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Sounds like the Wild West of indie games is about to get a self-appointed Sheriff.
Blitz Games Studios has today unveiled plans to launch a new store and community for the underground indie games community.
IndieCity.com is described by the studio’s project leader Chris Swan as "a new portal we’re building, aiming to be the #1 place for all things indie games".
A detailed blog on the otherwise tightly-organised holding page describes IndieCity’s aim:
"We’re aiming to build the online destination for everything to do with indie games. We want to bring together developers, gamers and press to make IndieCity the one stop shop to find, download, talk about and buy these games that are being made by so many talented people.
"We firmly believe that the indie gaming world could be far better served, as opposed to being generally hidden behind AAA attention-grabbing banners on the majority of the gaming platforms out there."
Blitz reckons the indie games portal will help draw focus to the experimental, arty and alliterative experiences found in indie games – and that Indie City will be ‘large-scale’ enough to highlight the best and most intriguing games.
The blog says: "We don’t feel that there are any other large-scale sites out there that are truly bringing together all things indie gaming. “What do you mean by ‘indie’” I hear you ask? We’ll save the lengthy debate that the topic brings for a later date, but to us the essence of indie gaming is any game that couldn’t be classified as “manufactured” or “mainstream AAA”. We want a site that explores the diverse world of indie development and shows the incredibly innovative, creative content in a way that makes them a breeze to find."
Blitz is under no misassumptions that it can wade into this community without support, however, and the holding page is already inviting lots of feedback from the indie community to help shape the site and the services it offers.
A handful of staff have been assigned to starting the project – project leader Swan, programmer David Woo and the studio’s Thomas Digby (no role given).
Blitz has also made two hired to move IndieCity forward. Namely, former Eurogamer community manager Scott macKintosh, and a start from the Xbox Live Indie Games community – BinaryTweed’s Daniel ‘Deejay’ Jones.
“We’re all about being a destination for those that want something different from/for their gaming," says a quote from Swan on the site.
"Something off the beaten track, counter culture and anti mainstream. The opposite of manufactured ‘pop’ games, this is about self expression and individualism. It’s about people power and giving the smaller guys a bigger voice and improving ways of tapping into their fans. It’s both customisable and personal.”
