Humble Bundle co-founder John Graham says that many developers “enjoy” the revenue brought in by the site’s sales.
There are some who might say that the rise of Humble Bundle has been a bad thing. After all, while “pay what you want” pricing is good for consumers, it’s not hard to see how some might be perturbed by the idea of games, often expensive and time consuming to make, being sold practically for pennies. Perhaps hoping to shine a light on its more positive accomplishments, Humble Bundle has announced today that it’s delivered more than $100 million to developers and $50 million to charities since its first sale in May 2010.
These numbers, according to company co-founder John Graham, serve as evidence of the value of Humble Bundle, especially when it comes to charity. Currently, Humble Bundle gives customers the option to direct a portion of their purchase to more than 50 different charity organizations, many of which he says have been thrilled with the influx of funding that can result from association with a Bundle. “Charities often are very surprised by the amount of money sent their way by our community,” said Graham, in an interview. “Even the larger charities like the Red Cross are amazed once the payment arrives. It has often been the case that we exceed charity expectations and they’ve had the good problem of figuring out how to scale up the work they do.”
Speaking about game developers meanwhile, Graham acknowledged that the proceeds from bundles, once split between studios and shared with charities, can sometimes be less than worthwhile when you’re talking about profit alone. He would go on, however, to claim that many developers still “enjoy the goodwill and buzz that gets driven onto their titles during our promotions” along with “the revenues we are able to bring them.”
One thing, at least, is clear. Humble Bundle has come a long way since it launched four years ago.
Source: Joystiq
