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[This week Destructoid is brought to you by Addicting Games. Here’s a quick note from our sponsor.]
Addicting Games is a household name in the world of browser and games for the web. Since the early 2000s, AG has been working with small indie developers to bring their games to a larger audience. These partnerships have resulted in a number of big hits, like the famed Impossible Quiz, Pandemic 2 and Bloons.
In the last year, AG has rebuilt their games portal from the ground up. The new website is mobile friendly and features all their biggest hits converted HTML5. This week, they launched their Game Pass, a subscription service that grants members access to an ad-free experience, along with early access to exclusive titles. The service is $2.49 per month if you purchase a yearly subscription.
“The exposure on AG is good, seeing thousands of players try my games always brings a sense of fulfillment,” Mathew Hobbs, an indie game developer, said. “Working with AG has been very smooth, the use of slack makes any problems I have quickly resolved within an hour or so,” Hobbes said.
In addition to working with developers who release single-player experiences, AG also sponsors games in the io games category which are multiplayer HTML5 games. The sponsorships are mostly for smaller, indie game developers.
“One of the goals of web game hubs like Addicting Games is to give exposure to games and developers who don’t have any marketing or relationship with publishers to get their game out there,” Chris Scott, general manager at Addicting Games, said. “It is a mutually beneficial relationship, because developers are paid with cash and other incentives while we receive content for our audience.”
“AG had a key role into making me grow as an indie game developer and reach the audience my games deserve,” Isaac Gurillo said. Gurillo just launched Slush.io with Addicting Games, and has had dozens of his own titles sponsored by Addicting Games in the past.
The subscription service offered by AG is one of the first of its kind for web-based games. While web games are typically supported by advertisements, a premium membership service, like the one offered by AG, allows users to support their favorite developers without needing to suffer through advertisements. It also ensures accessibility to games on all devices, including tablet and mobile.
“We hope that the combined benefits of no ads and early access to our growing library of games is what makes Game Pass an attractive offer to everyone who visits Addicting Games’ Matt Mirkovich, who is the project manager, said. “This alternative revenue stream will also help us in securing more exclusive titles down the line, more Flash to HTML5 game conversions, and continued development of our mobile and tablet experience. We recognize that there are many choices out there these days, and we simply want to offer the best experience we possibly can.”
Addicting Games is part of the Destructoid family of websites, if you visit their site and register use the promo code “destruct” and it will upgrade your account to remove all ads and give you early access to all the upcoming game releases.