Shuhei Yoshida, a man who has observed the global gaming ecosystem for decades since his time at Sony Interactive Entertainment, visited BIC 2026 as an advisor for his independent firm, 'YOSP', which he established last year. Moving beyond his past perspective as a platform holder, he now acts as an independent freelancer and consultant, bridging various platforms and developers. With over 30 years of seasoned insight, he has been scrutinizing the front lines of the global indie scene.

Shuhei Yoshida's commitment was clear, as he played the titles ahead of the BIC 2026 opening. We sat down with Shuhei Yoshida, whose deep affection for the indie scene is matched by his piercing market insight, to discuss what truly defines a 'good indie game' in the independent space.

Since going independent in January last year, many indie publishers and developers have asked me to serve as an advisor. I am currently consulting for companies like Kepler Interactive, the developer of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and 'Fixtones,' a company founded by former Annapurna Interactive members.

As a freelancer, I am no longer tied to a single platform. I hold meetings with representatives from Nintendo, Xbox, Netflix, and more. It has been a fresh and enlightening experience to see firsthand how each platform supports indie developers and publishers.

Experiments are happening everywhere, from large studios to small teams. Efficiency is particularly high in programming. For instance, an acquaintance of mine who became an indie developer after working on PS platform titles had great planning and art skills but struggled with coding, which limited the scope of their projects. Now, using AI to accelerate the workflow, this developer is making the games they always wanted and even said, 'I plan to make a game every year from now on.'

Generative AI is also a game-changer for art. In the past, waiting for concept artists to provide drafts for world-building or art styles could take a week or two. Now, one can review various drafts daily using AI, significantly shortening the time required to finalize art direction.

Personally, I find the application of AI to actual gameplay the most intriguing. We are seeing attempts where players can have natural language conversations with characters, or where backgrounds and events change in real-time based on the text input from the player.

I don't stick to any specific genre. I look for a differentiating charm that isn't present in top-tier genre staples like 'Hades 2' or 'Vampire Survivors'. The core criteria are whether the game offers a new kind of fun through original art direction, unique game mechanics, or a fresh fusion of genres that distinguishes it from existing masterpieces.

Each country has a distinct personality. Japan has many anime-style adventure games influenced by manga and animation culture, and while there are many talented solo developers, they tend to be less experienced in organizing and leading large teams.

Korea, having moved from an environment dominated by large-scale MMOs and mobile games, has seen a rapid increase in indie developers over the past few years. They show strength in 2D action and rhythm games, with a steady stream of new developers and titles emerging every year.

China experiences very fast team expansion and talent movement. I've observed many cases where even new teams of 50 to 100 people are formed to produce AAA-quality 3D action games in a short period.

Fundamentally, I just love games, so I enjoy playing them. Due to the nature of my work, I mostly encounter builds in development, providing feedback on issues like difficulty or confusing segments. I leave the specific solutions to the developers, and I feel the greatest sense of reward when they share an improved result based on that feedback.

You must consistently expose your game to the public. If large events are out of reach, start with smaller gatherings to observe players directly and identify issues. Posting your development process and art on social media to build touchpoints with publishers and users is also essential. As you approach release, be proactive in pitching to publishers and contacting influencers. Also, supporting English and Chinese translations when creating your Steam page is crucial.

Before visiting the event, I selected about 30 entries via the BIC website and played 15 of them in advance. This allowed for efficient demonstrations, focusing on games I hadn't experienced yet. The three that impressed me most are as follows.

First is the puzzle game 'Reverie,' which is a masterpiece of clever design. Second is the voxel-based 'World War V,' which features an attractive transition from 2D to 3D stages for action-shooting sequences. The third is 'Where's My Red Ball,' a puzzle game created by a school teacher and students. The protagonist cat character is exceptionally well-crafted and charming.

During my time at Sony, overseas schedules like Gamescom or PAX West made it difficult to visit. However, since becoming independent, I was very satisfied to be able to visit Busan and experience excellent Korean indie games. The system that allows for pre-play of entries via the website is also very well-built.

However, I think it needs to generate more heat with a larger general audience, similar to Japan's BitSummit. I also look forward to seeing more Western overseas publishers and scouts attracted to the event, creating more opportunities for excellent Korean indie games to enter the global market.

It was deeply meaningful to have in-depth conversations with Korean developers through the showcase panel discussions. I hope to continue visiting in the future. I look forward to seeing the stakeholders and fans work together to grow BIC even further and enjoy the festival.