IndieBox was a monthly
independent video game
An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...
s (indie game) subscription box service. Working directly with the indie game developers, IndieBox designs and manufactures boxed collector’s edition physical releases of games that are typically only available in digital form. The company started operations in May 2014. Included in every monthly box is a
digital rights management-free (DRM-free) game disc (custom-designed rewritable USB-stick for most boxes released before July 2016),
Steam key, full-color printed instruction game manual, game soundtrack CD, sticker, and an exclusive collectible, such as a plushy or action figure of a notable character from that game. All games are packaged in a physical game box similar to software titles in the 1980s and 1990s.
IndieBox was founded by John Carter, Jason Blank, and James Morgan, and are assisted by various teams of volunteers to help with design, packaging, and shipping. They formed the company to create a
Book of the Month Club
Book of the Month (founded 1926) is a United States subscription-based e-commerce service that offers a selection of five to seven new hardcover books each month to its members. Books are selected and endorsed by a panel of judges, and members ...
-type service for independent video games; subscribers would not necessarily know what game they were getting, but the company's curation process would assure they would be getting a game with a strong reputation.
When they started, they had to
cold call
Cold calling is the solicitation of business from potential customers who have had no prior contact with the salesperson conducting the call. It is an attempt to convince potential customers to purchase either the salesperson's product or servic ...
several developers to gain interest, eventually signing on Rain Games to use their game ''
Teslagrad
''Teslagrad'' is a 2013 side-scrolling puzzle-platform game developed and published by Rain Games.
A sequel, ''Teslagrad 2'', was announced in September 2020.
Gameplay
''Teslagrad'' is a 2.5D puzzle-platformer with action elements, where mag ...
'' as the first IndieBox title.
In October 2016, IndieBox partnered with
GameStop to release a limited set of steelbook-case packages for ten titles, half of which had already previously received a collector's edition through IndieBox's service, to be retailed in the GameStop stores under the name "GameTrust Collection", based on GameStop's GameTrust publishing arm.
In October 2017, IndieBox announced it was closing down its subscription product; the company cited that the market for physical box releases was not as large as they had anticipated to cover all costs of preparing the boxes for subscribers. After completing its final box and handling existing accounts, the company will transition to help support online marketplace features for indie developers.
Past IndieBoxes:
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Video game distribution