free-to-play digital game distribution app?

[zaphod]

Some of the trends I am most excited about in gaming are digital distribution, free-to-play model games, and models where the public are the gate-keepers. I love the direction of things such as Steam and Kongregate. Kongregate to me is a shining example of a new way for game authors to monetize their efforts where there previously was no easy avenue to do so. Steam, catering to larger more traditional games - is less open, but has the same philosophy of bringing developers one step closer to their audience, as well as a neater way to manage a collection of executeable games. So there is Kongregate on the small end of the spectrum, serving up free, fast, flash games - and there is Steam on the opposite end, serving up commercial larger scale executeable games.

The question I am posing is: is there room in the middle? What if there was a steam-like service that had a large collection of free to play executeable games? Like Kongregate, all these games would be free to play, but there would be ads displayed somewhere in the process, with the authors of all these games getting a majority cut of the revenue. Brainstorming, here are some bullet points that this distribution method would feature:

- One application for all features: As with Steam, all applications and other functionality are launched through one app.

- free to play: free, free, free. No (financial) barrier to entry.

- as few gate-keepers as possible: like Kongregate, almost any game is accepted into the system and the system is entirely transparent.

- democratized content: the community decides what games are showcased through the system

- easy to use: browse, click, download, play, all stored in one place (like Steam).

All these things have been done and are being done currently, in different places and in different pieces. What this platform's goal would be is to take all the free indie downloadable games that are sitting in their own small dusty neglected corners of the internet, and creating an opportunity for authors to monetize them, while at the same time and perhaps more importantly display them somewhere they can get many eyeballs at once, all the while fostering a community around them all.

What do you think? Is there any demand for something like this? Is this already being done as described? Is it even technologically possible given the wide gamut of dependencies and such needed for downloadable games?

[⌐■_■]

well.. for me this raises quite a few technical questions, like

- how would the adds be implemented?

- to what extend would the community have control and how would that be implemented and delegated?

- how would you see this materialized, as in; how would the initiative phase go about?

anyway.. not to go into details too deep, i like the idea very much but i doubt it would work since its semi-commercial but nonprofessional and in my eyes too much relieable of a good, capeable and supporting community.

[zaphod]

I think you could display ads in a few unobtrusive places. There could be traditional banner type ads in the interface while you are browsing games, there could also flash an ad or two for a small number of seconds before or after you launch a game.

The community control would be along the same lines as Kongregate, youtube, digg, etc. Games would be rated by users, sorted by popularity, user reviews, etc.

As far as it actually being launched, someone would have to develop the client and the technology associated with it in order to be able to handle all sorts of different applications in the same manner as steam. Then you would have to advertise it and getting people to put their games on it.

[Skjalg]

yes there is definatly a huge market for this.. All you really need to launch something like that is exclusive "rights" to "publish" some great (free) games on it.

[zaphod]

I don't see why they need to be exclusive, I think part of the appeal of it would be the "no-strings-attached" element. Almost all the games on steam are not exclusive to that platform and lots of people still go there to get games anyway. It should be a matter of convenience and mutal benefit rather than exclusivity.

[Ginger Lord]

Crosus?

http://www.isotx.com/crosus/

[zaphod]

wow, thats pretty snazzy. Thats a big part of what I'm talking about yea. Thanks for the link!

[Zacker]

Crosus is a great merge between two already good products: Modtoaster and Vapour.