GameTap Indies

By: Derek Yu

On: February 28th, 2007

GameTap, the subscription-based game distribution network, recently announced that they are extending their service to independent games, via a program called “GameTap Indies.” In addition, GameTap will be handing out GameTap Indie Awards to three hand-picked indie games that this year’s IGF awards (which is next Wednesday!):

“One recipient will receive a $10,000 advance after signing a five year distribution deal to be a part of the new GameTap Indies label. Two additional recipients will each receive a $5,000 advance after signing the same five year distribution deal to be part of the new GameTap Indies label.”

Anyone here use GameTap and can comment on the service?

(Source: Shacknews)

Posted in Community, Developers

BenH

“Sorry, GameTap is not available in your country.”

They’re shite. ;)
Tim

shrink, more like. :(
PoV

Be razzed and branded as indie for $10k and 1 portal distribution deal, or not, and have all the opportunities in the world. Hmm…
Alec

Wow, I so called this. I actually used GameTap for a bit! It was kinda fun to be able to just look through a big catalog of games and play whatever you want right away.

But… I had issues with newer games lagging every few minutes and also the diversity of the games. While I found some obscure stuff I might not have otherwise, there’s a lot of crappy and old games in there and not a lot of good ones right now.

(I love old games… but they can be found almost anywhere)
John B

It’s a decent enough service, priced well and with TONS of games. Lots of obscure stuff. For me, it was just a game overload, though. Too many things to choose from and not enough time to play them all.
Poo Bear

Gametap is fantastic, you pay a small subscription and just download and play anything you like. Imagine how much money the developer is going to make. $7 a month, minus some made up costs, divided by how many games they played, multiplied by some piss poor percentage. The indie revolution has arrived indeed ;)

Doh!
http://www.moonpod.com/diary Fost

Anyone else think that the ‘prize’ is a bit of a ‘non-prize’. I.e. – if you win you can do a deal with GameTap, and they’ll give you an advance on royalties. i.e. they haven’t lost anything. !?!
Xander

Gametap as a service I hear is pretty good, but I couldn’t possibly comment on how it works out for developers. I’d subcribe to try it out if the UK was actually accepted by them, if not for Sam and Max over anything else, instead we get crappy over-priced services like ‘Metaboli’ or… whatever. Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to ask the Telltale Games guys to see how working with gametap is more/less profitable than selling it online through themselves.
http://www.datarealms.com/devlog Data

Agh you left out the most vital piece of info: is the deal exclusive or not?!

It seems like it is *not* (which is good), according to this:
http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2007/02/gametap_announces_indie_label_1.php

Please update the article
moi

I don’t understand how three different games get different contract terms just because they were chosen second or third instead of first?
If I was second or third and gametap wanted to give $5k only in advance I would refuse and demand the same terms as the first.
Plus $10k isn’t even a lot for an advance and nothing is said about additional royalties.
These aren’t good terms.
http://josephkingworks.blogspot.com/ Joseph

Fost, please elaborate!
http://www.moonpod.com/diary Fost

Elaborate?:
Well, it’s not really a prize is it? It’s more like a prize for gametap – Gametap gets 3 people signed up to a five year contract with their indie label. Remember, this is an ADVANCE on royalties from the deal, i.e. Gametap will take that money out of what they were going to pay you ANYWAY.

What if you don’t want to be on gametap for some reason? Then you win nothing…

A prize would be some money and the OPTION to sign a contract with gametap.
http://www.moonpod.com/diary Fost

Also, it not being exclusive is a requirement, not a plus point. If it was exclusive I’d be scared the IGF had sold out.

Saying this is great because it’s not an exclusive deal is like saying you bought a car, and were impressed because it came with wheels.
Derek

So the term “advance” implies that you won’t receive the first $10k you actually make from their service… since they already paid it to you at the beginning? :S

In any case, $10k really is a paltry sum (especially for a 5 year contract!). Only in indieland would that ever seem like a good deal. :'(
haowan

$10k is fuck all. Suck it up you naive bedroom coders! Things never change.
BranDude

I’ll take 10,000! Oh wait, you have to make a game?
http://www.moonpod.com/diary Fost

There’s no ‘implies’ about it – that’s exactly what it is. An advance is taken out of your royalties. Still, not many portals even pay an advance, so there’s at least one bonus for gametap.
http://www.merseyremakes.co.uk/gibber Oddbob

5 years, man, thats a hecka long contract…
PoV

You can’t spell Exclusive without ive… and an F fits in front of that nicely… Five…

…

Dude, I’m sorry. That has to be the worst attempt at a pun ever.

But yeah, after 5 years, your game is yesterdays news 5x over.
http://failrate.com failrate

For 10K, you get stick-figure action cart racer, the text adventure… no uppercases either… they cost extra.