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The collective of industry veterans behind new ‘digital distribution management’ company Kiss have been named, as the outfit looks to welcome more developer partners.
Charlie Andre-Barrett, James Deputy, Nina Cliff, Tom Felices, Iain Hancock and Sarah Still will join managers Darryl Still and Peter King, who set up Kiss last year.
Pitched as a distribution partner over being a publisher, Kiss boast contracts with over 50 platforms worldwide, including Steam, Amazon, Gamestop, Gamefly, EA/Origin and Microsoft. Kiss gives developers assistance with full distribution, without need for multiple contracts covering each platform or vendor, and without laying a claim to IP rights, for a portion of revenue.
Between them the newly revealed senior staff will negotiate deals with developers and platform holders, and establish Kiss’ own online store and community.
“We wanted to form a cooperative to share best practice and experience in the PC digital distribution market with our development partners," said Kiss’ Darryl Still, CEO and publishing director," explaining the companies ‘collective’ structure.
"All our team continue to work in their own right but join us in a collaborative capacity to bring independently developed games to the digital vendors we work with. I’m really excited that we’ve brought together this outstanding group of people – the relationships and contacts we now have are second to none in the PC digital distribution market.”
“Kiss is a specialist in getting games listed and then managed to continue to generate maximum exposure and revenue," added Peter King, COO and CFO. "We already have significant experience with digital distribution generating sales in excess of $15 million in less than three years for a number of partners including 1C. The digital market is constantly expanding and we are signing contracts weekly with new vendors.”
Kiss is also at work on an unannounced ‘major licensed PC game’, expected to debut next month, and a digital adaptation of classic novel The 39 Steps, which it is producing with a number of companies including developer The Story Mechanics and books publisher Faber and Faber.
