Games retailer GameStop has signed independent studio Tequila Works under its game trust initiative. Tequila will join insomniac, Ready At Dawn, and Frozenbyte. Even more interestingly, Tequila Softworks has recently re-acquired the rights to Rime. Rime being an adventure puzzler which sees a boy traveling a mysterious island. It will be intriguing to see the outcome of this partnership, and perhaps even more, the effect Gamestop has had on the development of Rime. Tequila itself has had a little history with the game development process. Their title “Deadlight†was more successful than originally thought. Its opening day netted the studio fifty thousand downloads.
Along with Tequila, GameStop has agreed to publish for Ready At Dawn, developer of major games like The Order; 1886 and Okami. Could we see another Zelda inspired game? Additionally, GameStop has agreed to publish games by Frozenbyte; developer of the Trine series. Could we be seeing another top down RPG? With such a diverse set of developers GameStop is surely aiming for quantity, and hopefully quality.
GameStop’s game trust will see its partners being published not only on the digital front, but also in their over 6,000 locations. Although this looks intrusive, GameStop promises it is not a way for them to dip into other publishing company’s business. It’s strictly a way to help independent game makers, and gain exclusives for their storefronts. Not only are big names like Insomniac joining the Fray, little studios are trusting in GameStop to uphold their creative standards. GameStop recently adopted the phrase “exclusive real estate,†when asked about the hands-off approach they are putting forth. They also stated their focus on “exclusive real estate within its online and physical stores to offer gamers access to new games available across multiple platforms, including digital, physical, console, PC and VR.â€
People are raving about the legitimacy of the project and predict it will be a way for GameStop to revolutionize after its plummeting sales. GameStop had this to say “GameTrust will revolutionize the game development and distribution process by offering a new way for independent developers to create and introduce their own intellectual property to a broad gaming audience and for gamers to discover and enjoy exclusive new video game experiences,†it seems like the major games retailer is banking on this to be a very successful cornerstone of its business.
GameStop’s new venture is surely turning heads in the games industry. The guiding of four well known and ambitious studios means a lot for independent game makers. It’s another option for studios, not just making your game a Sony, Microsoft, or even Nintendo exclusive but using GameStop can possibly boost a games development longevity and essentially make a game a better overall product for everyone.