GameStop is trying its hand at publishing, and Mark Stanley is the man behind it all. With sales declining and digital games slowly taking over, GameStop needed to make some moves. According to Stanley, this particular move was inspired by a need to “talk more directly to players.” It all began with a weird and wonderful partnership between GameStop and Insomniac Games (of Ratchet and Clank and Sunset Overdrive fame). Insomniac is developing an interesting new game called Song of the Deep that GameStop will be publishing through its new venture called GameTrust. This isn’t a traditional publishing deal, though, and Insomniac still has full creative control of its IP. The game will be distributed through major digital storefronts, and an exclusive physical edition will be available at some 6,200 GameStop stores across the US.
“This is the project we’re completely focused on right now,” Stanley affirms, “and it’s the first time we’ve done this. There are a lot of [things to learn] along the way and a lot more to be had. But based on this [game] we’ll obviously consider all options.” It would seem that many developers are also considering GameTrust as a viable publishing option, and Insomniac has been joined by the likes of Ready at Dawn Studios ( The Order: 1886 ), Frozenbyte ( Trine), and Tequila Works ( Deadlight, Rime ). We expect to see Song of the Deep this summer, so it will be fascinating to assess the impact GameTrust has and to see whether or not Insomniac sticks around for more. Could we be seeing the beginning of a new age wherein developers expect more favorable publishing partnerships?
Source: Polygon