General News - GameStop Launches Publishing Division

mcvuk reports that GameStop has launched a publishing division called GameTrust aimed at serving the smaller developers. They have signed up independent developers Ready at Dawn, Insomniac, Frozenbyte and Tequila Works and are looking at 20 others.

US retail giant GameStop has launched a publishing division called GameTrust.

The firm has signed new games from well-known independent studios including Ready at Dawn (The Order: 1886), Tequila Works (Deadlite, Rime) and Frozenbyte (Trine). The company also announced in March it was working with Insomniac (Ratchet and Clank) on a new game called Song of the Deep, which is due in the summer, but at the time the firm said this was a one-off project.

GameStop has since changed its tune, with VP of Internal Development and Diversification Mark Stanley telling MCV the firm is in discussion with 20 other developers.

In total, the company intends to launch between five and ten games every year.

The new publishing division acts more like a games label (think Curve, Koch, 505 Games or Team17) as opposed to EA or Activision, with developers retaining full rights to their properties and GameStop having no involvement in the creative side of development.

"There is no cookie cutter offer," explains Stanley.