Opening a RPG Maker/Eclipse/GM Sale Website

[Kyrie]

I am soon opening a website that'll allow anyone to sell their games. I plan on making this a full-on company that should hopefully be sucessful.

In your opinion, as sellers, what kind of features would you look for?

 

[Keniisu]

Well I plan on having a similar styled website so I might have some competition. 

Anyways on to the point. I would like things like Account, Sumbission Features, Contest and Occasional Sales. Just a few ideas. 

EDIT: Maybe some additional things too like giveaways as well.

 

[Kyrie]

Well I plan on having a similar styled website so I might have some competition. 

Anyways on to the point. I would like things like Account, Sumbission Features, Contest and Occasional Sales. Just a few ideas. 

EDIT: Maybe some additional things too like giveaways as well.

Thanks for the reply,

I do not mean features on the website, but the features for sellers. Analytical Reporting,  Cut of Sales, etc.

 

[Kyrie]

Well I plan on having a similar styled website so I might have some competition. 

Anyways on to the point. I would like things like Account, Sumbission Features, Contest and Occasional Sales. Just a few ideas. 

EDIT: Maybe some additional things too like giveaways as well.

Also, maybe we could discuss possible partnership on this project? PM away

 

[Shaz]

Kyrie, please avoid double posting, as it is against the forum rules. You can review our forum rules here. Thank you.


What you're describing is not a website for selling games (people usually set up their payment system and then affiliate games on other websites). You're describing a payment system.

 

[Kyrie]

Kyrie, please avoid double posting, as it is against the forum rules. You can review our forum rules here. Thank you.

What you're describing is not a website for selling games (people usually set up their payment system and then affiliate games on other websites). You're describing a payment system.

Could have sworn I multi-quoted my bad.

What I am hoping for is if you have a game, you could easily upload and maintain the integrity of files. You would have full account features and the ability to accept payments through us.

My question is what would a seller want in terms of requirements for sales.

EDIT: to make sense

 

[Shaz]

BMT Micro is a popular one that does what you're talking about. They will host your file and provide the download bandwidth, they take customer payments, allow affiliation and calculate affiliate payments based on income and sales from that affiliate's site. They keep a list of all your products and all your customers, and who bought what. They allow you to send emails to the customers (not sure if they do a bulk email facility), to view details of a purchase (and search based on filters - who ordered <this game> on <this date>), to do refunds, discounts via coupons. They do key generation and linking to your game's DRM system.


Maybe check their page - I'm sure there'll be somewhere you can go to see what services they offer to sellers and to affiliates. There are a whole heap more than what I've just listed.

 

[Kyrie]

BMT Micro is a popular one that does what you're talking about. They will host your file and provide the download bandwidth, they take customer payments, allow affiliation and calculate affiliate payments based on income and sales from that affiliate's site. They keep a list of all your products and all your customers, and who bought what. They allow you to send emails to the customers (not sure if they do a bulk email facility), to view details of a purchase (and search based on filters - who ordered <this game> on <this date>), to do refunds, discounts via coupons. They do key generation and linking to your game's DRM system.

Maybe check their page - I'm sure there'll be somewhere you can go to see what services they offer to sellers and to affiliates. There are a whole heap more than what I've just listed.

Would a subscription based forum software work with permission set percisely?

 

[Shaz]

If you could get developers who were interested in a subscription based distribution model. Big Fish Games did something like that a little while ago. Individual developers received very little for it, and I think it was ditched less than 12 months after it started.


I would not send my game to a site that ran a subscription service.

 

[Kyrie]

If you could get developers who were interested in a subscription based distribution model. Big Fish Games did something like that a little while ago. Individual developers received very little for it, and I think it was ditched less than 12 months after it started.

I would not send my game to a site that ran a subscription service.

I am having troubles putting my thoughts on paper, or rather a forum.

Basically the subscription is just for permissions. It'd run a forum messageboard for discussion, but the marketplace would be fully featured. You would be able to post games, and download from there free and paid. The "subscription" would be unapparent to the user but rather allow me to set users as 'developers' or not.

 

[Bex]

BMT Micro Sounds amazing like Shaz described it.

