[UPDATE] 'Home of Indies' Aims to be a a One Stop Shop for Indie Devs
This platform, if successfully funded, will offer professional step-by-step guidance for indie devs who currently find themselves undersupported in the global video game business jungle. They want "to give [indie devs] a professional website, free hosting while providing access to loads of resources for you to market, update, and sell your game direct on your website".
And rather than competing with other hosting services, they " are creating something to bring professionalism and polish to the indie dev community while streamlining where you have to go for it. All resources and needs, all in one place, eliminating the need to code a website or pay others to make your project stand out."
Home of Indies plans to maintain complete transparency about its use of these funds, using a combination of weekly emails and updates from online sources.
Here's the full press release:
The online network and parent company Home of Nerds launched an IndieGoGo fundraising campaign today to create a free, comprehensive resource center for the world’s growing community of indie game developers. This central platform, Home of Indies, will offer step-by-step professional guidance for independent devs who currently find themselves undersupported in the surging global video game business. The creators of Home of Indies want to encourage emerging game developers to break into the industry, by lowering the bar to entry and supporting young developers in all aspects of their journeys.
This innovation arrives at a moment when the gaming business is witnessing explosive growth. According to VentureBeat, the U.S. market alone is on track to swell 3.6% between 2015 and 2020. To better serve independent developers struggling to find their footing within this movement, Home of Indies will offer expert support for every stage of the game development process. Users will be able to access easy-to-follow guides to every detail of indie development and marketing. And the all-in-one hub will allow developers to craft free, high-quality websites that make it easier to create, market, and distribute their games with our marketplace feature.
“Other indie marketplaces are making the entry for developers more challenging by increasing fees and competition for start-ups,” explains founder James Harris, “Indies, now more than ever, need options.”
This platform features a suite of powerful tools designed to make the development process a better experience for up-and-coming indie game developers. For instance, devs will be able to use the Home of Indies platform to launch “micro-funding” campaigns, to crowdsource development funds. This “Housekeeping” feature is a simple widget that creators can embed on their websites, to solicit donations from family, friends, and fans through all key stages of development instead of one lump, as on larger campaign crowdfunding platforms, where it’s often difficult for the smaller indies to gain traction.
Home of Indies will also host a job board so that users can advertise and apply for work on projects amongst themselves. And while they will still have complete freedom regarding where to sell their finished product, Home of Indies will offer game devs the new option of a front-end resource to attract potential customers themselves.
Home of Indies has already united a lively community of 1,600+ developers on its Discord server. There, indie devs from all over the world come together to talk shop, trade ideas or just chat. The friendly and inclusive community is growing at a rapid pace.
To transition to the next step and create this ultimate resource for developers, Home of Indies is planning to raise £15,000 in donations via IndieGoGo. Home of Indies plans to maintain complete transparency about its use of these funds, using a combination of weekly emails and updates from online sources. “The amazing indie developers out there deserve a supportive community,” says Harris. “Together, we can pull together to provide something all Indies desperately need: a home.”
Now I know that there are several developers among Tempers here itself and I've witnessed some pretty awesome indie projects myself (see my signature for the numerous projects featured in Temp'n). As such, upon getting wind of this news, I thought this campaign might interest you.
UPDATE:
The project's founder, James Harris, is on GBAtemp as user @James003999 and has already been clearing out your questions in the comments section! Feel free to contact him if you need more details about Home of Indies.
Indiegogo campaign
SOURCE: GBAtemp inbox