Game development is an art, like any other. It can be personally rewarding, and like other forms of artistic expression, great games can come from anywhere. Powerhouse game studios don’t hold a monopoly on inventiveness or creativity, and some of the best games of all time were created on a shoestring by two or three people with a shared vision.

It’s hard to get noticed, though. If you’re an indie game developer, it’s usually a headache to get your game in front of people, both gamers and reviewers. Amazon recognizes this. As part of our commitment to independently developed games, Amazon is launching the Indie Games Store, a new category on Amazon in the Digital Video Games Store, designed specifically to address this problem.

The Indie Games Store is a dedicated storefront designed to specifically help indie game developers with promoting their PC, Mac, and browser-based games while helping gamers discover a large and growing selection of innovative indie games.

The dedicated indie-specific storefront offers indie developers several programs to increase discoverability and promote their PC, Mac, and browser-based games while helping customers discover a large and growing selection of innovative indie games including “Don’t Starve” by Klei Entertainment, “FTL: Faster than Light” by Subset Games, and “The Bridge” by The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild.

To celebrate the launch, we’ll also be offering features and promotions starting today to encourage customers to engage with the indie game scene:

• Indie Spotlight – The Indie Spotlight puts the focus on developers with Q&A and featured bios to give customers a glimpse of each developer’s style and personality. We’ll feature a different indie developer every week starting today with Gaijin Games.
• Indie Bundles – Starting today until July 23rd, gamers can get great deals on Indie Bundles and increase their collection. These bundles are made up of 5, 6, or 10 games each, and will cost $9.99, which is a discount of up to 90% off if purchased separately.
• Gift with Purchase – Starting today until July 17^th, customers who purchase any indie title from the Indie Games Store, will receive codes to redeem 3 pre-selected titles for free. The games change daily and each purchase entitles customers to 3 free games, so customers are encouraged to check often.
• Indie Gamer’s Choice– To help connect gamers and developers, we're introducing the Indie Gamer’s Choice program, where gamers can get involved. The Indie Gamer’s Choice positions two indie games head-to-head and allows players to vote on their favorite title to become the Indie Gamer’s Choice, which is featured in the store.

This is a great time for you to check out the Indie Games Store and participate in prominent merchandising on the new storefront. If you are interested in selling your games on the Indie Games Store, contact Amazon Digital Video Games at find-more-gamers@amazon.com.