Publishing | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Wed, 03 Jun 2020 11:18:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Publishing | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Double Fine is ‘winding down’ its publishing business https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/double-fine-is-winding-down-its-publishing-business/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/double-fine-is-winding-down-its-publishing-business/#respond Wed, 03 Jun 2020 11:18:16 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=470402 Double Fine entered the publishing business back in 2014 with the ‘Double Fine Presents' label, aiming to help other independent publishers release and distribute their games. Of course, Double Fine is now part of Xbox Game Studios, leaving little room for a subsidiary publishing arm. The Double Fine acquisition was announced during Microsoft's E3 conference …

The post Double Fine is ‘winding down’ its publishing business first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Double Fine entered the publishing business back in 2014 with the ‘Double Fine Presents' label, aiming to help other independent publishers release and distribute their games. Of course, Double Fine is now part of Xbox Game Studios, leaving little room for a subsidiary publishing arm.

The Double Fine acquisition was announced during Microsoft's E3 conference last year and by November 2019, the head of Double Fine Presents had left the company. That was clearly a sign of things to come, as indie studios that previously released under Double Fine's publishing arm are now taking over publishing duties themselves.

This was revealed by Studio Boneloaf, which released Gang Beasts under Double Fine Presents back in 2017. According to the studio, Double Fine Presents is ‘winding down': “”As some of you know, Boneloaf has been working with Double Fine Presents for some time. They’ve given us advice, they’ve given us splendiferous support, and most importantly, they’ve become friends and mentors to us”.

The post goes on to say: “We love Double Fine and they have been really fantastic to us. What Tim and his company built is pretty wonderful, but with Double Fine Presents winding down due to Double Fine's acquisition by Xbox Game Studios last year, we think it is a good time for Boneloaf to stand on its own… legs and publish Gang Beasts ourselves.”

Studio Boneloaf is already working on the next update for Gang Beasts, which includes a series of optimisations and fixes for various parts of the game.

KitGuru Says: While it is a shame to see Double Fine moving away from publishing and helping out other indie studios, it does make sense at this point. Microsoft already has programs in place for indie dev funding and support, such as ID@XBOX, leaving little need for a first-party studio to have its own publishing branch.

The post Double Fine is ‘winding down’ its publishing business first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/double-fine-is-winding-down-its-publishing-business/feed/ 0
Epic Games announces publishing deals with Remedy, Playdead and gen DESIGN https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/epic-games-announces-publishing-deals-with-remedy-playdead-and-gen-design/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/epic-games-announces-publishing-deals-with-remedy-playdead-and-gen-design/#respond Thu, 26 Mar 2020 15:32:29 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=458777 Following on from the announcement of several new Epic Games Store exclusives and some Remedy Entertainment news earlier this morning, it has been announced that Epic Games has forged publishing deals with three studios. The next two games from Remedy Entertainment will be published by Epic, as will upcoming titles from gen DESIGN (The Last …

The post Epic Games announces publishing deals with Remedy, Playdead and gen DESIGN first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Following on from the announcement of several new Epic Games Store exclusives and some Remedy Entertainment news earlier this morning, it has been announced that Epic Games has forged publishing deals with three studios. The next two games from Remedy Entertainment will be published by Epic, as will upcoming titles from gen DESIGN (The Last Guardian) and Playdead (Inside, Limbo).

Similarly to how Epic wanted to give developers a bigger cut of digital store revenue, the Epic Games Publishing model ensures that developers retain the rights to their IP and full creative control over their games. In the meantime, profits for these games will be split 50/50 between Epic and the developers.

Epic Games Publishing intends to cover 100% of development costs, a deal that includes salaries, QA, localisation costs, marketing and distribution.

The exact games that will be coming from each of these studios have yet to be announced but additional information is supposed to arrive next month.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This sounds like the exact sort of deal that many independent studios have wished for over the years. Lots of IP are out of the hands of their original creators and are instead owned by publishers. With that in mind, we should probably expect more publishing deals like this to go down in the future too.

