Penny Arcade and Hothead Games Announce The Greenhouse

Hothead Games and Penny Arcade have unveiled Greenhouse, a new distribution platform dedicated to supporting independent game developers around the world.

Part of the newly-formed Greenhouse Interactive, the Greenhouse digital distribution system will feature a "careful selection" of games that may otherwise have trouble finding an audience in the crowded marketplace. The company has opened offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, the home of Hothouse Games.

"There are so many great games out there that you don't hear about. They're too niche or too risky in terms of gameplay for the top publishers to be comfortable with distributing," said Penny Arcade's Robert Khoo. "We want the Greenhouse to be an alternative for these developers."

Greenhouse Interactive currently has a beta website up at playgreenhouse.com, where users are invited to download podcasts by Gabe & Tycho to help test the system. The first Greenhouse launch, set for spring 2008, will be Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One, another co-venture between Penny Arcade and Hothead Games. Developers interested in learning more about the system are invited to contact Greenhouse Business Development Manager Gregan Dunn (gdunn at playgreenhouse.com) for more information.

"Digital distribution opens so many doors for independent game development, arguably just like the VCR and DVD players did for indie films," said Vlad Ceraldi, president of Hothead Games. "We believe in the Greenhouse as an opportunity to support other indie developers and complement the platforms and services currently out there, ensuring that the environment for such development firmly takes root and continues to grow."