| Industry | Interactive entertainment, electronic commerce |
|---|---|
| Genre | Content delivery Digital rights management Digital Distribution |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Key people | Theodore Bergquist, Daniel Hjelmtorp, Gustav Nisser |
| Employees | 8 |
| Website | www.GamersGate.com |
GamersGate AB is a Sweden-based online video game store offering PC games, Mac games and electronic guides via direct download.[1] It is a competitor to online video game services such as Valve's Steam, Direct2Drive and Impulse.
GamersGate sell games for over 250 publishers and developers, including Electronic Arts, THQ, Atari, Bethesda Softworks, 2K Games, Ubisoft, SEGA, Capcom, Paradox Interactive and Epic Games but also smaller independent video game development developers such as 2D Boy, Jonathan Blow and Amanita Design. As of August 2011, there are over 3000 games available through GamersGate.[2]
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GamersGate was formerly operated by Paradox Interactive. It was started with the intention of providing cheap distribution of their games to countries that did not offer them in physical retail stores. GamersGate commenced trial operations in April 2006 and officially launched (entitled "Gamer's Gate") on November 20, 2006. In 2008, after other publishers requested that GamersGate distribute their games as well, Paradox decided to separate GamersGate into its own company.
GamersGate initially required a software client for its customer to download their purchased games, but on January 28, 2009, the company began allowing customers to download their purchased games through a micro-download.[3] The system uses a small program downloaded for every game that only works for getting the install files to the customers computer. Upon completion, the user installs the game and the downloader may then be removed from the computer.[4] CEO Theo Bergquist has touted the client-less feature of GamersGate as a way to distinguish it from more dominant video game distribution platforms like Valve's Steam.[5]
In June 2009 GamersGate launched support for Mac games.[6] The service first only sold the Mac versions of games separately, but it now offers both PC and Mac versions of selected titles at no extra cost. As of August 2011, there are over 400 Mac titles available on GamersGate.[7]
GamersGate were among the first to sell Downloadable Content for PC games, starting with downloadable content for the Hearts of Iron and Europa Universalis series. The service currently offers downloadable content for many of its bigger titles. It also offers developers a free In-game Downloadable Content API, called MicroSuite, which allows game companies to insert transactions into gameplay.[8] MicroSuite is incorporated in games such as Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim and Hearts of Iron III.