Indie dev revolts against GameStop

Now that the digital gamestore Impulse has been taken over by the gigantic video game chain GameStop, indie dev Blind Mind Studios feels that it can no longer support the service by offering their products on it.

Their latest game, Star Ruler, was initially set to be digitally distributed by Impulse. But now that Gamestop is pulling its strings, Blind Mind Studios no longer feels comfortable with this idea. On their official site, Blind Mind mention four main reasons to drop support of Impulse:

"- GameStop's business practices stand opposed to our goals.
- We feel they would not respect our customers.
- GameStop consistently focuses only on large budget titles and safe bets, shying away from the independent market.
- We supported Brad Wardell's direction of Impulse, and his absence ruins our faith in the service's future."

 

Whether you call it an act of moral responsibility or a fiendishly wily marketing stunt, the decision of Blind Mind Studios to stop Star Ruler from being sold on Impulse is certainly a smart move, as attention for this game will undoubtedly multiply itself several times as a result of this announcement.

Jesse Dolman, NoobFeed.

 

Sources:

Blind Mind Studios

Kotaku