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'GameTap Indies' launches lil' guys into cyberspace
GameTap has launched its 'Indies' program, an initiative to market and distribute independent games through its subscription-based service. While GameTap Indies will supposedly "take effect immediately," there's no sign of it today. A representative confirmed with us that launch titles won't be announced until GDC, when, during the Independent Games Festival, GameTap will present its first ever 'GameTap Indie Award' to three "hand-picked" recipients.The trio will have their games showcased on GameTap, assumingly headlining a selection of less-heralded indie titles. One recipient will receive a $10,000 advance for signing a 5-year distribution deal with the GameTap Indies label; two others will receive $5,000 for signing away similar distribution rights.It's a strong play from GameTap -- still seeking a firm identity -- and will hopefully encourage similar services to support independent development more aggressively. Will 'Indies' help to negate the stigma that GameTap is a bloated client with little original content to offer? Mr. Turner and company certainly hope so -- Sam & Max and Myst Online can't do it alone much longer.
Wii dev kits in short supply, indies left waiting
Over on Water Cooler Games, indie developer Ian Bogost addresses the frustration that he and his peers continue to face as Nintendo has again postponed the Wii Independent Developer Program. "In other words, Nintendo doesn't have enough [development] kits to cover the demand for all those crappy licensed games, let alone more original work," writes a dejected Bogost.Nintendo had previously planned to begin reviewing independent developer applications last month, but the latest update from NOA suggests the initiative is "on hold." Nintendo's nonchalant approach to indie support has led to doubts. "Is Nintendo's story about mass-appeal just marketing rhetoric?" wonders Bogost. How can Wii appeal to the so-called "non-gamer" if there are no consoles in stock, and no dev kits for adventurous designers to create original games with?"At the rate we're going, independent games of any kind won't be a reality until 2008 at least, and we still don't know how likely Nintendo is to license unusual games for the system," concludes Bogost.[Thanks, Jonah]
Wii to get original downloadable titles, 'Game Channel' possible
Remarks made by Hudson Entertainment director of marketing John Lee, during an interview with Game Informer, have sparked rumor that a 'Game Channel,' dealing in original downloadable titles, could be headed to Wii. Lee didn't make any specific implications, but did cleverly acknowledge that Nintendo had plans to distribute original downloadable games. When asked if Hudson had plans to do so, Lee claimed, "No," but added, "However, in the future, you should rephrase that question to: Are there any plans to launch original content on some downloadable service on the Wii, and you might get a different answer."CVG brought the issue up with Nintendo, which responded, "We cannot confirm at this time in what format the new content will be delivered, but in the future there will be original games available for download through the Wii Shop." While still unconfirmed, it's likely that Nintendo could launch a new Channel to further separate original games, once purchased from Wii Shop Channel, from Virtual Console fare. We also suspect that most of these new offerings will utilize the Wiimote (and Nunchuk) instead of the Classic Controller.
Slamdance trots out new Super Columbine excuse
When Slamdance first announced they were pulling Super Columbine Massacre RPG from consideration in their independent game competition, Slamdance president Peter Baxter cited both advertiser impact and moral considerations as the reasons. Now, a new official statement on the Slamdance site has come up with a new excuse for the removal -- potential legal fees. Take it away slamdance.com/games: "Specifically with the subject matter of Super Columbine Massacre Role Playing Game Slamdance does not have the resources to defend any drawn out civil action that our legal council has stated can easily arise from publicly showing it." The statement doesn't cite any specific legal threats made against the game or the competition, but we can easily foresee some frivolous Jack-Thompson-esque lawsuit that would indeed cost Slamdance a pretty penny to defend.But wait. The site also mentions that "the organization annually takes on legal matters in support of the independent artists." Indeed, in 2001, Slamdance stood up to legal threats from Artisan Entertainment and hosted a surprise showing of controversial documentary "Brooklyn Babylon." We find it hard that Slamdance had the resources to stand up to a distinct, stated legal threat from a major independent movie studio like Artisan but doesn't have the resources to handle vague, potential legal threat over Super Columbine Massacre RPG.Besides subject matter concerns, a Business Week article cites Baxter as saying that "organizers were reluctant to expose Slamdance to possible legal issues over music in the game." As far as we can tell, the SNES-style, bleep-and-bloop MIDI versions of popular songs from Nirvana, Marilyn Manson and other early-'90s favorites in the game are all well within the bounds of fair use. If Slamdance has to worry about legal culpability for giving exposure to these songs, sites like MIDI Database should be quaking in their boots.It seems to us that Baxter is just trying to come up with a convenient excuse for a hypocritical decision to duck away from defending a controversial game in the same way he would defend a controversial movie. But, as we all know, games are just kid's stuff, so really, who can blame him?[Via Kotaku]
In-game ads put devs in control
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, IGA Europe vice president Ed Bartlett explained how in-game advertisements could benefit the interests of PC-based independent developers. Barlett pointed to Nadeo, which was able to release TrackMania Nations as freeware through the use of in-game ads, in turn boosting its player base (recording over 6 million downloads) and increasing ad revenue. This business model is unique because it eliminates the need for a publisher and means developers can retain the rights to their IPs.Ironically, it's the indie developers that have been most resistant to in-game ads; whereas triple-A title publishers, while unable to offset theirs games' costs with ads, have been much more receptive to the practice.
