Digital indie-only platform 'IndieCity' launches

IndieCity, a new PC digital distribution platform for indie games only, has been launched.

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Developer Blitz Games Studios has announced a new PC digital platform, entitled IndieCity, focused specifically on the distribution and promotion of independently developed games.

"What we're trying to do is allow developers to make the most noise about their work," IndieCity project lead Chris Swan said in a recent interview. Illustrating that point, he talked a bit about the service's recommendation engine, which is designed to highlight titles based on each user's individual gaming proclivities.

"The barriers to entry have dropped for indies, and now the real issue is discoverability," Swan told Develop. "We think we can get good games noticed. That's our mission. And we're trying to make it as easy for developers as possible to integrate with us. We give you feedback on submissions, and it shouldn't take more than an hour to set up your games page on our website."

"The developer will also get real-time sales and some gameplay analytics too," he added.

Other developer benefits include royalty rates that are competitive with the big digital distributors. "The standard deal is we'll take 15 percent if the developer integrates our achievements API, and we'll take 25 per cent if they don't," Swan explained.

Furthermore, IndieCity will allow any independently-developed game that "doesn't crash or have viruses" on to the site. How each game fares will be driven entirely by the users, because fun--Swan rightly claims--is highly subjective. Highly-rated games will be recommended more often; user-defined stinkers will slip quietly into obscurity.

"We don't want to be the gatekeepers to determine what is fun and what isn’t. That should be down to the players themselves," Swan concluded.

To learn more, interested indie game fans are invited to peruse the IndieCity Store.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    December 7, 2011 7:00 PM

    Jeff Mattas posted a new article, Digital indie-only platform 'IndieCity' launches.

    IndieCity, a new PC digital distribution platform for indie games only, has been launched.

    • reply
      December 7, 2011 7:18 PM

      Seems like Desura already exists for this exact purpose? What is the differentiation here?

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        December 7, 2011 7:33 PM

        A different group of investors wants a piece of the pie.

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          December 7, 2011 8:08 PM

          And the more interest in the PC as a platform, the better.

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            December 7, 2011 8:25 PM

            Agreed, but I don't think this'll do anything at all to bring interest to the PC as a platform. Aren't there already enough distribution channels, even ones specifically focused on indie games?

            More interest will only come with innovation and/or differentiation. Right now this just seems like confusion, redundancy, and segmentation. Not to mention difficulty for developers in preparing their releases for yet another digital channel, integrating yet another achievements system, without necessarily getting any benefit.

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        December 8, 2011 12:17 AM

        Not exactly. Desura still acts like gatekeepers, deciding what's best to let on.

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      December 7, 2011 10:28 PM

      The idea of "Just put up anything that doesn't crash" reeks of cash-grab to me, and most of the frontpage stuff I saw looked like utter shovelware.

      There's a reason that steam/desura and the like screen their games - it's called quality control. If you just put up anything that anyone is willing to put up, it's just going to be a pile of chaff no one cares about.

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        December 7, 2011 10:35 PM

        I was about to argue "but steam doesn't do quality control, does it?" and then I saw the front page of IndieCity. I wont argue that anymore.

        I did previously think that steam didn't do any quality control on the product itself, but rather only worked with developers and publishers who actually know their shit and are willing to sign contracts, rather than just using this willy nilly website, no matter who you are.

        Anyone care to comment on how steam actually works int his regard?

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          December 7, 2011 11:37 PM

          Admittedly this is just what I've read, but from what I hear you basically submit a playable build of your game to steam and they decide whether it's "steam quality" or not. This seems to have more to do with presentation/design than how finished it is at the time.

          They apparently do reject things they feel won't sell - see here: http://www.crypticcomet.com/blog/?p=752

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            December 8, 2011 7:21 AM

            I think they also turned down Gemini Rue at first as well. Sometimes Steam makes dumb decisions.

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      December 7, 2011 10:33 PM

      that website is horrible..doesn't even show you the prices unless you are registered. The games look cutrate as well, like sketchy android apps or something.

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        December 7, 2011 10:38 PM

        I was about to say, not registered, and I have to click the "But now!" button to find a price? There's even more hoops after that I assume?

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