Game Developers Conference is undoubtedly the best place for game developers to show their innovation and gaming fans to experience it all. Not only independent game developers, but publishers and all big gaming companies line up to show off their products and creations at the event. But what’s most interesting is the way indie developers are outshining the big brands.

In fact, independent designers who make text adventures and other lo-fi games looked like bigger stars than the ones who make blockbusters. Even during the “AAA-level design in a day” boot camp, Indie developers stole the show as a near-capacity crowd of about 1,000 queued up for more than 30 minutes in advance for a series of five-minute talks known as the “indie soapbox.”

Even during the Game Developers Choice Awards, Indie developers were in the spotlight as Journey, a downloadable game made by the independent studio thatgamecompany for the PS 3, became the first independent title to win the game of the year award. Faster Than Light, an independent game financed by a Kickstarter campaign won the award for best debut.

“There’s always been cool, experimental stuff going on in the indie space, but it’s broadened its reach,” said Steve Gaynor, a co-founder of the Fullbright Company, a studio that consists of four people in a house in Portland, Ore. “It’s become a lot more viable, business-wise, to be an indie.”

Instead of showing off their own creations, gaming companies like Sony and Nintendo were trying to emphasize their desire to work with independent developers. This makes it quite clear that the coming year or maybe years belong to indie developers now. As it is no longer mandatory to have contracts with publishers, this places most independent developers at a leading edge. Looking at the potential and opportunity, Sony also ran a “PlayStation Indie Arcade” to promote new and current titles.

[Image: Taken from indie horror game Home by Benjamin Rivers.]