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Penny Arcade launches Greenhouse

Published on 3rd April 2008 by Joe Martin

Penny Arcade has just launched Greenhouse, an online platform for indie games.

Gabe and Tycho of popular web-comic Penny Arcade have just announced that they have teamed up with Hothead Studios, developer of the upcoming Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, to launch Greenhouse.

And what is Greenhouse exactly? It's an online distribution platform targeted specifically at catering for indie games - think Steam for the little guy.

Greenhouse was officially launched today, but so far there aren't any games listed at the official site except for the upcoming Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - the title of which may have been a joke against game journalists who have to keep typing it all out for news stories.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness will be made available for PC, Mac OS and Linux over the Greenhouse service.

In an interview with Wired, Tycho and Gabe talked about how Greenhouse was originally supposed to showcase only their own content, but has since grown to something more open. They also reaffirm that ~~Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness~~ The Game will not have a commercial release in shops, which they see as little more than a dead duck.

So, does the gaming community need another indie-centric version of Steam? Are Tycho and Gabe the ones to run it? Let us know what you think in the forums.

9 Comments

Discuss in the forums Reply

Fod 3rd April 2008, 08:56

didn't steam start as a distribution platform for indie games?
which leads to my second question: why not just use steam?

UncertainGod 3rd April 2008, 09:44

I don't see the need for a steam competitor for small indie games when Steam has been making itself far more available to the little guy of late.

Rexxie 3rd April 2008, 09:49

I think another platform is sort of a waste. I do appreciate the efforts to make indie games available, but I feel Steam has already covered this to a certain extent. I'm sure they are working on improving Steam to make it even more open.

iwog 3rd April 2008, 11:09

*puts economist hat on*
But increased competition will lead to reduced prices and seeing as it will be the indie developer with the market power not the customer or distribution system it will result in a reduced rate of commission charged if (and its a big if) both distribution systems are of an equal size. There is also further economic modeling to suggest that increased competition increases the size of the market and therefore there will be more consumers and more developers.
*takes hat off*

badders 3rd April 2008, 11:28

True, but if both offered similar commission deals right now, wouldn't you go with steam? It's a much larger established userbase, and good indie games can be really well represented and end up successful. Take Audiosurf for example. It had rave reviews, sure, but would it have had as many if it wasn't on a distribution system that was already installed on a large userbase?

Jordan Wise 3rd April 2008, 19:52

waste of time, steam is more than good enough at everything and is good to indie games already

Cthippo 3rd April 2008, 20:55

Competition is good, and I think the Penny Arcade guys are in a great position to push for a better marketplace. If they can encourage developers to be more multi-platform (IE linux and mac compatible) then this is a good thing.

DXR_13KE 3rd April 2008, 23:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cthippo
Competition is good, and I think the Penny Arcade guys are in a great position to push for a better marketplace. If they can encourage developers to be more multi-platform (IE linux and mac compatible) then this is a good thing.

i agree.

completemadness 5th April 2008, 23:51

Its getting a bit annoying having to run all these digital distribution programs, Doesn't Supreme commander come with one? and i believe there are a few others

I sort of wish people would all just use steam so we only have to deal with one resource hog, but on the other hand, steam is hardly amazing (overpriced games, buggy, slow, windows only, only supports IE)