LOS ANGELES, May 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Legacy Games, the leading publisher and distributor of casual PC games at retail, today announced its new indie publishing program designed to help independent game developers publish and distribute titles at retail and digitally. A pioneer in the gaming industry since 1998, Legacy Games has built a reputation of successfully developing, publishing, and distributing award-winning PC and mobile casual games.
The outlook for the independent game developer is mixed. According to a 2020 survey of 2,500 game developers by the Game Developers Conferences, small game development studios and freelancers were having a hard time coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. In the survey, 34% of game developers said they saw business decline, 37% said it was about the same, and 31% said they saw their business increase. And in a report from Video Game Insights, over 50% of indie games never make more than $4,000, and over two-thirds of the indie games don't cross $10,000 in lifetime earnings.
Legacy’s mission is to help indie developers of PC games find new casual game customers by selling through Legacy’s unique distribution channels, including retail stores such as Walmart and retailer websites. For each independent game developer that works with Legacy Games, the company will sell the games first individually on its website, www.legacygames.com before later including them in themed multi-packs on the Legacy Games website. Successful bundles will then be sold at retail.
Legacy Games has a long history of working with established casual game developers such as Artifex Mundi, Brave Giant, Alawar, Microids, Jet Dogs, Crisp App Studios, and many more. Fifteen new indie developers have been signed so far in 2021, many of whom have highly rated casual games on Steam but otherwise have limited distribution. These include JumpGate (Project Blue Book), Thomas Bowker (Lyne), Joel McDonald (Prune), Flippfly (Evergarden) and Walkabout (Wanderlust: Travel Stories), Joybits (Doodle God), and BufoProject (Classic Card Games 3D), among others.
"There are many fewer retail and digital sites to purchase casual PC games than there were a few years ago. Many of our competitors have switched their focus to mobile. Our customers find Steam overwhelming. I believe there is a significant revenue opportunity for indie developers to reach new customers and generate incremental revenue by partnering with Legacy,” said Ariella Lehrer, CEO, Legacy Games.
“It has been a real pleasure working with Legacy Games team with the Project Blue Book Hidden Mysteries game project. The entire organization exemplified professionalism and their overall knowledge and experience proved incredibly valuable during the publishing process. We are excited about their new indie publishing program which we believe will prove to be a great asset for developers," said Don Geyer, CEO, JumpGate.
"As an indie game developer, I really appreciate the straightforward way Legacy Games communicates and operates. They really know their audience, and they've made it very easy for us to get our games into their distribution channels with minimal work on our end,” said Aaron San Filippo, Co-Owner, Flippfly.
For more information about Legacy Games’ new indie publishing program, visit https://legacygamespublishing.com.
Legacy Games sells PC casual games to a loyal customer base of women, ages 40+. The company has publishing contracts with more than 50 game developers and sells 500+ individual games. The company believes it sells more casual games at retail than any other publisher. Currently, Legacy Games fills 14 of the 18 casual game slots on Walmart shelves with its value-packed game bundles. The company's popular Amazing Games™ series often tops the list of PC bestsellers at Walmart.
Legacy Games also sells its games on retailers' online websites, such as Walmart.com, Amazon.com, Staples.com, and through the following online distributors: Arvato, Avanquest, and Synnex. Additionally, Legacy Games sells its games through other traditional outlets like Steam, Microsoft Windows, and wherever casual games can be sold profitably.
As for Lehrer, she founded Legacy Games in 1998. In 2017, she moved to HitPoint Studios, where she served as President until 2020. Lehrer returned to Legacy Games in October 2020 to assume the role of CEO. One of her first actions upon returning to Legacy Games was launching the digital store on www.legacygames.com in Fall 2020. In 2021, Legacy Games is forecasted to triple its digital sales revenue while stabilizing its retail revenue.
Lehrer continued, “I’ve spent most of my career at Legacy Games, where we pioneered story based adventure and puzzles games for women, ages 40+. As a result, we have developed an expertise at curating and selling these games through some very unique distribution channels. Now we think our customers are ready for some new gameplay mechanics and interactive experiences, which we hope to satisfy by expanding our product selection with great new indie developers.”
About Legacy Games
Founded in 1998 in Hollywood, California, Legacy Games is a leading publisher and distributor of casual PC games at retail. Legacy is an expert at creating bundles of value-packed titles that span a variety of themes and genres, designed to appeal to its primarily female customer base. Some of the popular series under its Amazing Games™ label include Supernatural Stories, Fantastic Fables, True Crime, Murder Mystery, Greatest Hits, and Magical Matches. For more information about Legacy Games, visit www.legacygames.com.
Media Contact:
John McCartney
Jmac PR for Legacy Games
646.280.8573
john@jmacpr.com