Game bundles - the indie way

We're not sure if it's a paradox, but despite the growing adoption of the consumerism mantra, there are still decent, good or even great products that have a hard time capturing the attention of potential buyers.

Every year publishers big and small invest obscene amounts of money into marketing to make their games known. Unfortunately indie developers can’t afford ads on sites, they can’t rent a billboard in New York, and they certainly don’t have the money for a SuperBowl commercial. These are hurdles that cannot be overcome so indie devs, with the help of various supporters, had to find another way of getting the public’s attention, with game bundles.

Game bundles are not a new concept but the way the indie community adopted and modified them has managed to transform them into a novelty, one that can be beneficial to developers, players, and non-profit organizations. This may sound surreal but it’s actually quite possible, just bear with us.

In the not so distant past, game bundles were a pretty straightforward way of getting some extra cash from aged titles - just round up a few oldies, put a lower price tag on the package and watch it sell in stores or online. The indie ‘movement’ tweaked this solution and made it possible for people to choose how much they pay for a bundle. Basically you could shell out $2 while another person would pay $200, for the same thing. You may say that’s ludicrous but the fact of the matter is that some people have no problem playing more if they know the money goes towards a cause they are supporting.

The ‘pay what you want’ model enables people to offer developers an incentive that could keep them making new, hopefully better titles. That’s a win-win for both parties involved. But the ‘winning’ doesn’t stop here since bundles are also a great way of promoting indie games. The lower cost of a bundle opens the games to a wider audience, one that may not have the money for a AAA title or doesn’t want to invest much into a pastime like playing on the computer. If Farmville has taught the world something is that there’s a lot of money to be made from casual gamers.