After selling games for years, GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME) is going to begin publishing them. GameStop is releasing GameTrust, an independent publishing entity that will sponsor, sell and publish 5 to 10 independent games over the next year as per GameStop’s vice president of internal development and diversification, Mark Stanley.
Click Here For More Market Exclusive Updates & Analysis
Stanley said that they have an average of 46 million Power up Rewards clients and around 64 million individual gamers visiting their stores. They want improved access and improved guidance in the area of independent games.
GameStop first entered the realm of publishing video games with Insomniac Games’ Song of the Deep. Along with indie developer Insomniac Games, GameStop has entered deals to collaborate with Tequila Works, FrozenByte and Ready at Dawn studios. As per Stanley, GameStop is presently in discussion with around 20 developers. However more deals have not been signed.
Stanley added that the company’s priority is console, PC and virtual reality. They are focusing on the type of games generally overlooked by most of the publishing industry- the $0 to $15 million budget games. These are termed ‘AAA’ indie games. They’re mainly dream projects that studios hadn’t the backing to develop as they are smaller games. GameStop is able to take larger risks via gameplay, art style or creative. The company is able to blend it with GameStop’s access as well as assets to obtain a larger audience either digital or physical.
GameStop’s fresh publishing efforts aren’t restricted to games. The company is planning to expand into full-fledged multimedia ventures. For instance a book inspired from Song of the Deep is being published in association with Barnes and Noble, while GameStop is also examining potential TV as well as movie deals.
GameStop will incorporate this endeavor into its brick and mortar establishments. The company will be marketing its offerings as triple-A with reservations as well as pre-order signage offered to its retail customers. Gamestop intends to leverage its PowerUp rewards program to advocate its own games. The company’s recent takeover of ThinkGeek was to get a channel to sell products.
GameStop has been able to address and retain a loyal player population in the past via its retail channels as well as publications such as Game Informer.