Independent movie about undead Nazis to premiere on PSP
You know it's a slow news day when stories like this make it to the Fanboy. A small independent British film company plans on releasing a film about undead Nazis called "Last Evil," and they plan to distribute it online for free in iPod and PSP format. This isn't the first time an indie film has made its way to the portable before (never) reaching theaters. Although I can't say I'm too confident about a film that shares the same story as Castle Wolfenstein, I have to admit, you can't beat this movie's price of entry.[Via DCemu]
XNA Game Studio Express Beta 2 released [update 1]
Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express Beta 2 is now available to the wannabe-developer masses. Download it if you have the talent and the will to create the next homebrew masterpiece. Just make sure to include Vision cam support and 10,000 available GamerScore points. Xboxic has a screen shot.Update: We have already posted a story on the release of this software. Click here for our original post. We apologize for the error.
Street Trace NYC devs speak
GamerTag Radio interviews some guys from Gaia Industries about their original Xbox Live Arcade title, Street Trace NYC. This game was playable at Digital LIfe, but hasn't gotten much press, despite 3D enviroments, split-screen/online multiplayer and a Michael J. Fox-friendly concept (hoverboards). You can visit the game's official site here. While they're doing their alternative media tour, maybe these hard-working indie developers should grab some toilet paper and remind Sony's snobbish Sgt. Pepper that XBLA has plenty of new IP on the way.
Wii's LiveMove could be building block for industry's future
We were skeptical about AiLive's motion-making development tool when it was announced earlier this month, but after seeing a tech demo of LiveMotion in action, we're convinced it can produce novel work. The problem is the price. At $2,500, LiveMotion is only attractive to a select crowd and excludes smaller parties who will likely turn to Microsoft's XNA project for a more affordable creative outlet.Nintendo should consider setting up a program, like XNA, that would invite indie game makers and hobbyists to explore Wii's ingenuity. The DS's success has shown that there's an interest, a market, for small quirky games -- it's what Jaffe was getting at; an era of churn'em-out hits. With Wii, Nintendo could p0wn this niche.
Unreal Engine 3 prepares to Roboblitz XBLA
Time to take another look at the trailer for Roboblitz from indie developer Naked Sky, the first Xbox Live Arcade game to sport Unreal Engine 3. Mike from K1lla's Xbox Domain spotted a forum post from one of the devs that says:The game is super close to complete. Design and art wise, we're pertty much locked, now we're just making sure the game is bug free and fully optimized. An exact release date...still don't have one. But considering the state of the game, it can't be much longer. Believe me, we want the game out asap! The only thing we know for sure is that it'll be 1200 MS points, and the PC version will include (TBA) bonus content. SOOOON!!The best part is it actually looks like it's worth 1200 MS Points.
Manifesto Games web site sighting
Longtime game developer and general roustabout Greg Costikyan sent a jolt through the industry when he announced Manifesto Games, a company dedicated to rewarding original, independent game ideas and getting around the narrow retail channels that keep them from gamers. After a months-long gestation process, the company is now well on its way with a beta web site highlighting and selling some of the brightest independent games on the market.The site is still a little rough around the edges, but in return for registering and helping to troubleshoot, Manifesto is offering a free download of Plasmaworm, a game they appropriately describe as "Snake on acid." Here's wishing them the best in their mission to stir things up.
Think you can do better than Street Fighter 2?
Here's a way to make yourself useful while waiting for Street Fighter 2: Hyper Fighting to show up on Marketplace. Come up with your own Xbox Live Arcade game. For those with the means and will to make that sentence more than just a pipe dream, IGN has posted a helpful primer on the process for getting your creative genius on 360 hard drives across the globe. As for the rest of us, we'll just stare at the glowing screen until Capcom and Microsoft take our money.
Sensory Sweep Studios join the ranks
According to a job posting on their official site, independent development team Sensory Sweep Studios is looking for talent to aid in the development of an action title for the Wii. Looking for junior and senior game designers to help in level and character design for this title, Sensory Sweep's most recent releases include Need For Speed: Most Wanted and Tiger Woods PGA Tour on the DS.While we can't be all that enthused about this development considering the only major titles of note from the company were on a handheld, the more support for Nintendo's newest console the better. [Via Codename Revolution]
Rumor: Indie darling Darwinia to hit XBLA?
