What is the LinuxFirst Initiative?
All games under the Bearded Giant Games brand have been designed, developed and tested on Linux as the main development platform. As such we are huge supporters of Linux as a platform and pledge to offer tier 1 support for our products. This means that games will originally be released not with day 1 Linux support but only for Linux. Further ports to other platforms (Windows, Mac, Mobile) might happen in the future if enough interest is gathered.
Why do we only, initially, release games for Linux?
Bearded Giant Games is a small, one man, company. I have to focus on designing, producing and programming all the games within a small budget and I cannot afford to spread development over a long time. Focusing on porting or developing for multiple platform eats away at other areas and I rather release the best game I can release. Since Linux is my favorite development and regular usage platform I’m going to focus on it specifically.
Targeting a smaller, more focused, user base allows me to stay small, nimble and avoid possible feature creep or high expenses trying to chase as many customers as possible. It also allows me to promote the platform I like the most, make the games I love the most and improve the quality of my projects.
Will the games be open source or have their source code made available?
Short answer is yes. During the last few years most of my projects have been made available under an open source license for the code with a proprietary license for the assets and I believe I will continue this trend with my next releases. This is especially true since I’m working on a new set of tools and frameworks for my next games based on C++, Lua and SDL that I plan to make available with my next game release.
What about other stores like Steam, Itch, etc?
During the initial release future games will only be available for direct purchase from this website. This way I can focus on fixing and improving the games faster and deliver builds and updates without the hassle of having to organize and keep track of separate builds for separate platforms. Steam’s exposure algorithm also requires platform specific features (like achievements, steamworks integration etc) which, for me as a solo dev, require more development time and focus. Without them I’d have to do most of the heavy lifting in terms of driving traffic to the platform and I’d rather focus on driving traffic to my own store. With enough demand I’ll probably do a Steam and Itch release later on in the future once things settle down but it’s to be seen if it’s going to happen on a game-by-game basis.
Why are there multiple entries for the same game under different platforms?
It’s because I only have a handful of games that I can (self-)publish right now and the store’s front page looks deserted. For example, purchasing Ebony Spire: Heresy for Windows will also give you access to the Linux and Mac variant. After enough games are/will be released this might change but so far it’s only for aesthetics!
Will you publish games from other developers?
So far I only want to focus on my own games however I’m not saying no to this possibility. I’ve been looking into purchasing the rights for other small indie games in order to enhance and port them to Linux but there’s nothing on the radar just yet. So for the time being the answer is maybe. Please keep in mind that the Bearded Giant Store is first and foremost a medium through which I can sell my own games directly to the public. I do not have the money and resources needed to actually publish third party games.
