StarDock As A Distributor

[Sybixsus]

I've searched and not really come up with much specific information. I'm interested in what working with StarDock entails and what they can do for you. They have their own distribution network, TotalGaming, but at the same time, they seem to act as a true publisher for some games. I've seen retail games, so I'm guessing they might well be getting games they publish on Steam as well. I'm just wondering what they can do in each instance, and whether either or both is exclusive, or non-exclusive.

[Yarlen]

Greetings,

Our distribution deals are non-exclusive, but we're selective of the titles we accept for our Store (they need to meet a minimum quality level and be able to sell-through to our customer base).

In terms of retail publishing, we only pick up one 3rd party project a year and are focused on $39.95 and up games. Our publishing contracts are exclusive; none of our games are digitally distributed to competitors' networks.

Hope this helps. :)

[Sybixsus]

Thanks for the information, Brian. I was hoping to hear from some developers as well, but if you only publish one title per year, that would explain there not being very many of those.

And don't worry, it's not any of the games on my site which led to this inquiry. It was a question from a friend who's using a game engine I'm developing to develop his first game. It could well be a good fit for Stardock, but that's presupposing I can complete the game engine to a satisfactory standard. I'll pass the information on to him anyway.

[Sahmon]

I think your customer base more hardcore than casual.

[Reactor]

We distributed through Stardock under the non-exclusive system and the guys were (and have been) great to work with. Aside from the options Stardock make available, I found that dealing with good people like Brian has been one of the best things on offer, as well as providing a solid contract, which many other groups simply couldn't get right. I think the sales model also worked well for us- people seemed to enjoy picking up our game with other games.

I'm not sure if that's the kind of info you're after Sybixsus, but... there you go ;)

[Popcorn Boy]

We've been very happy with our games on TotalGaming.net. Good people. :)

[Sybixsus]

Thanks guys, I've passed on your positive comments.