The post Epic Games announces publishing deals with Remedy, Playdead and gen DESIGN first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/epic-games-announces-publishing-deals-with-remedy-playdead-and-gen-design/feed/ 0
Positech’s Cliffski on how to pitch an indie game https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/positechs-cliffski-on-how-to-pitch-an-indie-game/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/positechs-cliffski-on-how-to-pitch-an-indie-game/#respond Thu, 08 Jan 2015 10:50:24 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=229565 The gaming industry often gets attacked for any number of screw ups, problems or fallacies but one of its better aspects is the ability for individual developers, indies, to thrive. While you could argue that the landscape is a little saturated right now, thanks to the many potential outlets for promoting and selling a great …

The post Positech’s Cliffski on how to pitch an indie game first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The gaming industry often gets attacked for any number of screw ups, problems or fallacies but one of its better aspects is the ability for individual developers, indies, to thrive. While you could argue that the landscape is a little saturated right now, thanks to the many potential outlets for promoting and selling a great game, first time developers can make a real go of it by themselves. Of course, getting a publisher on side can help a lot too, but how do you go about that? Positech's Cliff”Cliffski” Harris recently wrote up an interesting guide on just that.

positech
Positech's next published third-party game is Big Pharma, a Theme Hospital inspired medicine manufacturing title

While hardly a big publisher in his own right, Mr Harris has published Redshirt and is the in the process of aiding Big Pharma (which we checked out at EGX 2014) and Duskers, so he's hardly new at being pitched to. With that in mind, here's some dos and don'ts from the man:

  • Include a bio, even if you haven't done anything game related before.
  • Be concise with the introduction: make sure they know what your game is all about in short order.
  • Explain why you need the money, or the time, or connections. It lets the publisher know whether you've thought about your other options before hand.
  • Concept art, flavour text are very important. It shows the game has “soul.”
  • Can you actually make the game? If not, what do you need?
  • Don't try to come across worldy wise about the industry. You're the one pitching.
  • Don't screw up the numbers. It looks amateurish.
  • You won't be as successful as Minecraft.
  • Don't expect to earn a lot during production. You'll get the big payout, if any, when the game is successful.
  • Flesh it out. If someone is going to invest a lot of money in your idea, it needs to be well thought out.

All in all though, Cliffski says that your best bet is to be prepared, be willing to be flexible and pitch yourself as much as the game. You're the developer and you need to be able to make whatever it is you're pitching. If you can do that and the idea is solid, you're in with a good chance.

The above is just a sprinkling of the advice he gives however, so for the full rundown in the man's own words, check out the Cliffski blog, here.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do we have any indie developers among the KG reader base? We won't be publishing anything any time soon, but we're always interested in covering exciting new projects. Feel free to get in touch. 

The post Positech’s Cliffski on how to pitch an indie game first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/positechs-cliffski-on-how-to-pitch-an-indie-game/feed/ 0
Apple Ebook antitrust suit ends in settlement https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/apple-ebook-antitrust-suit-ends-in-settlement/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/apple-ebook-antitrust-suit-ends-in-settlement/#comments Thu, 13 Dec 2012 19:00:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=118897 Along with four other publishing giants, Apple has agreed to settle an antitrust case with EU regulators over Ebook price fixings. This should lead to a reduction in price restrictions on Ebook sales sites like Amazon. The big five involved were Apple, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Livre, Macmillan and Harper and Collins and they all …

The post Apple Ebook antitrust suit ends in settlement first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Along with four other publishing giants, Apple has agreed to settle an antitrust case with EU regulators over Ebook price fixings. This should lead to a reduction in price restrictions on Ebook sales sites like Amazon.

The big five involved were Apple, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Livre, Macmillan and Harper and Collins and they all covertly, “contrived to limit retail price competition for e-books in the European Economic Area, [which is] in breach of EU antitrust rules,” according to the European Commission. As part of the settlement, each of the publishers has agreed to terminate any on-going agreements between themselves and to exclude themselves from making certain clauses in future ones.

EU antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia said: “While each separate publisher and each retailer of e-books are free to choose the type of business relationship they prefer, any form of collusion to restrict or eliminate competition is simply unacceptable.”

Antitrust
This is almost as bad as "Antitrust" the movie. An oft falsely considered sequel to Hackers.

It was believed that through collusion, the publishing giants were managing to maintain a higher retail price for Ebooks, while making it harder for other publishers to introduce a lower retail price, thereby hindering competition.

However, Almunia now believes all is well: “The commitments proposed by Apple and the four publishers will restore normal competitive conditions in this new and fast-moving market, to the benefit of the buyers and readers of e-books.”

