Brightlocker is a new game development, game sharing, game funding, game streaming, game everything platform from a group of industry veterans based out of Austin Texas. What is it exactly? Try to imagine one service that connects the capabilities and functions of Kickstarter, Twitch, Social Media, and Private Forums all in one place. It’s a service that wants to connect players and devs in deeper ways than any before it, to let both work together to foster great games on a more tangible level.
When we spoke to Brightlocker COO John Burns, former Senior VP of Publishing at NCSOFT, he was categorically bewildered that no one had yet try to do what Brightlocker is building. There are so many services that do crowdfunding and sourcing, so many that do livestreaming, so many that do community building and rewards – and yet nothing that does it all in one place for both players and developers.
Brightlocker isn’t a community you need to be a developer to join. Anyone can sign up and get involved, and there’s no need to spend a dime. While Brightlocker lets its developers collect funding from players and interested parties (think Kickstarter, but without a time limit and less fees for the developer), you don’t need to pledge to get involved. You can comment, talk with the devs, watch streams, and track game progress all from your bashboard. Of course the game rewards are tied to spending (think pre-orders), but some like are free for anyone who has a Brightlocker account.
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There are some games on the platform already that MMORPG readers will be familiar with: Life is Feudal, Fractured Space, and Descent Underground are all already involved in the early access phase of the platform. More are on the way over the coming weeks and months, too. What’s cool about the system is that Brightlocker smartly game-ified the whole thing. Achievements, loot, digital currency, even an XP and leveling system are all there to make it feel sticky.
Not only can anyone join and interact as a player, but any developer can work with Brightlocker to submit their game. And yes, if you’ve a grand ol’ idea in your head for a killer game but no team to help make it, you can submit your idea to Brightlocker and if it’s good enough, they’ll make it, giving you a percentage of all earnings from the game. Each project is voted on by the devs and players, with the winning projects proceeding to development.
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Brightlocker is just getting started, and I’ll be intrigued to see if more and more developers come to the table. It’s a very interesting take on dev/player interaction, and from both a community driven and financially driven vantage point I can’t see much of a reason to not try it out. If you’re a dev, it’s offering all your tools to engage your fans in one place. If you’re a gamer, it’s offering a direct line to games you want to be involve with, and rewards for simply participating.
If you want to see what it’s all about, head over to Brightlocker.com and sign up today.
