IndieGala

Last updated
IndieGala
Type s.r.l.
Industry Video games, Digital distribution
Founded2011;12 years ago (2011)
Headquarters
Rome, Italy
Number of employees
20+ (April 2019)
Website indiegala.com

IndieGala, s.r.l. is an Italy-based digital storefront for video games, which grew out of its original offering of Indie Gala Bundles, a collections of games sold at a price determined by the purchaser and with a portion of the price going towards charity and the rest split between the game developers. IndieGala continues to offer these limited-time bundles, but have expanded to include a greater and more persistent storefront.

Contents

History

Initial bundles were typically collections of independently developed games featuring multi-platform support (including Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms), mainly on the Steam platform. Subsequently, the bundles became more frequent and expanded to include games from established developers, AAA publishers, [1] games for Android-based devices, [2] [3] games without digital rights management (DRM), graphic design assets. IndieGala's bundles were some of the first to feature digital copies of music [4] [5] and comic books. [6] Bundles are presently offered on a more regular basis, with a persistent storefront for individual game sales. [7]

The IndieGala Bundle offerings support a number of charities, including Save The Children, Child's Play, AbleGamers Foundation, Italian Red Cross charities, most notably supporting the efforts in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy that was affected by a series of earthquakes. [5] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] The success of the Humble Bundle approach is what inspired IndieGala and a number of similar efforts to offer "pay what you want" bundles, including Indie Royale and Fanatical (formerly Bundle Stars). [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

The IndieGala operation has since grown to include a dedicated storefront, a Steam-like client similar to GOG's Galaxy or Desura's client, a publishing and development arm, as well as a fund to support indie games and indie developers. [20] [21] [22]

As a corporation, IndieGala is headquartered in Rome, Italy, with about 25 employees. [23] Its co-founder and CEO is Riccardo Rosapepe. [24]

IndieGala's online debut and their first bundle named "The Indie Gala" was released on December 5, 2011, and sold over 20,000 copies. [25] [26] [27] [28] [29]

IndieGala's first published game was officially released on Steam on May 21, 2015, and it sold over 40,000 copies globally. [30]

IndieGala's first developed game was released in Early Access on Steam on the 20th of December 2017. [31]

In March 2022 IndieGala announced the development of a new open-world horror game. [32]

Developed Games

YearTitleGenrePC 8th Gen 9th Gen
TBAVorax [33] Action / Horror / Survival Windows N/AN/A
2019Die Young: Prologue Action / Adventure / Survival Windows N/AN/A
2019Die Young [34] [35] Action / Adventure / Survival Windows PS4 [36] PS5
2018Stayin' Alive [37] Action Windows N/AN/A

Published Games

YearTitleDeveloperGenre(s)Platform
2015Blockstorm [38] [39] [40] GhostShark Action / FPS Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X
2016TylerILLUSIONETWORK Action / Casual Microsoft Windows
Red Rope: Don't Fall Behind [41] Yonder Action / Adventure / Cooperative Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X
2017Downward [42] Caracal Games Adventure / Platform Microsoft Windows, Linux
2018Gates Of Nowhere [43] Symmetrical Action / Adventure / VR Microsoft Windows
2020Exit Limbo: Opening [44] Virtual Craft Studio Action / Adventure / Brawler Microsoft Windows

Controversy and Criticism

In 2013, a Indie Gala bundle had a part of its proceeds going towards the political election campaign of a candidate in Vancouver. [45] [46]

In 2017, in an attempt to mitigate piracy, IndieGala gave away one of their Unreal Engine titles, Die Young, [47] which at that point of time was still in Early Access. [48] [49]

In 2017, due to a checkout issue involving G2A in the IndieGala system, customers were unknowingly subscribed to subscription trial. The company apologized and the affected customers were compensated. [50] [51] [52]

In 2017, the customers of IndieGala together with other retailers such as Green Man Gaming and GamesPlanet who have purchased Castle of Illusion from their respective storefronts were affected by a series of key deactivations. The issue apparently stemmed from a technical mishap the moment when the publishing agreement between SEGA and Disney came to an end, the situation however was later resolved. [53] [54]

See also

Related Research Articles

Kongregate is an American web gaming portal and video game publisher. Its website features over 124,000 online games and 30+ mobile games available to the public. The company also publishes games for PC, mobile, and home consoles. It was purchased by GameStop Corporation in 2010 before being acquired by Modern Times Group MT AB in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indie game</span> Class of video game, generally independently published

An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. Because of their independence and freedom to develop, indie games often focus on innovation, experimental gameplay, and taking risks not usually afforded in AAA games. Indie games tend to be sold through digital distribution channels rather than at retail due to a lack of publisher support. The term is synonymous with that of independent music or independent film in those respective mediums.

Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain additional revenue from a title after it has been purchased, often using some type of microtransaction system.

<i>Super Meat Boy</i> 2010 platform game

Super Meat Boy is a 2010 platform game designed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes under the collective name of "Team Meat". It was self-published as the successor to Meat Boy, a 2008 Flash game designed by McMillen and Jonathan McEntee. In the game, the player controls Meat Boy, a red, cube-shaped character, as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the game's antagonist Dr. Fetus. The gameplay is characterized by fine control and split-second timing, as the player runs and jumps through over 300 hazardous levels while avoiding obstacles. The game also supports the creation of player-created levels. Super Meat Boy was first released on the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade in October 2010, and was later ported to Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, and the Nintendo Switch. A Wii version was in development but was ultimately cancelled.

Active Gaming Media Inc. (AGM) is a localization company based in Osaka, Japan. Founded in 2008 by CEO Ibai Ameztoy, the company's main focus lies in providing localization services for video games. AGM has since branched out to provide services such as game debugging, marketing, promotion, voice acting, and publishing for games and anime.

Humble Bundle, Inc. is a digital storefront for video games, which grew out of its original offering of Humble Bundles, collections of games sold at a price determined by the purchaser and with a portion of the price going towards charity and the rest split between the game developers. Humble Bundle continues to offer these limited-time bundles, but have expanded to include a greater and more persistent storefront. The Humble Bundle concept was initially run by Wolfire Games in 2010, but by its second bundle, the Humble Bundle company was spun out to manage the promotion, payments, and distribution of the bundles. In October 2017, the company was acquired by Ziff Davis through its IGN Entertainment subsidiary.

In the video game industry, digital distribution is the process of delivering video game content as digital information, without the exchange or purchase of new physical media such as ROM cartridges, magnetic storage, optical discs and flash memory cards. This process has existed since the early 1980s, but it was only with network advancements in bandwidth capabilities in the early 2000s that digital distribution became more prominent as a method of selling games. Currently, the process is dominated by online distribution over broadband Internet.

<i>SpaceChem</i> 2011 video game

SpaceChem is an indie puzzle game developed by Zachtronics Industries, based on principles of automation and chemical bonding. In the game, the player is tasked to produce one or more specific chemical molecules via an assembly line by programming two remote manipulators that interact with atoms and molecules through a visual programming language. SpaceChem was the developer's first foray into a commercial title after a number of free Flash-based browser games that feature similar puzzle-based assembly problems.

Zachtronics LLC is an American indie video game studio, best known for their engineering puzzle games and programming games. Zachtronics was founded by Zach Barth in 2000, who serves as its lead designer. Some of their products include SpaceChem, Infinifactory, TIS-100, and Shenzhen I/O.

Blendo Games is an American independent video game development company based in Culver City, California. It was founded by Brendon Chung in 2010 and is primarily a one-person effort. Blendo Games gained more widespread exposure with the short form stand alone title Gravity Bone; the following games Flotilla and Atom Zombie Smasher were met with critical praise. The studio has also released several other games in several genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xbox (app)</span> Software

The Xbox app is an app for Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11, Android, iOS and Tizen. It acts as a companion app for Xbox video game consoles, providing access to Xbox network community features, remote control, as well as second screen functionality with selected games, applications, and content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TotalBiscuit</span> British game critic and commentator

John Peter Bain, better known as TotalBiscuit, was an English video gaming commentator and game critic on YouTube. He was known for his role in professional shoutcasting and esports, and also known for his gaming commentary audio work on WCradio.com. According to Eurogamer, he gained a large following due to his video commentary on newly developed indie games and analysis of gaming news. Bain voiced strong support for consumer protection in the video gaming industry. In October 2015, Bain announced that he had terminal cancer that had spread to his liver. He continued to critique games after the diagnosis, announcing his retirement only a few weeks before his death in May 2018.

Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alpha, alpha, and/or beta, while the developer is able to use those funds to continue further development on the game. Those that pay to participate typically help to debug the game, provide feedback and suggestions, may have access to special materials in the game. The early-access approach is a common way to obtain funding for indie games, and may also be used along with other funding mechanisms, including crowdfunding. Many crowdfunding projects promise to offer access to alpha and/or beta versions of the game as development progresses; however, unlike some of these projects which solicit funds but do not yet have a playable game, all early access games offer an immediately playable version of the unfinished game to players.

