Indie games get a permanent home on the App Store

Independent games have always been a crucial slice of the iOS app market. Now, Apple is adding a new section to the App Store to better highlight these games from smaller studios, which can sometimes get lost in the shuffle of big-budget titles and free-to-play behemoths.

The new Indie Game Showcase will feature new games and also highlight older titles, and will be curated by Apple’s editorial team in a manner similar to other featured apps on the store. In addition to the individual app showcase, Apple is also adding a permanent sub-section for indie titles to the App Store.

It’s an important move on Apple’s part given today’s app economy, which is heavily tilted toward bigger developers who can afford the marketing budgets to promote their games in a way that smaller dev teams typically can’t match. Apple’s new indie section could help provide a more level playing field for new independent developers, similar to the early days of the App Store when the market wasn’t so crowded.