For Indie Game Developers, Bash.gg Moves to Cut Big Platform Fees and Gouging Middlemen With New Platform

New platform from Xbox veteran will marshal early backers for game developers, reshape PC game distribution and DRM

NEW YORK, May 13, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Bash, a new platform for desktop and web game developers to finance and distribute video games, put out a call out to developers to join its inaugural cohort. Bash’s intent is to make financing, publication, distribution and ownership in online PC game development more fair and open. Game developers can apply now to participate in Bash’s program in which admitted developers will have Bash’s exclusive support in funding, testing, and marketing their video game.

As gaming platform giants continue to squeeze developers, sticking them with 30 to 50 percent fees, Bash aims to offer an alternative platform built on two key pillars: community support for developers and early access for gamers via a transparent, easy-to-use presale system that leverages verified license keys based on the Solana blockchain. Bash will give developers a competitive advantage with organic and continuous financial support, while gamers buying blockchain-based license keys will enjoy access, game input and transferable ownership that marks a pivotal improvement in digital rights management (DRM) in the last 20 years.

“Our goal with Bash.gg is to fuse the best part of physical ownership– resale– with the enormous advantages of digital distribution,” said Bash CEO Kyle Zappitell, who himself is a former Xbox Mobile developer. “While blockchains have been the source of hype, we are confident we have built on it in a way that offers a tremendous opportunity to deliver real value. Bash and its SDK will make the end-to-end game creation-to-distribution process cheaper and easier for developers, while rewarding gamers who are early advocates—making it simpler for them to buy, sell and trade games.”

A Better Funding and Revenue Model for Indie Game Developers

With Bash’s new model, game developers can mint and sell any number of blockchain-based licenses desired that, in turn, give buyers access to the game. Developers can sell these licenses to give access to existing games, or pre-sell them to raise funds for an upcoming game’s development. That funding is held in escrow for developers. As they hit milestones and share updates, their community votes to release the next tranche of funding, with Bash only taking 15% of primary sales—a dramatic reduction to brutal margins that game distribution platforms from Steam to Roblox currently charge. Developers on Bash cultivate a direct relationship with their community—composed of invested advocates.

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Reinventing Game Distribution

Bash embraces Web3-style distribution by enabling developers to sell and presell the games they are building to a community of advocates who want the game to be a success and who will become the game’s first users. Easy to identify and reward, these early users can gain lifetime battle passes and free in-game collectables, among other special incentives. By rewarding early users with valuable in-game goods, developers build further advocacy.

With fees that are only a fraction of competitors’ fees, Bash cuts out gouging middlemen like traditional publishers and distributors. Game developers receive continuous royalties as their game licenses are resold and circulation of their games grows.

Tearing Down Barriers and Democratizing Ownership

Indie game developers can easily pre-sell and sell licensed keys for their games on Bash. The Bash SDK validates ownership of the entry on the blockchain for game access and makes it easy for developers to integrate this authentication system into their games. Transparency and truth are on the blockchain and independent of Bash. License owners can then sell or trade a PC game once they’re done with it (or keep it forever), while developers can set their royalty for resale and profit from the secondary sales.

“A major goal of Bash is to use blockchain to restore ownership to gamers, while rewarding developers and maintaining their income stream,” added Zappitell. “Buying straight from the game developer and supporting the game developer from these very early stages is a more decentralized way of purchasing games that disrupts very large incumbents who have platform control and are charging insane fees. In some ways, Bash is roughly analogous to crowdfunding for musicians and bands. This marks a huge change in how digital games are sold right now.”

Blockchain-based games that the developer sells at the beginning of development can be different than the ones sold down the line. When the game is released, the early licenses are a powerful representation of early support for the game and can carry unique advantages.

Apply Now

Game developers can apply now to fund, build and grow digital games. Be among the first to try out the SDK and build a community of early supporters.

About Bash

Bash is a gaming marketplace for web and desktop and SDK built on the Solana blockchain. Using the Solana blockchain for fast transaction times, cheap fees and vast improvement in energy and environmental efficiency, Bash is built for global demand and scale. Bash is supported by a distributed team based in the United States.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220513005015/en/

Contacts

Kevin Martin
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