Homebrew Factory Launches as a Platform For Retro Games and Game Devs
Broke Studio, the company behind publishing modern retro games such as Super Tilt Bro and Micro Mages, has revealed Homebrew Factory. This is a new platform especially geared towards releasing new retro-style games on physical media, including NES and Mega Drive cartridges.
More than that, it’s a platform for game developers to self-release, and for gamers to support their favorite retro devs, through pre-order campaigns and scalable manufacturing.
“It all started as a side project – making games out of passion. After setting up a production chain for my own games, helping fellow developers sounded like the logical next step,” said Antoine Gohin, founder of Broke Studio and Homebrew Factory, on the latter’s official site. “Today, I’m excited to offer a new solution to the homebrew community through Homebrew Factory.”
How it Works
Homebrew Factory lets developers select every aspect of a cartridge, from its color, console, even type of mapper (effectively, the hardware that lets the console run the game). Next, they can design the packaging type, including whether or not it comes with a booklet. Homebrew Factory then gives the estimated price of production, no matter if it’s a small run or a huge order.
For gamers, if they spot a new title they really like the look of, they can help fund project completion directly with the dev.
Fans of retro consoles will be able to find titles on NES, Famicom, Game Boy, and Mega Drive/Genesis. There are also plans to add support for Dreamcast and SNES media.
Putting The Power in Gamers’ Hands
Developing games for older consoles remains a popular area, as evidenced by companies such as PixelHeart who publish modern Neo Geo games. However, for developers who want to take that extra step and have their game run from an actual old game cartridge, the only options have been to either find a publisher or fork out a ton of money to do it themselves.
Homebrew Factory handles all the store-related stuff, like storing and shipping stock, and passes on the profit share to the developer. There are no hidden fees and no subscription charges.
22 developers are already part of Homebrew Factory, with the first pre-order title being Chibi Monster Brawl for the NES, from Dale Coop Studio.
