Sony adds Indie Games to PlayStation Store; waives PS Mobile developer charges
Sony to do away with game publishing charges for PlayStation Mobile in an attempt to thwart smartphone games with free PS Vita developer tools.
Sony has been working hard to get more indie developers for its platforms. In an attempt to propel the development for the PS Vita and PlayStation Mobile compatible devices, Sony is going to eliminate cost of publishing on the platforms. This eventually would attract more developers to the systems as earlier developers were supposed to pay a fee of $99 (approximately Rs. 5,349) on an yearly basis.
This is a strategic move, considering the fact that the PS Vita doesn’t offer a lot game titles.”We are looking forward to seeing your exciting ideas become reality and having fun developing together,” says the PlayStation Mobile developer portal. “To help out all the talent out there we thought it would be better to waive the publisher license fee. So we did.”
However, the free publishing on PS Mobile is a limited period offer as it will be ending by September 2 this year, which is likely to change, depending on the popularity of the platform in the coming months.
Sony has also launched a new indie games category on the PlayStation Store, which will giving devs a major platform for their titles. SCEE director of publisher and developer relations, Andrew Parsons said on the PS Europe Blog, “This is an exciting space where indie content can receive additional exposure. It’s an opportunity to showcase the best of these great games for PS3 and PS Vita – and for this to be constantly refreshed with the latest releases and promotions. It’s the first and best place to go for indie content (though of course content can still be found through the normal channels too).”
Sony’s contender Nintendo is also adopting the same strategy. The gaming giant intends to port smartphones games to the Wii U in lieu of console’s low preliminary sales.
Earlier, Sony slashed the price of PS Vita in Japan. The portable device has not been a success as devices like the iPhone have been more captivating for consumers.
Source: PS Europe Blog; PS US Blog