogame development, they are well aware of the successes of indie games such as Minecraft, which has gone on to generate billions of dollars in revenue. Nintendo, which has hitherto relied on its in-house staple of Mario and Zelda games to push revenues, too has realised the potential of this niche. This change in the company's stance is reflected in the slew of indie games headed to the Wii U.

Nintendo's flagship console will be getting some of the most well-recognised indie titles such as "Octodad" and "Never Alone," along with a special enhanced version of "Don't Starve," according to Gamespot. Other indie titles include "Affordable Space Adventures," "Runbow" and "Swords & Soldiers II." These titles will be sold through Nintendo's own digital distribution platform, with no word available on the pricing range at the moment.

"The Nintendo eShop continues to grow, offering consumers a vibrant and constantly expanding library of digital content on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS," said Nintendo Licensing Executive Steve Singer. "We’ve seen tremendous support from the indie developer community, and can’t wait for fans to get their hands on the games we will soon be helping them to launch."

This paradigm shift from the company's dependence on its first-party titles such as Mario and Zelda to embracing indie game for filling the gaps between these releases is in line with industry standards. Microsoft was the first console player to realise the potential of independent developers and had accordingly launched the Xbox Live Arcade programme on the Xbox 360 in the last generation.

The Verge points out that the practice of harbouring indie development for consoles continues at Microsoft with the ID@Xbox initiative on the Xbox One. Meanwhile, Sony has been pursuing the indie niche aggressively with the PlayStation 4 console. The company had even gone to the extent of including indie titles in the PS4 launch line-up. Engadget believes that this close integration with the indie niche has been one of the factors for the success of the PS4.

However, this isn't the first time that Nintendo's eShop will be carrying indie games. Independent games, in fact, have been present on the Wii U maker's digital distribution platform for over a decade now. However, it is only now that the company has made it more visible by roping in some of the best names in the indie development scene.

In case you have any feedback or wish tip us off, the author can be contacted at nachiketpg13@hotmail.com