After signing Insomniac Games in January to publish Song of the Deep, GameStop announced today that they’ve launched GameTrust, a new publishing label that’s already signed Ready at Dawn (The Order: 1886), Frozenbyte (Trine), and Tequila Works (Deadlight).
GameStop said:
GameTrust will revolutionize the game development and distribution process by offering a new way for independent developers to create and introduce their own IP to a broad gaming audience and for gamers to discover and enjoy exclusive new video game experiences.
They add that GameTrust won’t be a part of the creative process, and GameStop will instead invest in “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.”
In an interview with MCV, Mark Stanley, VP of Internal Development and Diversification, said GameTrust is in talks with 20 other developers, and the company plans to release five to ten games each year.
As for the deals they sign with developers, Stanley said, “We may partner in a full development funding mode, or we may have a development partner who has a game that is almost finished and are just looking for someone that can treat their IP in a great way and bring it to market.”
Every property GameTrust has signed so far is a smaller-scale game, with development budgets of up to $15 million. “Publishers today really focus on the larger franchises and triple-A, where budgets are $30m and above,” he added. “We are working in this sweet spot that is largely ignored, but we are treating these IPs as if they are triple-As.”
Expect more details on GameTrust’s deal with Ready at Dawn, Frozenbyte, and Tequila Works to be revealed soon.
