The “indie game” development scene, at one time, was only seen by a fraction of an audience when it first came about, although some companies, like Microsoft, attempted to take the initiative with an Indie Games Channel on its Xbox 360. It worked, to a point, as it didn’t have as wide an audience reach as its main Xbox Live Arcade titles.

However, lately, the “indie game” scene has moved forward, and more and more developments are being seen as real “game changers” in the industry.

One particular game that’s bound to be success with its release next month is Other Ocean’s #IDARB, a sports-related title that features 8-bit style graphics and sound, and jam-packed with local and online multiplayer options. The game has already been selected by Microsoft as its latest in the Games With Gold program, where free titles are provided to users with Xbox Live Gold subscriptions.

#IDARB has already caught on with a large audience and critics alike via pre-release codes, and also features social interaction with Twitter, as real-time comments hashtagged with the game’s title actually change the course of what’s going on in the match. It’s an innovative move that should no doubt add to the game’s popularity as its audience opens up next month.

Sony has also pushed forward with its indie game developments, partnering with a number of companies through its Pub Fund program to bring exclusive titles to the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. The company has already inked a deal with Yacht Club Games to bring its critically acclaimed platformer Shovel Knight to its systems this year, and it’s working closely with Hello Games on the innovative No Man’s Sky, a game that stole the show last month at the company’s PlayStation Experience event. The video below shows why people should be excited for this forthcoming release, as it really opens up a vast universe to explore.

Nintendo is no stranger to the indie game scene either. The company has happily embraced the scene as well, bringing exclusives like Stealth Inc. 2 from Curve Studios to the Wii U, with plenty more to come in the New Year, to coincide with its higher-budget first-party releases.

That’s not to say what’s happening on the PC front, where indie games have flourished through a number of companies, thanks to the Steam Greenlight program, which enables users to vote on titles in order to earn a widespread release on the service. The move has paid off for several companies, and they’re continuing their efforts into 2015.

Mobile games have been an important outlet for indie game developers, with the ease of putting games out on Android or iOS. Making a living doing that has been a different story. While early pioneers of indie mobile games have done well, these days the increasing difficulty of standing out amongst hundreds of thousands of games is making it harder for indie games to generate respectable revenues, especially in the free-to-play realm. Some firms, like Ustwo Games with Monument Valley, are managing to do quite well, though.

So, in short, indie gaming has gone from a cult status to long-term appeal with some of the bigger companies out there, with key titles already making an impact for 2015 and many more, like Devolver Digital’s Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number and Titan Souls, waiting in the wings. It’s no longer a “big kid’s” market anymore.