GameStop made a rather major announcement this past week. The company revealed GameTrust, a publishing arm that will help independent games get made. This news, of course, is far from surprising. Earlier this year, it made a deal with Insomniac Games to publish Song of the Deep , the developer’s underwater Metroidvania. In 2010, GameStop acquired Kongregate, a browser games website. This move was a long time coming.
Surprisingly, it may not be such a bad thing. GameStop forming GameTrust could offer quite a few benefits to those of us who love playing video games. It’ll mean another outlet for developers to turn to, a means of GameStop staying profitable in an increasingly digital age, and more games for us. There’s a lot of potential here.
Right now, we know of a handful of developers that have decided to work with GameStop’s GameTrust. In addition to Insomniac Games, Ready at Dawn, Frozenbyte, and Tequila Works have all signed on and agreed to get involved with the company as a publisher. That means the creator of Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, and Sunset Overdrive , the folks behind Daxter and some God of War games, people who made Trine and Shadowgrounds , and everyone who scared you with Deadlight believe in the company. Most of these studios have a history of making good decisions and great games. By working with GameTrust, we’re going to get more of them. That can’t possibly be bad.
It also means more funds for GameStop. With Amazon offering a 20% discount for Prime subscribers who purchase games new or within the first two weeks, rampant Steam sales, and an increasing focus on digital distribution, the retailer’s already had to get creative. When you walk in, you see tons of pop culture merchandise instead of just games. It’s working to arrange VR demos to get people in the store. By becoming a publisher, it’s finding a way to stay afloat. And, while GameStop hasn’t always offered the best offers on used games or discounts on pre-owned products, it’s always good to have variety.
It also all means more games for us. A diverse library is always a fantastic thing. And you never know, the games that Insomniac, Ready at Dawn, Frozenbyte, and Tequila Works are going to make and release through GameTrust might not have had a shot or existed without GameStop’s aid. These will hopefully be games that the developers always wanted to make, as Mark Stanley, GameStop’s Vice President of Internal Development & Diversification, told GameSpot , “We do not involve ourselves in the creative process because at the end of the day, that is what our developer partners are passionate about.” If all goes well, that means the developers will get to do what they want to with their games, which will hopefully make for richer experiences for us.
Of course, there is a conflict of interest to consider. While some publishers do directly sell their games to consumers, it isn’t on such a large scale. GameStop is a retailer first and foremost. While the company claims they’re going to take a hands-off approach to publishing, there’s no guarantee this could actually happen when money is on the line. Also, it could end up marketing its own games in dubious ways in-store, attempting to focus on the titles that benefit them.
But, we won’t know how any of this goes until, at the very least, July 12, 2016. That’s when Song of the Deep , the first game the company’s publishing, will appear digitally and physically in GameStop stores. The next few months will be critical as we see if GameStop’s GameTrust will come through and be trusted. Let’s be optimistic, because if this goes well, we could see some amazing games as a result.