A way to make your game a Premium Game on gotm.io and also get it published on Nintendo Switch.
It gives developers a way to get their Godot engine games published on gotm.io as a Premium Game and on Nintendo Switch.
It is aimed towards small indie game developers that otherwise would not have the money/time/know-how to promote their game with a bit of paid marketing and get it into Nintendo's publisher program to be able to port and publish it on Nintendo Switch.
Gotm will help create promotional material, such as a trailer, for the game and then promote the game through paid marketing.
A third-party company will help with the Nintendo Switch port.
The way it works is that developers that have a high quality Godot engine game can apply to get into GPP. The game can either be a fully finished game (even ones already published to other platforms), a work-in-progress, or just a demo. The important thing is that the game is well polished and fun. Also, once finished, it needs to be approximately 2 hours long at least. However, when applying to the program the game does not need to be finished.
The application process consists of three parts. First the developer must send in an application and ask to be part of the program. Second, the game will be played and examined to make sure it is good enough. If the game passes an online meeting is held. This is for everyone to get to know each other a little bit. Each game is considered independently, meaning that a developer that is already part of GPP must still apply for other games.
How To Submit:
1) Have a Godot game that is very well polished with good art and sound. We would much rather see a fun and super polished demo be submitted for approval than a non-polished 3-hour game. This is because we need to see that for the full version you are able to actually deliver not just gameplay but also nice and consistent art together with pleasing SFX and good UI/menues.
2) Upload game someplace for testing (preferably on gotm.io but not necessary)
3) Send an email to info@gotm.io with a link to the game and tell us a bit about the game and yourself. You don't need to write a lot here, we are honestly mostly interested in just seeing and trying the game.
(Please don't spam us, we will answer everyone but it can very well take some days. If we have declined you before you can still apply again but make sure to actually have made significant improvements since last time if it's the same game)
A soft deadline is set for each game that is accepted. The deadline is not very strict but rather a goal to aim for which will help everyone plan and stay focused. Developers that have entered GPP must also take part in one-on-one monthly checkups. This is to make sure progress is being made and if the deadline needs to be adjusted.
When the game is deemed ready for release (or soon will be) you will be offered to sign a contract that officially states the terms for the release, e.g. revenue share, obligations/requirements, etc.
All developers that are in GPP are required to join the official gotm.io discord server. There they will be given a special role to show their participation in the program. This is partly to gain access to a private channel for participants only but also for other people to see who the participants are and be able to ask them questions about the program.
To be able to publish games on Nintendo Switch the porting company needs to periodically test the game to make sure any problems related to Nintendo Switch are found. This means that access to the project, including source code, will have to be shared. This data will not be shared/used/modified outside the porting company though.
There is zero upfront cost to this, which is what makes this deal very special. Instead it is paid for fully by sharing revenue from the platforms.
The developer and Gotm share the revenue from gotm.io based on gotm.io's regular revenue share program.
On Nintendo Switch the revenue (after Nintendo has taken their share) will be: Until Gotm and its partners have recuperated a total of 4400 USD, the developer gets 30%. After this, the developer gets 70%.
How good does the game need to be?
We look at several things when considering each game but perhaps the most imporant thing is that the game MUST be polished, with consistent artstyle and sound/music.
Here are examples of games that got into GPP: Wallker Demolition and MissionCoverUp. Notice that they are not super long but very polished.
What is a Premium Game?
Premium Games is a special section on Gotm that is only accessible by Pulse Players, which are players that pay a monthly subscription fee. All games on Gotm are able to earn money based on how much time individual Pulse Players spend on each game. The idea with this system is that just like Netflix or Spotify it's not about a small about of users paying the full price but rather about lots of users paying a small sum each and getting lots of reach/visibility. More info about Premium Games can be found the FAQ.
Does the game really need to be 2 hours long?
When finished, yes, but when you apply to the program it can be much shorter. If you for whatever reason want/prefer the game to stay shorter then you can still apply to have it be a “regular” Premium Game.
So does the game need to have a 2 hour story?
No. The game could be something like tetris, i.e. something with lots of replayability, or a platformer/puzzle game that takes 2 hours to play through.
Can I still upload the game to other platforms? As a paid game?
Yes and yes. We aim to be as unrestrictive as possible and therefore require no exclusivity at all (apart from not allowing the game to be published to Nintendo Switch through others). There are a few conditions to posting on other platforms, which you can read more about in the contract.
Do I have to upload the game to gotm.io?
Yes, and you will need to keep both the gotm.io and the Nintendo Switch version up to date. If you publish on other platforms the gotm.io and Nintendo Switch versions need to be at least as updated.
Do I have to take part in the monthly checkups?
Yes. They are both for us to keep track on how you are doing but also to keep you motivated and focused.
Can I be kicked out of the program?
Yes you can. We only work with serious people so if you don't show up for meetings, ghost us, don't progress at all with the game, etc. you might be kicked. We will of course talk with you about this first to see if it can be prevented.
Does this mean you support other engines than godot?
No, since the game still needs to be published on gotm.io, which only supports Godot.
I can't or don't want to enter GPP, can my game still be a Premium Game on gotm.io?
Absolutely! You still have to apply and be manually admitted but both the requirements on the game and you as a developer are lower. There will not be a contract for this.
Will there be some sort of fee later on?
No, we currently have no sort of plan regarding fees to be part of the program in any way.