Desura, the digital distribution platform for gamers which Linden Lab sold to Bad Juju Games in November faces an uncertain future according to an article in Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
An article by Alice O’Connor, Digital Disturbance: Desura Owner Files For Bankruptcy, explains :
Following troubles and discontent with developers being paid late by Desura, the digital distribution store’s owner Bad Juju Games have filed for bankruptcy. A member of Bad Juju confirmed the bankruptcy filing with us today, but the company haven’t made a statement yet or said anything about what’ll happen with people owed money or games folks have bought or whether the store will continue, or… anything. More will follow, I’m sure.
The late payments issue had come to a head late in May and they were initially been blamed on issues such as not having an automated payment system. Desura released a statement to try and calm developers worst fears down. In the statement they said :
The second rumor, that we are going out of business, is also false. We are in fact exploring some very exciting new avenues in terms of partnerships and growth opportunities. The payout issues are not an indication that we don’t have the funds to pay. Bringing in the changes to the payout system, as well as new contracts being lowered to a $250 threshold will both help prevent this from being a recurring problem in the future.
What has happened to those partnerships and exciting avenues of growth is unclear.
Digital Disturbance: DESURA Owner Files For Bankruptcy | Rock, Paper, Shotgun http://t.co/QMaxNaNOjY
— Demonkid (@Demonkid) June 5, 2015
Whether Desura can be salvaged will obviously be a big question that developers will want answered quickly. I’ve always felt that a digital distribution platform such as Desura has a lot of potential. However when it comes to digital distribution there are some big players already in that market and of course, Steam pretty much rule the roost. I like Steam, I like it a lot, but from both a developer and consumer point of view, alternative options are always good.
I hope there’s a happy ending for Desura developers and customers, but in situations like this, it’s always best to prepare yourself for the worst. I wish the developers, the staff and the consumers all the best going forward.