It’s a bold statement for sure, but if anyone can make a cool game the likes of GTA 5, it’s GameStop. You probably thought that they were just a video game retailer right? Well, that’s correct. Until now. The company is launching an independent publishing label that will fund and publish five to ten indie games over the next year.
WILL GAMESTOP MAKE THE NEXT GTA 5?
It’s hard to say if any of these five to ten games will be as good as GTA 5, but it’s safe to assume that GameStop surely knows video games. They know what sells since they are the ones doing the selling. Their first step into this side of things came by way of Insomniac Games’ Song of the Deep. Since then, GamesTop has gone on to speak to over 20 developers in regards to retaining their intellectual properties. They say their focus will not be on the mainstream but instead, on smaller games that are usually ignored by the publishing world.
GTA 5 HAD TO START SOMEWHERE
GTA 5 and Rockstar are now some of the biggest names in games, but they too had to start somewhere. It is the little man that GameStop wants to look out for in their latest venture. They are going after what they call ‘AAA’ indie games. Basically, these are small dream projects that studios could never support due to their tiny size. With some help, these dream projects can come to life and find a bigger audience.
PUBLISHING JUST THE BEGINNING
Publishing is just the begging for the video game retailer. CEO Paul Raines says this is all part of the company’s transformation. From retail to digital and the upcoming physical game realm, GameStop looks to have their fingers in all aspects of the industry. The buzz surrounding VR is no coincidence. Physical gaming is about to blow up and Paul Raines has realized that. By getting started with small, indie developers, they can set themselves up properly for the new frontier of video games. Perhaps making something as big as GTA 5 isn’t so far fetched after all.
