GameTrust is the name of the new publishing label that is being started by GameStop, which is looking to shake up the business of the massive gaming giant. The first studios announced to have signed with GameTrust are Ready at Dawn, the creators of The Order: 1886, Frozenbyte who have made the Trine games, and Tequilla Works, the studio behind Deadlight. These three join Insomniac Games, who had already announced a deal with GameStop to release Song of the Deep prior to this announcement, but it seemed more of a one-off kind of deal. Now we know that GameStop has much bigger things in store for this new publishing label.
GameStop has stated that GameTrust will be a platform for smaller studios to get their games out into the world, and they will have full control over the creative process. The role of GameTrust is to get these games into the physical and digital marketplaces, by not only offering the games in their physical stores but also through digital marketplaces like PSN, XBL, and even Steam. They are even looking at branching their published titles into other mediums, such as Song of the Deep which will have a book release through Barnes & Noble in the United States, and a potential for television and movie deals.
So far GameTrust has the four named studios signed up for publishing, but plan to release the names of even more studios soon. It is a smart move by GameStop that mirrors their purchasing of ThinkGeek last summer, a move that helped diversify their earning potential and not rely solely on just physical games. Now by starting their own publishing label they are increasing their exclusive offerings which can also lead further into more digital sales and a more prominent digital marketplace. This is a very interesting move and one that makes a lot of sense, and it will be interesting to see what other developers sign up with them.