How NOT to Make a Generic Indie Game in 2026

By RookieDev

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How do you make an indie game in 2026 without creating another generic indie game? Indie game development is easier than ever thanks to AI, game engines, asset stores, plugins, tutorials, and better development tools. But easier game development also creates a new problem: if everyone has access to the same tools, mechanics, assets, and workflows, how do you make a game that actually feels unique? In this video, I explore how NOT to make a generic indie game in 2026 — and why creative identity, game design, specificity, personal taste, and point of view are becoming more important than technical complexity. This is not an argument against AI in game development. I use AI for programming, debugging, prototyping, technical problem-solving, and repetitive development tasks. For solo game developers and small indie teams, AI-assisted game development can save an enormous amount of time. But there is an important difference between using AI to help build your game and allowing AI, tren

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