You might be familiar with Kongregate for its browser games portal, or its mobile games. Now the company has plans to take on the likes of Steam with its own indie-focused PC games retail portal.
Called Kartridge, it’s due to launch this summer, offering a range of pricing models including direct payment, free-to-play and Humble Bundle-style pay-what-you-want. Like Kongregate, the online retail hub will encourage social interactivity and feature an achievements program, from which discounts and deals can be earned.
“Our initial plan is that the first $10,000 in net revenue, one hundred percent will go to the developer, and after that, we’ll go to [30 percent retail margin],” Greer said. “We think that for smaller developers especially, that first 10,000 in revenue is really important.” Exclusive deals will also come with “more favorable” revenue share models.
They seem to know what they are doing. Most indie games make under $10k, a nice bribe to get the store fully fleshed out before launch, and which established dev would not want the effectively ‘free’ $3k they would get from also listing on Kartridge?
Disclaimer: i was ‘consulted’ during their dev period. (not for moneys)
I think the only store that will compete with Steam is a store who’se desktop client allows me to download and install steam games AND their games at the same time. I’m not opening multiple clients!
Wow, Kongregate, the rinky dinky webgame site? Didn’t even know they were still around. Interesting rebranding.
I think the only store that will compete with Steam is a store who’se desktop client allows me to download and install steam games AND their games at the same time. I’m not opening multiple clients!
Yeah this is an issue. I’m a Steamhead but GoG is the one exception because you can just download exes free and clear.
You must have me confused with someone else. I think Origin is fine. I’d rather everything be in one place, sure, but if not, I’m not gonna deny myself games because of it.
I’ll take one for the team. I hate Origin and generally dislike vendor-specific store clients for everything.
I don’t want to live in a PC dystopia where I have to run 36 clients to access my library and update my games (and also provide 36 different vectors to have my personal information and credit cards stolen).
Oh competition. Great. Hopefully it’s not like Uplay, Origin or you know most the other ones that can’t get their foot in the door outside of keeping their exclusive games there.
That’s one of the reasons I don’t play Titanfall 2 or any other EA game. It’s not some “principled” stand I’m taking or out of moral outrage, it’s just that since I don’t have Origin installed it’s kind of out of sight, out of mind…
Despite my general dislike for vendor-specific clients, I think something like an indie-focused shop could be great. There’s so much steaming hot garbage careening through the bowels of Steam right now it’s hard to filter, and I’m sure there’s a lot of gems that I miss. I think there’s room for an indie-focused shop with a little more curation.
I should probably take this offline or to the TF2 thread, but I’m not much into SP campaigns or PVP, so I’m not sure if it would have enough content for me! I keep meaning to look into how much would be left for me to enjoy but I am apparently some kind of goldfish that can’t remember to investigate further once I get home from the office. :)
It’s great that this will give indie developers another platform to sell from. I guess I’m a bit unclear what this does that GOG doesn’t, but more choice is nice I guess.
As to “serious steam competitor” however…no. It won’t be. That’s something the consumer marketplace decides, and that decision seems long-ago made.
Looks interesting! I like the 10K idea. If they ditch user reviews and put “community” features in the hands of developers like Itch then I would look at using them. If they are just going to try and mimic steams features then I will pass.
For a new store to emerge and do well with Steam and all these publisher sites, I have the same question. What are they doing that makes them stand out. Why would I pick them over say the other half-dozen options.