<i>Factorio</i> Construction and management simulation video game

Factorio is a construction and management simulation game developed and published by Czech studio Wube Software. The game was announced via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign in 2013 and released for Windows, macOS, and Linux on 14 August 2020 following a four-year long early access phase to positive reviews. The game was released on Nintendo Switch on 28 October 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Itch.io</span> Website for distributing games

Itch.io is a website for users to host, sell and download indie video games, indie role-playing games, game assets, comics, zines and music. Launched in March 2013 by Leaf Corcoran, the service hosts over 700,000 products as of April 2023.

G2A.COM Limited is a digital marketplace headquartered in the Netherlands, with offices in Poland and Hong Kong. The site operates in the resale of gaming products by the use of redemption keys. Other products sold on the site are software, prepaid activation codes, electronics, and merchandise. As of March 2020, G2A's site has 20 million users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WeGame</span> Video gaming platform of Tencent

WeGame is the flagship game portal of the Chinese company Tencent.

<i>Town of Salem</i> 2014 video game

Town of Salem is an online multiplayer game with social deduction and strategy elements. It was developed and published by indie game developer BlankMediaGames, and released on December 15, 2014. Early alpha and beta versions were browser-based and free-to-play. On October 14, 2018, the game was released for iOS and Android mobile devices after a successful and long-supported Kickstarter fundraiser.

<i>Dujanah</i> 2017 video game

Dujanah is an art video game developed and published by Jack King-Spooner, a Scottish indie game developer. It was released on September 19, 2017. The game follows Dujanah, a Muslim woman in a fictional country under the occupation of foreign powers in a stylized magic realist–style world as she tries to find out what happened to her husband and daughter. The game focuses on the theme of death, and explores it through the stories of people that Dujanah meets as she walks through her country. Reception to Dujanah was positive, with praise focused on its themes and storytelling.

