The 'exceptions' at this point could fill a list a mile long, especially if you count mobile games, where it's even easier for indie developers to compete. I p

The 'exceptions' at this point could fill a list a mile long, especially if you count mobile games, where it's even easier for indie developers to compete. I picked those three in particular because: Braid: A very successful indie game distributed entirely through relatively traditional channels (e.g. XBLA, Steam), in contrast to the other two. It was also rather unexpectedly innovative in a realm dominated by relatively generic platformers. Touhou: Almost certainly the most successful indie game series in history in terms of the total profit across the franchise it created -- but probably not as profitable as Minecraft for its creator because he intentionally limited his monetization of it. Minecraft: Probably the most successful indie game in history in terms of net income... and the topic of the article, obviously.