I like what you said about Indie Games vs. Big Studio Games and that, in the end, the fans want to play the Big Studio Games. It also extends to the game makers. Why spend resources on smaller games when the big games bring in all the profits?

The same thing happens in movies all the time. People talk about smaller movies that do well, say they have a budget of $10 million and gross around $60 million, but all Hollywood cares about are the movies that cost almost $300 million but then gross over a billion like Avatar or the Avengers or the last two Batman movies. Sure the smaller films are a smaller risk and a big return on investment when they hit, but all they really care about is that big number at the end and building a franchise, even if you do have big budget flops like John Carter in between.

I have a feeling the big game studios want the same thing, which may explain why Square Enix was disappointed by the Tomb Raider numbers. Sure it did well, and will probably make it's money back, but they want the next huge hit game, and I'm assuming Tomb Raider cost a ton to make and market.