References

  1. ↑ Savage, Phil (2013-04-18). "IndieGala bundle defies its own name - includes Mass Effect 2". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  2. ↑ "Humble Bundle style Indie Gala offering up four games for Android, pay what you want". Droid Gamers. 2012-06-19. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  3. ↑ "Name your price for 4 exciting Android games in the new Indie Gala!". Android Authority. 2012-06-19. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  4. ↑ Dobra, Andrei (2012-02-06). "New Indie Gala Bundles Offer Great Games and Music Albums for Low Prices". softpedia. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  5. 1 2 "IndieGala Makes its First Pay-What-You-Want Charity Indie Game Bundle Even Bigger, Adding Vizati Game as New Year Bonus. Bundle Ends 6 January 2012". 24-7 Press Release Newswire. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  6. ↑ Williams, Corey (2012-04-05). "IndieGala III offers Comic". PushStartPlay. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  7. ↑ "IndieGala Celebrates '1M Bundles Sold' Milestone with Free Afterfall Insanity Extended Edition Giveaway". PC Invasion. 2014-05-26. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  8. ↑ Sanchez, David (2012-05-30). "Indie Gala: Pay what you want, help folks with disabilities". GameZone. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  9. ↑ Chalk, Andy (2012-05-29). "Indie Gala V Supports AbleGamers and Earthquake Victims". The Escapist. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  10. ↑ Doyle, Shannon. "IndieGala Supreme Bundle Benefits AbleGamers Charity". www.mmogames.com. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
  11. ↑ Griffiths, Daniel Nye (2012-04-29). "Good Games: Indie Gala Supports Gamers With Disabilites [sic]". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  12. ↑ Splechta, Mike (2012-07-27). "Indiegala 7 is here, get awesome games, help charity, you know the deal". GameZone. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  13. ↑ Broida, Rick (2012-06-20). "Indie Gala Mobile bundles Android games for a good cause". CNET. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  14. ↑ Shannon, Daniel (2012-07-30). "Indie Gala Seven Begins". Broken Joysticks. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  15. ↑ Fenlon, Wes; Wilde, Tyler (2019-07-12). "PC game storefronts compared: what you need to know about retailers and resellers". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  16. ↑ Broida, Rick (2013-03-06). "Three name-your-own-price indie game bundles". CNET. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  17. ↑ Burford, GB (2014-06-24). "How To Buy A Lot Of Video Games With Very Little Money". Kotaku Australia. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  18. ↑ FM, Yúbal (2016-06-24). "No sólo de Steam vive el ahorrador: 7 páginas imprescindibles para encontrar juegos baratos". Genbeta (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  19. ↑ Savage, Phil (2013-01-10). "A bundle of bundles: Indie Royale, Indie Gala and the Free Bundle all live". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  20. ↑ "GamePolitics News | GamePolitics". gamepolitics.com. 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  21. ↑ Valentaten, Daav (2012-03-12). "IndieGala Launches Gala Fund For Aspiring Indie Developers". gamesta. Archived from the original on 2013-04-04.
  22. ↑ "Indiegala's Company Page". Indiegala Company. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  23. ↑ "INDIEGALA s.r.l. - LinkedIn". LinkedIn. [self-published]
  24. ↑ Cellini, Paolo (2015-05-21). "Indiegala: è italiano il leader mondiale nella vendita di videogiochi "a pacchetto"". www.ilfoglio.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  25. ↑ Fisher, Liam (2012-02-05). "Indie Gala's back, this time with more options". Destructoid. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  26. ↑ Rici, Rick (2021-12-05). "10 Years of IndieGala – a Heartfelt Thank You!". IndieGala Blog. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  27. ↑ Chalk, Andy (2011-12-07). "The Indie Gala Comes to Town". The Escapist. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  28. ↑ Meer, Alec (2011-12-07). "Again With The Indie Bundles". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  29. ↑ Derocher, Joshua (2011-12-07). "Two more pay-what-you-want indie bundles on PC". Destructoid. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  30. ↑ Skeleton, Jaimie (2015-05-18). "Blockstorm Announces Steam Release Date". MMOHuts. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  31. ↑ Ek, Robin (2017-12-09). ""Stayin' Alive" is coming to Steam on the 20th of December". The Gaming Ground. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  32. ↑ Rivera, C. Anthony (2022-03-30). "New Open World Horror 'Vorax' Coming to Steam Winter 2022". The Nerd Stash. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  33. ↑ "Vorax – Hardcore Survival Horror by Indiegala" . Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  34. ↑ Nieva, Jason (2019-09-12). "Die Young Leaves Early Access, Now On Steam". Player.One. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  35. ↑ Smith, Mark (2019-09-15). "Die Young Review – PC". Game Chronicles. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  36. ↑ destinysperez15 (2021-02-03). "Die Young Now Available on PlayStation 4 in Europe, Asia and Australia Coming to American PS Store in Q1 2021". Spartaprimez.com. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  37. ↑ Ek, Jonas (2017-12-20). "IndieGala's "Stayin' Alive" is out now for PC via Steam". thegg.net (The Gaming Ground). Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  38. ↑ Tsui, Jamie Laike (2015-05-22). "Voxel FPS Blockstorm Leaves Early Access" . Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  39. ↑ Peel, Jeremy (2015-05-21). "Blockstorm hands on: dig a trench as Walter White for the first time in an FPS". PCGamesN. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  40. ↑ Matias, Antonio (2021-04-16). "Provato Blockstorm". Guia Game (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  41. ↑ Bishop, Sam (2016-08-24). "Red Rope: Don't Fall Behind is a co-op puzzler with a twist". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  42. ↑ Brady, Margaux (2017-01-11). "Downward : le jeu de parkour - Downward". GAMEWAVE (in French). Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  43. ↑ Loguidice, Bill (2021-12-03). "HTC Vive/VIVEPORT VR Review: Gates of Nowhere". Armchair Arcade. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  44. ↑ Besser, Paolo (2020-11-21). "Opening – Recensione". The Games Machine (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  45. ↑ Chalk, Andy (2013-04-18). "New Indie Gala Raising Funds For Political Campaign". The Escapist. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  46. ↑ Goodman, Breanna (2013-04-18). "Portion of Indie Gala proceeds funding political campaign". GAMING TREND. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  47. ↑ "Indiegala at Gamescom presents: Die Young". Gamasutra (Press release). 2015-07-31. Archived from the original on 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  48. ↑ Tarason, Dominic (2017-09-17). "Early Access survival game Die Young attempts to mitigate piracy with an official free version". PCGamesN. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  49. ↑ Tue, Sep 26th 2017 7:39pm-Timothy Geigner. "Yet Another Developer Sees That Free Can Work For Video Games As Both An Anti-Piracy Strategy And As Promotion". Techdirt. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  50. ↑ Foxall, Sam (2017-03-03). "G2A apologise for G2A Shield/IndieGala mixup, sending a free game to those affected". PCGamesN. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  51. ↑ Otton, Andrew (2017-03-07). "Indiegala Customers Automatically Signed Up for G2A Shield Due to G2A "IT Error"". TechRaptor. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  52. ↑ Mattas, Jeff (2011-12-06). "The Indie Gala launches its first 'pay-what-you-want' bundle". Shacknews. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  53. ↑ "Castle of Illusion Steam key revokes under investigation". PC Invasion. 2017-01-18. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  54. ↑ "Revoked Castle Of Illusion Steam Keys Being Reactivated". www.greenmangaming.com. 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.