Today we finally unveiled a project we had been working on for a couple of months: The App Treasures label.
Only indie games that we consider to be really fun, polished, and of high quality are part of the label. We hope that when players enjoy one of our games, they can turn to the other App Treasures games and find something they like.
With the App Store dominated more every day by big developers and publishers, this is a way for small indie developers to stand our ground. With App Treasures we establish a strong brand, share resources, and get more visibility in the App Store and in the eyes of the users. The same benefits we would get with a publisher, but without giving up our independence, creative freedom, or a percentage of the profits.
The current App Treasures members are:
- The Blimp Pilots (Koi Pond, Distant Shore)
- Imangi Studios (Imangi, Word Squares, Little Red Sled)
- Snappy Touch (Flower Garden)
- Streaming Colour Studios (Dapple)
- Veiled Games (Up There, Payday Roulette)
You can read more details in this interview I did for App Craver. Mobile Orchard also published a really good piece with some interesting views and conclusions on App Treasures.
Oh, and don’t forget to follow App Treasures on Twitter to keep up with the latest news.
Congratulations Noel, this is a really positive idea. It would be a shame to see Indies pushed out of the App Store, and it’s initiatives like this that might help us fight back. best of luck!
Congrats Noel! How is the group managing the publisher? Are you taking turns managing it, or are you hiring someone to help w/ PR/Marketing/etc?
It would be nice if you had a website set up with clear instructions on how one goes about submitting for application into this group (or if it is by invite only). I know that Noel mentioned he did not like big bureaucracy, but a set of guidelines would never hurt. Consistency amongst the various members would show a strong organizational aspect. What about the potential for other groups like these to form, and whenever we start to see a competition of sorts ensue?
Lots of questions, very interesting discussion. Hope to see more about this in the coming weeks.
“The same benefits we would get with a publisher”
Well, except for funding development by getting advances.
But otherwise, it’s a good idea, so best of luck.