Subscription-based, on-demand digital platforms are all the rage. Spotify has us covered on music, and Netflix brings us some of the best series of all time (and the occasional decent movie). But what about video games? Steam is lovely and all, but it's still a store, so it doesn't count. That's why it's hard to argue with the idea behind Jump: an on-demand service that for a monthly fee, lets you play—without limits or restrictions—every game in its database.
The concept isn't new, but the approach is. Jump will be an on-demand platform devoted exclusively to independent video games—the ones we affectionately call indies. For $10, you get unrestricted access to its entire catalog for a whole month.
At launch, on July 24, Jump will have 60 games. According to its creators, at least ten new games will be added every month. The platform is currently in open, free beta, so you can download it right now and get hooked on one of the trial titles (there are eight).
It's certainly a good option for indie developers, who will have another storefront to show off and make money from their creations (Jump will share 70% of its revenue with them, based on each title's playtime). Whether it'll be a good option for users remains to be seen. At first glance, if the trial games' quality is anything to go by, I'd say no.
Personally, I think this is where all those games that don't make the cut for Steam will end up (Steam has already opened way up to indie demand), along with a lot of cheap bundle leftovers or games that would otherwise end up on sites like Newgrounds and/or Kongregate. In other words, I foresee plenty of runners, lots of RPG Maker RPGs, and many generic titles on Jump. I hope I'm wrong! In the meantime, I'm still in love with itch.io, which also has a desktop client and offers tons of free indie games.
Download: Jump
