As PlayJam's Android-based GameStick device looks to distinguish itself from the competition, the team behind it came up with an interesting idea that could attract more developers in its first few months.
The new "Indie Love" Kickstarter tier, introduced by PlayJam as the campaign hits half a million dollars -- 500 percent of its original funding target -- offers 250 developers each the chance to receive a 100 percent revenue share on a single game released for the device.
The catch is that your game must be released before the end of July 2013, three months after the device's scheduled April release date, while the 100 revenue share is only valid for the first six months of the game's life.
The GameStick, due for commercial release in April this year, slots directly into your TV's HDMI slot, and is controlled via a supplied Bluetooth controller. It contains 1GB of DDR3 memory and 8GB of Flash memory, with WiFi capabilities built in, and the latest build of Android, Jelly Bean.
The new tier is to try to ensure that there is not a lull in dedicated releases for the GameStick after its initial launch, as these 250 developers look to maximize their use of the revenue share while the offer is still on the table.
Given that you have to reach critical mass of games for any new controller to even stand a chance, I bet they'll gain a whooooole lot more than they'll loose. Really... it might be their only chance of ensuring that they'll be profitable.
I think we'll probably be looking into porting one of our upcoming games to the GameStick and giving it a try.
I think we'll probably be looking into porting one of our upcoming games to the GameStick and giving it a try.