Zdnet explained in its rundown that while all five have agreed to these changes, Penguin Publishing is still under investigation for not making similar commitments.

KitGuru Says: Ebook pricing is important to get right, now. It's the bow wave of the future of books and if the perceived value of an Ebook is tarnished now, it'll be difficult to rectify in the future.

The post Apple Ebook antitrust suit ends in settlement first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/apple-ebook-antitrust-suit-ends-in-settlement/feed/ 1
Amazon to launch EU publishing arm https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/amazon-to-launch-eu-publishing-arm/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/amazon-to-launch-eu-publishing-arm/#respond Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:36:38 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=117319 Already dominating book sales around the world and even more so in the Ebook industry, Amazon is set to expand its own publishing business into Europe as early as next year. Based out of its Luxembourg, EU HQ, Amazon will be initially looking for English language authors. While it seems likely that it would expand …

The post Amazon to launch EU publishing arm first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Already dominating book sales around the world and even more so in the Ebook industry, Amazon is set to expand its own publishing business into Europe as early as next year.

Based out of its Luxembourg, EU HQ, Amazon will be initially looking for English language authors. While it seems likely that it would expand into others further down the road, Amazon is at the moment being coy about long term aims. “As our CEO likes to say, ‘It’s still day one’. That is especially true of Amazon Publishing,” said Jeff Belle, vice president for the division. “We have much work to do, and many challenges ahead of us.”

Amazon Publishing
Once just a retailer, Amazon has expanded into all sorts of industries

He also highlighted recent publishing efforts by the company, like the 4-Hour Chef from Tim Ferriss. This made waves because many book stores refused to stock it since it was published by Amazon, ultimately leading to him promoting it conjunction with BitTorrent Inc. It hasn't sold as well as previous 4-hour books by the same author, but it did manage to push several tens of thousands of copies.

Considering it didn't have the support of brick and mortar stores, Amazon is claiming it as a success.

KitGuru Says: What do you guys think of Amazon taking over the book world? Is it a good thing since it's modernising as it goes, or will it result in a monopoly?

The post Amazon to launch EU publishing arm first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/amazon-to-launch-eu-publishing-arm/feed/ 0
BitTorrent teams up with author for promotion https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/bittorrent-teams-up-with-author-for-promotion/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/bittorrent-teams-up-with-author-for-promotion/#respond Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:00:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=115715 BitTorrent Inc has announced that it is joining forces with author Tim Ferriss in order to promote his new book, off the back of US book retailers stating that they wouldn't sell anything that was published through Amazon. Unfortunately for Mr Ferris, that's where his latest book, “The 4-Hour Chef,” was published, meaning his real …

The post BitTorrent teams up with author for promotion first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
BitTorrent Inc has announced that it is joining forces with author Tim Ferriss in order to promote his new book, off the back of US book retailers stating that they wouldn't sell anything that was published through Amazon.

Unfortunately for Mr Ferris, that's where his latest book, “The 4-Hour Chef,” was published, meaning his real world sales could suffer. However, BitTorrent Inc. is hoping to help combat that with promotion through the torrent platform. The specifics of how it will work have yet to be officially announced, but it's been suggested that torrent users will have access to some sort of unique content that won't be available elsewhere.

Tim Ferriss
Ferriss is a New York Times best seller and author of several other 4 hour program books

“The nature of publishing has fundamentally changed,” offered Tim Ferriss in discussion of the partnership. “The business models and marketing must change to reflect what consumers want, and these wants can be harnessed to hugely benefit the content producer: the writer, the musician, etc. BitTorrent is a technology and ecosystem that is part of this sustainable future for content. There's no turning back, and I want to embrace the change-makers.”

“Tim has been disruptive and inspirational,” stated Eric Klinker, CEO of BitTorrent, Inc. “He is also a visionary who understands that solving the problems in the content businesses means embracing digital technologies like BitTorrent as we strive to make digital media more viable for artists and fans.”

The release also detailed how BitTorrent Inc. felt that it had helped other artists, mostly musicians, through cooperation between them and the company. They include: Counting Crows, Pretty Lights and Death Grips.

KitGuru Says: This seems like a good way to leverage contemporary technology to promote a publication, while simultaneously giving the middle finger to US retailers that aren't embracing the future. What do you guys think?

The post BitTorrent teams up with author for promotion first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/bittorrent-teams-up-with-author-for-promotion/feed/ 0