I came across a great article by Edmund McMillen about the kinds of things you need to think about when developing an indie game. It is a great little article you can find here:

Opinion: Indie Game Design Dos and Donts

He made several great points about game development, I think the strongest ones relate to the fact that you aren’t answering to accountants or investor who will insist on lowering risk in order to maximize profitability of your game. You can take the risks that a larger company never would even dream about. This doesn’t mean you don’t answer to anyone though. The other important part is to check your ego and get as much feedback from your peers and your community. They are going to help you find your blindspots and weaknesses in your design. You’re human, you’re good at denying things you don’t want to see, it’s called confirmation bias, you should look it up and remember it.