Amazon, the world's largest online retailer has opened a new storefront, and it's all about selling indie games for the PC and Mac audience. You probably haven't heard of it...
Actually, there's a bit more to it than just sales. The newly opened Amazon indie store functions more like a hub, where fans can chat with developers and get information about future games in a feature called "Indie Spotlight." And buy games too, that's important. Today, the store's first spotlight shines on Gaijin Games, best known for its Bit.Trip series.
In Amazon's PR speak, the store "helps independent game developers reach more customers, and helps customers learn about more creative games and the people and processes behind building those games."
To celebrate the opening of the store, Amazon is offering a weekend deal that goes from today to Monday, June 10. Buy one game, and they'll hand over Huntsman: The Orphanage, Dynasty of Dusk, and The Curse of Nordic Cove. The deal is extended to games that are being offered at heavy discounts, making the deals all the sweeter. You can snag most of the games on the catalog for under $20, and some are as low as $5.
New games like Deadlight and The Cave are there, as well as old faves like Psychonauts and the Oddworld series. Apart from the amount of games you can get on the cheap, what stands out about the service is that 100% of the proceeds of certain bundles go right back to the developers' pockets, encouraging them to make even more quality games.
It's early yet, so as of now, the indie store's only a feature of Amazon US. But if it's a hit, expect it to expand outward into other countries as well. Even if you're not a big computer gamer, swing by and check it out. Games at less than $10 are truly hard to find.