As the number of daily indie game releases continues to grow, discoverability remains one of the most persistent challenges facing developers.

While storefronts and subscription platforms offer visibility, many smaller teams still struggle to reach audiences in an increasingly crowded market. Indie Pass, a new subscription platform from indie.io, is positioned as a dedicated solution designed specifically for indie games and the players who seek them out.

In this interview, Jessica Mitchell, Director of Growth at indie.io, breaks down the thinking behind Indie Pass, from its playtime-based revenue model to its approach to curation, onboarding, and long-term sustainability. 

Indie Pass is being positioned as a subscription service exclusively for indie games. What was the core idea behind creating a platform like this, and what gap in the market are you trying to solve?

Jessica Mitchell: We're living through a genuine renaissance in gaming. More independent titles are being released every week than ever before, yet the infrastructure supporting those developers hasn't kept pace. Discoverability remains one of the most persistent challenges in the space, and as a publisher that has worked alongside indie developers for years, we've seen that problem up close.

Indie Pass is our answer to it: a dedicated home for indie games where players who already love supporting indies can find their next favorite title, and where developers gain a monetization channel that works for them, without requiring a major lift to participate.

What defines an "indie" game for Indie Pass? The website says it just needs to be made by an independent team, but how is that defined?

Jessica Mitchell: "Indie" is a definition the industry has debated for years, and we aren't drawing a hard line. What we're looking for is pretty straightforward: solo developers and small teams making games without the backing of a major publisher or a AAA development budget. If a team is genuinely independent and making something they believe in, we want to hear from them.

There are already several subscription services in gaming today. What makes Indie Pass fundamentally different—both for players and for developers?

Jessica Mitchell: Many gaming subscription services cast a wide net. While that breadth has its appeal, indie titles can get lost in the shuffle. Indie Pass is built around indie games and the players who love them. Rather than players needing to sift through an overwhelming catalog, hoping something catches their eye, we've designed the experience to reduce the friction between discovery and actually sitting down to play.

For developers, being on a platform where every subscriber is already predisposed to love what they make is a different value proposition than competing for attention in a sea of AAA titles.

What key things make this different than something like Humble Choice?

Jessica Mitchell: Humble Choice is a great service, but their model is fundamentally different; selecting from a monthly curated batch of games to permanently add to your library. Indie Pass is a true subscription model: USD$6.99/month gives you unlimited access to our entire catalog for as long as you're subscribed, and we’ll be adding new titles recurrently

Discoverability is one of the biggest challenges indie developers face. How does Indie Pass meaningfully improve visibility compared to storefronts like Steam or traditional publishing models?

Jessica Mitchell: Storefronts do what they can to support discoverability, but indie developers are competing with a lot of noise: a heavy volume of new releases coming out daily, stacking up against AAA releases, and the reality that many don't have the resources to sustain marketing efforts that stretch well beyond launch. Indie Pass is designed to fill that gap and complement a game's storefront presence.

Our goal is to get more players in front of great indie games and let those games speak for themselves. Our catalog is easy to sort and find, so players can jump into something immediately. We’re reducing decision fatigue so players spend less time searching and more time playing.

With so many titles at launch, how are you thinking about curation versus volume? What determines which games get surfaced to players?

Jessica Mitchell: Curation and volume aren't mutually exclusive, but I think we're thoughtful about the balance. At launch, we're bringing over 70 titles to the service, and surfacing the right game to the right player is something we've considered. The launcher uses a tag system that helps recommend titles based on filters and play history, so the experience gets more personalized the more you use it.

Again, the goal is to shorten the distance between a player opening the launcher and finding something they're genuinely excited to play.

Do you see Indie Pass acting more as a discovery engine (top-of-funnel) or as a primary distribution platform for indie games?

Jessica Mitchell: Honestly, I see it as both. For players, it's a one-stop destination for discovering and playing indie games on an ongoing basis. For developers, the exposure puts their games in front of an audience that's already primed to love what they make. We're not trying to replace any part of the existing ecosystem; we're adding a layer that's been missing from it.

One of the biggest concerns around subscription models is revenue share. How does Indie Pass compensate developers, and how do you ensure it’s sustainable for smaller teams?

Jessica Mitchell: We operate on a monthly revenue share model tied to session playtime, so developers are compensated based on how much their games are being played. Participation is non-exclusive, and we encourage developers to distribute their games as broadly as they want across other services and storefronts. Ultimately, Indie Pass is designed to be additive. It's a new revenue stream that works alongside whatever a developer is already doing, with very little friction to participate.

From a production standpoint, what does onboarding to Indie Pass look like for developers? How easy is it to integrate into an existing release pipeline?

Jessica Mitchell: We set out to keep the onboarding process lightweight. We support most popular game engines, and the tech requirement is a straightforward DRM integration within the build. Developers interested in getting started can head to indiepass.com/developers, and we'll get them the spec they need from there. We also welcome games at any stage of their lifecycle: whether a developer wants to launch day-and-date with their storefront release or bring a catalog title to the service, we can sync participation around their key beats and objectives.

Does Indie Pass require any specific SDKs, builds, or technical considerations, or is it designed to be as frictionless as possible?

Jessica Mitchell: The only technical requirement is our DRM, which verifies that a player has an active subscription. We've deliberately kept the process simple because we didn’t want technical overhead to be a limitation to participating.

How do you handle updates, live ops, and post-launch content within the subscription ecosystem?

Jessica Mitchell: It’s as straightforward as their existing update pipeline. Developers just push updates to their build, and we’ll support their update through our marketing and outreach efforts.

How much of Indie Pass is driven by editorial curation versus algorithmic recommendations?

Jessica Mitchell: We aren't positioning ourselves as an editorial outlet. Our curation at launch reflects our experience as a publisher that has worked with indie developers for years. Beyond that, I  think players will help shape where the catalog goes. Their feedback and play habits will inform how we continue to grow and surface titles on the service over time.

What kind of data or insights will developers gain from being on the platform? For example, engagement metrics, retention, or player behavior trends?

Jessica Mitchell: Participating developers receive monthly generalized reporting covering game launch volume and session times. We want to provide a meaningful read on how their title is performing within the service, and I expect our reporting will grow alongside the service.

What would success look like for Indie Pass—not just for indie.io, but for the developers using it?

Jessica Mitchell: When we first sat down to design Indie Pass, the objective we outlined was to become the best indie-forward value in the gaming industry for players. At $6.99 a month for an ever-growing catalog of indie games, I think we're already making headway on that. But success isn't something we're measuring on day one. We're committed to building Indie Pass over the long term, expanding the catalog, deepening the experience, and enhancing the impact for developers. If developers see our service as a meaningful part of their distribution strategy, and players keep coming back to Indie Pass as their go-to destination for indie games, we’ll consider our mission a success.

For indie developers considering joining Indie Pass, what’s the biggest reason they should take a serious look at the platform right now? And how do they reach out?

Jessica Mitchell: In short, it's easy to get started, it opens up a new avenue for both discoverability and monetization, and there are no exclusivity strings attached. Developers are the lifeblood of what we're building, and their participation and feedback are central to how Indie Pass grows. Interested developers can head to indiepass.com/developers, and we’ll be in touch!

Jessica Mitchell, Director of Growth at indie.io

Interview conducted by David Jagneaux