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Activision starts mobile publishing initiative for indies
Activision, the "that's no moon" of publishers, has created a strategic relationship with mobile platform and analytic company Flurry Inc. to publish indie titles. Actually, it's to "identify and assist third-party developers in the development, publishing, distribution and promotion of independent titles on iOS and Android platforms."The interesting part here is the games will be published under the Activision Mobile Publishing brand, but indie developers retain the rights to their intellectual property."Activision and Flurry are uniquely qualified to provide mobile developers with funding, resources and unmatched marketing expertise, while also allowing them to retain their intellectual property," said Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg. "We are confident this relationship and our new platform will yield significant results and are excited to launch it."It'll be interesting to see what type of indies this relationship nets. For anyone interested in hopping into this pool, we stress: have a good attorney.
GDC 2012: Forty minutes with Derek Smart and Line of Defense
"I didn't want to make another Derek Smart game because usually when you mention 'Derek Smart' and 'game', gamers tend to run in the opposite direction," Smart told us when we asked about Line of Defense. That's quite a candid intro, and it set the stage for an interesting 40-minute interview that featured plenty of insights into 3000AD's latest offering. Smart, of course, has something of a notorious reputation in the online community, and while we won't go into that here, it is worth noting that he's focusing on the work and letting his game do the talking.
'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.
