Exactly. In fact, there are so many indie Devs that it’s nigh-impossible to break through the massive numbers of them. Occasionally there are breakthroughs like Stardew Valley, Hades, Vampires, etc.
On the other hand, you partner with a company like Microsoft or Sony and you’re basically guaranteed success. They put up all the capital to make sure you make it to release (albeit probably a rushed, half-baked one that you just fix later because why not). Even if your game blows ass and is completely broken, full of DRM, microtransactions and ads, gamers still buy that shit up.
I should be surprised that a bunch of nerds are fixing game-breaking updates in their spare time that were created by a multi-billion dollar corporation, but I’m not, at all.
Not really true. While there are lots of factors in how profitable a game is, the biggest one is marketing. Regardless of how good it is. Brand name recognition. Like any other industry. It’s why games like CoD and Assassin’s Creed are ridden the fuck to death despite continuously getting worse.