How important are indie developers to Sony? Short answer: Very.

The company has made a point of highlighting the importance of supporting smaller, independent game makers in the upcoming generation. And that has been verified by what we've heard from designers.

Sony has gone even a step further as according to what sources told Polygon , some indie devs are getting PS4 dev kits entirely for free. The kit typically costs around $2,500 but Sony is loaning it out for free for a 1-year period. In fact, the sources claim that no dev kits have actually been sold, as the company's "Become a Registered Developer" website allows for that 1-year free-of-charge loan. Said one developer:

"All the indies I know got them for free. Sony has been amazing about kits and development thus far."

One other developer said Sony is handing out the dev kits "like candy." A Sony spokesperson added that self-publishing has been available on the PlayStation platforms for over five years now. The company gives indie devs "lots of options, including funding through the Pub Fund, which is back-end funding paid upon completion of the game." Sony also waives fees for indies and all digital titles, and they embrace new business models such as F2P, episodic and subscriptions.

Yes, if you're one of the little guys, you should know exactly where to turn.