Game Jolt will now be a marketplace

Some of you may have already heard through the grapevine, but it’s time to put any doubts to rest once and for all; Game Jolt will soon allow you to sell your games via Game Jolt Marketplace, a new system that will be directly integrated into the site! This has been a highly requested feature from developers, and I'm really excited to finally make it a reality! 

While I’m sure this news has sparked many questions, please read to the end before commenting since some of those questions are sure to be addressed along the way.

The Purpose of Game Jolt

I built Game Jolt eight years ago because I wanted a different kind of "gaming" ecosystem. I wanted a place where any developer of any skill level could put up their creations and start working on gathering an audience: sharing new developments, interacting with their fanbase, bridging the gap between developers and gamers. Instead of gamers waiting to be told what they should like by companies with massive marketing budgets, I wanted to create something that’s more personal, more collaborative, more indie.

Overall, I think focusing on "community" has worked out well for Game Jolt; many have said they love the site for this aspect. However, it's still not fully what I set out to build. Game Jolt should help grow indie gaming, motivate more individuals to jump into the world of game dev, and get more gamers to play indie games. But it all falls short if developers can't support themselves doing the thing they love.

Enter Marketplace

Allowing commercial games is inclusive and absolutely vital for the growth of the indie community on Game Jolt. For example, many developers on the site who have moved on to commercial projects have been discouraged about migrating to other platforms to sell their games, abandoning the audiences they've built on Game Jolt.

Thankfully, that’s all in the past! I want to help give developers the opportunity to turn their game making passions into careers. To allow them to do what they love without having to "sell their souls" to publishers, or waste their time and emotions waiting on certain platforms to deem their hard work worthy of success. I want developers to have control over their own destiny.

So, you may be wondering when Marketplace is going to officially launch. Believe me when I say it's coming very soon! At first, I’ll make the system available to a first round of developers so that I can be sure everything’s as ironed out as possible; this will help ready Marketplace for its public release sooner rather than later.

Game Jolt has given countless opportunities to so many developers to be able to cultivate their ideas, and now all of us will be able to support the developers we love by paying *them* for their work. When it comes down to it, this is an industry we all help to create. If you're just starting out as a young developer, remember that by supporting other indies you also end up supporting the industry you're growing into.

Continued Support for Freeware

I want to make sure from the get-go that no one thinks of Marketplace as replacing freeware games with commercial games. It's an addition, not a replacement. Game Jolt will always be the place to find the best, the weirdest, and the most interesting free stuff. Now it'll also be the place to find the best, the weirdest, and the most interesting commercial stuff. This change will not affect usability either; I'll make sure that you can easily browse the site for both new and classic freeware gems! Each game will be clearly marked with its price, and you will be able to filter for various pricing options.

“Games made for the love of it” (as we sometimes like to call freeware games) are so important to us, we dedicated our GDC booths to the sole purpose of showcasing amazing freeware creations. Their tremendous role in the evolution of the indie community and gaming world in general is not to be taken lightly! We will continue to work on highlighting the types of games that so often get overlooked.

More Information Soon

Details on exactly how Marketplace works will be shared in an upcoming release, but you can also follow me on Twitter (@TheyTookCROS) to get little inside scoops and updates about Marketplace. I'm really excited about the possibilities this will bring!