User:Rancheralpha/PLAYISM

PLAYISM (プレーイズム), launched in May of 2011 by Active Gaming Media, is an online digital distribution platform and crowd funding site operating in the Japanese market that primarily features independently developed digital entertainment and video game content for the Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh operating systems.

Primary Features
The site has two primary functions, which are labeled as the product gallery (プロダクトギャラリー) and project gallery (プロジェクトギャラリー). The product gallery is an e-commerce storefront that offers games for sale in a digital distribution format similar to that of Amazon.com's digital distribution service, Direct2Drive or Steam, however unlike with Steam (software) there is no software client available to use in conjunction with PLAYISM.

The project gallery is a crowd funding service via which users donate money to a featured game developer in order to help finance the creation of a particular game, similar to Kickstarter or 8-Bit Funding. Developers featured on the site are required to provide tokuten (特典), or perks, to users that donate. The number and rarity of perks vary with donation level. Representatives of Active Gaming Media have stated that the goal of the project gallery is to “bring users closer to the creative process”.

In order to download game content or donate to projects, users are required to register either via the site or by utilizing an existing account from common social networking and media sites such as Google, Yahoo Japan, Facebook, or Twitter.

Site Content
The site features a small line-up of independently developed games, which are localized from English to Japanese by Active Gaming Media. PLAYISM launch titles included Zachtronics Industries' SpaceChem and Amanita Design's Machinarium. PLAYISM representatives have stated that they intend to open an English version of the site and "localize and publish doujin games developed in Japan for the overseas audience through the service."

Currently the site carries the following titles (September 27, 2011):

Localization Agreement
According to the site's planning director, in doing business with independent game developers that feature titles on PLAYISM, "no cost localization comes with a promise of exclusivity in Japan for a agreed upon time frame, which is different for each contract but not long-term."

Platforms
PLAYISM offers content for the PC and Apple Macintosh operating systems only, however site representatives have stated that the "future is, of course, wide open and if we could find a way to make Playism localizations for other platforms a part of what we do then we’d be all for it."