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Launch HN: Dropleaf (YC S17) – subscription service for indie PC games

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Re: Launch HN: Dropleaf (YC S17) – subscription service for indie PC games

#31

Post by VikramR »

chaostheory wrote: post #24

humble bundle ( http://humblebundle.com ) has a game subscription plan as well. While they hook you in with AAA games, most of their bundle is indie. I feel most people subscribe because of the price, but I wonder how many people actually play their games in the age of Steam?

I know what you mean, I have north of 200 games in my steam library. Finding games that seem interesting enough to buy isn't a problem, but finding the games which are going to most deeply resonate with me is almost impossible. It's like opening the fridge, seeing all the stuff you have and then closing it again because you have no idea what you want to make for dinner.

We're hoping our discovery system will fix a lot of this. Instead of wall o' games, we want to show you games that are specifically on the list of things you're going to love!

Re: Launch HN: Dropleaf (YC S17) – subscription service for indie PC games

#32

Post by VikramR »

b_ttercup wrote: post #27

What's the process like to get a game on the platform? Are there any requirements for exclusivity? Any expected monthly revenues for a reasonably popular game? This sounds like a good idea and I'm looking to publish a title at some point within a year.

Hey! Shoot me an email at distribution@rootsoft.com

Our process isn't super formalized yet, but we think we make it pretty easy for devs. We don't really have expected revenue numbers, since we just launched!

Re: Launch HN: Dropleaf (YC S17) – subscription service for indie PC games

#34

Post by wybiral »

quadcore wrote: post #23

One of the most common mistakes in the industry is to think that games are different than other types of software. That people "consume" them and move on to the next game. That's wrong. Only a very few games get all the play-hours. Most people ever really play one game. The "game of their life". For some it's starcraft, for others it's minecraft. Games are software, the same rules kind of apply: there are only 15 (sa…

Totally anecdotal, but... I'll rarely try new mobile apps, especially the ones that cost. I will pay for new games here and there though.

If I factor in Steam and Humble Bundle it's safe to say that I don't consume games the same way that I would "consume" a web browser or text editor.

That being said I'm also not in the high spending "hardcore gamer" segment and smaller indie games are more my flavor.

Re: Launch HN: Dropleaf (YC S17) – subscription service for indie PC games

#35

Post by sboselli »

How does the split with the Indie devs work?

If I pay a 5 USD subscription and just play 2 games, one for an hour and the other for 10 hours; who will get what and when?

Also, being a subscription model, does this imply now all of these games are online-only? If I'm offline, a game does not know if my subscription is valid/active. How is that handled?

What happens later, when I cancel my subscription? I don't see an easy way for you to protect the games once a user has downloaded all of them and cancelled your service.

Re: Launch HN: Dropleaf (YC S17) – subscription service for indie PC games

#36

Post by VikramR »

sboselli wrote: post #35

How does the split with the Indie devs work? If I pay a 5 USD subscription and just play 2 games, one for an hour and the other for 10 hours; who will get what and when? Also, being a subscription model, does this imply now all of these games are online-only? If I'm offline, a game does not know if my subscription is valid/active. How is that handled? What happens later, when I cancel my subscription? I don't see an…

We're not going to post our revenue split numbers exactly, but what I will say is that we distribute revenue based on played time on a per-user basis, each calendar month. We share revenue with our devs, with the supermajority of it going to them. In other words the developer portion of revenue will be split 10:1 in your example.

You do need an internet connection to launch games, you're right about that!

We use both an API and some encryption to make sure that a game which is saved to your computer is only launchable through the client. If you cancel your subscription, you're going to have a bunch of files you can't use.

However, we don't ever want you to lose the characters you've fallen in love with, even if you leave us, so your save files are yours to keep, and should be compatible with any other windows or steam build of the game!

Re: Launch HN: Dropleaf (YC S17) – subscription service for indie PC games

#37

Post by VikramR »

wybiral wrote: post #34
quadcore wrote: post #23

One of the most common mistakes in the industry is to think that games are different than other types of software. That people "consume" them and move on to the next game. That's wrong. Only a very few games get all the play-hours. Most people ever really play one game. The "game of their life". For some it's starcraft, for others it's minecraft. Games are software, the same rules kind of apply: there are only 15 (sa…

Totally anecdotal, but... I'll rarely try new mobile apps, especially the ones that cost. I will pay for new games here and there though. If I factor in Steam and Humble Bundle it's safe to say that I don't consume games the same way that I would "consume" a web browser or text editor. That being said I'm also not in the high spending "hardcore gamer" segment and smaller indie games are more my flavor.

Hopefully you'll give us a try! I strongly recommend checking out Cluster Truck or following Warcube through it's development. This thing is going to be the next indie breakout megahit, and you can get the hipster cred :D

https://dropleaf.io/Catalog/Game/?Id=57&GameTitle=Warcube

Re: Launch HN: Dropleaf (YC S17) – subscription service for indie PC games

#38

Post by [deleted] »

VikramR wrote: post #29
quadcore wrote: post #23

One of the most common mistakes in the industry is to think that games are different than other types of software. That people "consume" them and move on to the next game. That's wrong. Only a very few games get all the play-hours. Most people ever really play one game. The "game of their life". For some it's starcraft, for others it's minecraft. Games are software, the same rules kind of apply: there are only 15 (sa…

That's definitely an interesting perspective, but I think steam stats say something a little different, there are hundreds, if not thousands of games that move 100K+ units (and see significant played time from their users) each year. That's a whole bunch of games that a significant number of people fall in love with. But beyond that, I think you just made the case for those games to sign up for a subscription model!…

[deleted]

Re: Launch HN: Dropleaf (YC S17) – subscription service for indie PC games

#39

Post by kin »

dylz wrote: post #3

I hope you will be picky curators - I hate how so much of steam EA/ex-GL/etc is literal trash when it comes to indie games. Not talking about one person pixel art games, but talking about what's effectively cruft autogenerated rubbish to try and profit for $0.99 a copy. I would love to subscribe if so.

In your opinion do you think those games should be omitted entirely from Steam? Or, do you think platforms like Steam need to organize their storefronts better from their front pages?

Re: Launch HN: Dropleaf (YC S17) – subscription service for indie PC games

#40

Post by mysterydip »

As a hobbyist indie dev, I think it's a great idea. My main concern for the platform is the same as indies in general: discoverability. How do you plan to grow the platform and make people aware of it? People won't subscribe without games, and devs won't spend time modifying for a platform with no audience. Seems like a chicken and egg problem. What's your goal in subscribers for one, two, five years?
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