Edit: But the Layout of that side doesnt look very Serious, so i dont know if its good or not.

Steam would be best i supose. Would mean asking the Guys in this Forum from Degica if they can Help bring your Game to Steam.

Else for building own Side i would recoment:

Safety standards

Quick Acess

Nice Userinterface

Clear and easy Payment possibility with quick access to Downloads, like in Steam.

Serious Apearance.

Atleast 80% Micro Payment Price Segment.

No overprizing Games only to have some nice Game Prices while "Sale Day".

 

[Kyrie]

I appreciate the feedback.

I will let you everyone know what I come up with.

 

[Kes]

 But the Layout of that side doesnt look very Serious, so i dont know if its good or not.

Steam would be best i supose. Would mean asking the Guys in this Forum from Degica if they can Help bring your Game to Steam.

I don't wish to rain on anyone's parade but...

BMT is a serious site, and it is good at what it does.  What hasn't been mentioned so far is currency.  Any selling site has to be capable of

• Applying that day's exchange rate on the conversion of the buyer's currency into the seller's currency.  And that is any currency. Do you have an idea of how many that would be?  Believe me when I say it's a lot.
• Knowing the up to date sales tax/VAT/equivalent in all the jurisdictions so as to apply the correct amount on top of the sales price.
• Have sophisticated accounting software that can make any adjustments between the amount the buyer paid, and the amount that is received after Credit Card and other charges have been deducted.  And Credit Card companies have differing fees, and these can change and you have to keep track of all that.
• Any other applicable fiscal requirements and regulations.
• Such a site must itself comply with banking and other regulations and has to have considerable backup as it is, in effect, holding other people's money and there are various fiduciary requirements which must be met.  And as sellers, you want them to be met.  You do not want the payment system company to be unable to pay you for any reason whatsoever.

Any payment handling site on the internet has to be capable of doing the same.  That is not easy.

Expecting Degica to put everyone's game on to Steam is, imo, a total non-starter.  Do you know how much work is involved in getting a game properly ready for Steam?  You don't just upload it like you do for other sites; additional work is required.  Do you know how many games are out there and what the ratio of games to Degica Staff numbers is?  Would Degica, or any reputable publisher, just give carte blanche to any developer, irrespective of the quality of the game and just put it on Steam?  See the numerous threads about sub standard games on Steam.

EDIT

I forgot to mention, but in some jurisidictions (the US, for example) when remitting payments to people in another jurisdiction, there are various tax treaties that need to be complied with, which may involve the payment systems site having to apply a Withholding Tax, and then submit that Withheld Tax to the Tax Authorities.  Good luck with that one.

 

[Bex]

Cool its Serial... thx for aproving that webside.

And to the other stuff, who talks about Crap Games? We ment AAA Indie Dev Title with rpg maker.

And yes Degica Helps People getting there Games to Steam , like i read and was told by several People.

So of course yey, you can Ask Degica to Promote your Game on Steam, they even have Contracts you have to Sign.

Or did they Changed that?

 

[Shaz]

BMT Micro and Steam are two completely different things (and if you're into complaining about the layout of websites ... Steam? Really?)


Don't compare them and ask which one is better - they don't do the same thing; you use them both for different purposes.

 

[Kes]

And yes Degica Helps People getting there Games to Steam , like i read and was told by several People.

So of course yey, you can Ask Degica to Promote your Game on Steam, they even have Contracts you have to Sign.

Or did they Changed that?

I am fully aware that Degica publishes some games on Steam, and I actually know what their contracts look like, but building your business plan around the assumption that they will publish your game is a little foolish.  And of course no one thinks that their game is rubbish, but hey, a lot of games are, so until there is some positive indication that a game has quality no publisher will touch it.  That indication may come from sales and reviews generated elsewhere, from the reputation of the developer built up over previous games, through being e.g. a winning entry in an open entry competition, and so on.  But let's get real here.  Getting on to Steam is not a pushover.  You need to build your business plan so that it is not dependent on that.  You need to build a solid foundation from which to launch yourself, otherwise the chances are extremely high that you will crash land.