GameStop, Gas Powered, More Join PC Gaming Alliance

Non-profit PC gaming supporter PC Gaming Alliance said Wednesday that it added eight companies to the consortium, including major games retailer GameStop and Supreme Commander dev Gas Powered Games. The newly-added lineup is a mix of retailers, digital distribution companies, PC hardware makers, and social game developers. The other new members include GameTap, BFG Technologies, Bigfoot Networks, Flextronics, Howie's Game Shack, and InstantAction. Gas Powered Games, which has strong roots in PC gaming, is just now joining the consortium, over a year after its formation. Gas Powered CEO and creative director Chris Taylor said in a statement, "I've spent most of my career fully immersed in the world of PC gaming. It's where many of the world's biggest gaming franchises were born and where much of the industry's innovation continues to this day." He added, "By joining the PCGA, Gas Powered Games hopes to make contributions that keep PC gaming at the forefront of the industry, help it to overcome its challenges, and continue to fulfill its amazing potential." The PCGA formed in February 2008, and is led by president Randy Stude, who is also director of chipmaker Intel's Gaming Program Office. Other PCGA member companies include Epic Games, Microsoft, Capcom, Dell, AMD, and Nvidia, among others. The purpose of the PCGA is to put together the resources of PC gaming's biggest proponents, and find new ways to make the platform more viable and user-friendly, particularly in the face of an expanding console gaming market.