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Sony Computer Entertainment America wants indie games on its new PS Vita handheld and hopes its pub-fund program can allure more developers.
The Pub Fund is a Sony initiative to match the development costs of a game project in return for exclusivity.
Games that have taken advantage of the scheme include Explodemon, Joe Danger and Burn Zombie Burn.
Ted Regulski, manager of SCEA Developer Relations, said the PlayStation exclusivity window was not permanent. Usually it means one year against Xbox, although Sony is willing to negotiate PC releases.
He said Sony was in particular looking for projects that highlight the unique features of the PS Vita, such as its dual touch-screens or gyrometer tech or its 3G capabilities.
But all ideas will be considered, he told an audience at GDC.
In a bullish start to his GDC talk, Regulski said Sony was “the only major console publisher to allow self-publishing”.
“There are others but they have publishing rules that aren’t much fun,” he said, “and there are no weird limits you have to hit in order for us to pay you”.
He also went on to claim that PSN offers a better royalty rate than what Nintendo and Microsoft offers, though didn’t reveal any numbers so the claim cannot be verified.
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