I think the comparison to movies is quite apt, actually. There are a few mega brands that pump out mega-budget, mass appeal content, but suffer from the competing pressures to appeal to as many people as possible to maximize profits, versus having a cogent artistic vision appealing greatly to any one group.

Meanwhile, you have smaller, lower-budget productions for whom the only chance of market success is making art that appeals greatly enough to some people that the game or movie expands by word of mouth and critical acclaim.

For specific examples, I'd point out Devolver Digital's catalog in games, and A24's portfolio of films.