In some leftover scuttlebutt from GDC, word on the street is that the bad boys from Introversion, the independent developers that created indie-darling (and Independent Games Festival winner) Darwinia are working with the big boys in Redmond to get their game on the Xbox Live Arcade platform. Reasons why this is a logical move and a likely rumor: They've already gotten Darwinia on that other major digital distribution network (psst: it begins with "Stea" and ends with "m". Got it?) Uh, they've said they're interested. We know, everyone's interested. Fellow Steam-distributed developers Ritual Entertainment keep screaming about it, but they've got that whole enormous download thing to deal with. The XBLArcade blog points us to this video (.wmv) of SpikeTV's GameHead where Introversion's Mark Morris says, "... it's about 30 megs which makes it perfect for things like Live Arcade." CliffyB asks if they're planning on it and Morris responds, "I'm gonna try. Gonna talk to Microsoft and see what they say." XBLArcade correctly points out that if the developers of an award-winning and critically acclaimed independent game want to bring it to your platform, what do you say? Well, according to German blog Xbox Archiv, you say "Yes. Please." They claim to have overheard a conversation at GDC between the two parties. Let's hope that logic wins the day and we get another stellar entrant to Microsoft's walled-garden of Arcade treats.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]Read - XBLArcade Rumor RoundupRead - Darwinia for Xbox Live Arcade (Xbox Archiv machine translation)
XBLA indie developer gets Butterflies
The VGM Daily guys talk to Shayne Guiliano, head of Autonomous Productions, an indie developer that just won the right to create for Xbox Live Arcade and Nintendo's Virtual console. The game is called Butterfly Garden. Interesting conversation considering we haven't heard much about new indie stuff for XBLA,[Thanks Ryan]
Indie incidents in the month of May
Partially as a rebuke to an earlier article on the subject of the sparsity of indie game releases and partially because they can, Gametunnel has posted an article featuring just over ten reviews of independent games released this month. The titles reviewed range from Lux, a Risk-type game that features several scenarios based on historical battles (if you're a Risk fan, drop everything and download this game immediately) to Eets, a "solid and original puzzle game."An fun little indie game that I discovered recently is Open Fire, a casual point-and-click shooter which was released a few days ago. What indie games have you discovered lately?[Thanks, Russell Carroll]
Why there are no indie games (and why there should be)
While there are indie game projects -- like that Indy point-and-clicker I wrote about earlier -- the industry continues on a path towards longer development time and larger budgets making indie gaming, as we've come to know it, largely inviable.Luke O'Brien takes a look at the problem for Slate and ponders why, when some of the industry's earliest blockbusters were the product of independent development (think Ultima, Doom, Dune II), independent development is the rare exception to the rule. While mainstream publishers rely on sequels and updates, certain factions (like Costikyan's Manifesto Games) are trying to bypass the system by selling their games online. One notable omission: episodic gaming. With companies like Telltale Games and Valve actively using technology to deliver their games directly to gamers and disrupt the publisher paradigm, O'Brien's piece didn't consider the effects of these (admittedly larger) independent developers. Can independent developers use technology to assume control from the major publishers, much like the early movie industry did? [Thanks, Andrew]
Indy returns in indie adventure game, Fountain of Youth
Alright adventure gamers: while we're busy waiting for LucasArts-leftovers, Sam & Max, to make their triumphant return to the small screen, check out the demo for the fanmade Indiana Jones adventure, Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth. Built using Adventure Game Studio, the screenshots look remarkably SCUMM-y; the artwork, animation, sound, and writing, all recall the golden age of LucasArts excellent point-and-click adventure games. What makes us nervous: LucasArts team of highly-trained ninja lawyers who only get paid if they send x amount of cease and desist letters to obsessively loyal fans of their various properties. C'mon, look at their URL! Barnettcollege.com ... brilliant. (Note: Mac users can download a beta of the AGS game engine here)See also: Use your BRAINS in zombified adventure game[Via digg]
Homebrew support coming to the PS3
If Sony's support for previous homebrew endeavors (like the PSP) was any indication of their PlayStation 3 involvement, then indie coders out there would have something to worry about. Thankfully that's not the case.We've heard about their desire to get homebrew developers on board with the Linux system to create some unique and independent software for the next-gen console. Izumi Kawanishi spoke up about this recently saying that Sony would "like to see various individuals participate in content creation for the PS3."The idea here is to broaden their Linux strategy. Using Linux World, they plan on giving homebrew hackers all the freedom to build from the ground up. No SDK libraries or support. It's all you guys.This would be a huge step for independent game makers out there, especially if Sony would let them distribute it over their online platform too. There's still no word on the distribution part though, but hopefully we will see some integration on that end as well.
Who needs a record label? Submit your own music to the iTMS with Tunecore
Are you a musician with some tracks that deserve their time in the iTMS spotlight? No one's promising you'll make the Top Songs list, but Tunecore can at least help you take a shot.While Apple offers an online application through which you can ask them to 'consider your music for the iTMS,' Tunecore (notice the hip 'beta' marking) can actually submit your music to not only the iTMS, but Rhapsody, MusicNet and Napster too. They offer what I would consider a reasonable one-time fee structure (meaning: the don't take a % of each song/album sale), and they can add your music to a number of international stores (not just the U.S.) with 'more coming soon!' One last feature to note about their service which might be music to indie musicians' ears: you keep all the rights and ownership of your music, i.e. - Tunecore a middle-man who actually remains a middle-man.This sounds like a great service. I hope more musicians can use it to hop on the digital distribution bandwagon.[thanks Andre Dupont!]
