Humble Indie Bundle
Encyclopedia
The Humble Indie Bundles or Humble Bundles are a series of game bundles, that are sold and distributed online at a price determined by the purchaser
. The games are multi-platform
, DRM
-free, and independently developed
, and buyers can set the revenue split between the developers, charities and humble bundle organizers.
The first bundle was organized and managed by Wolfire Games
. Beginning with the second bundle a separate company spun-off, Humble Bundle, Inc., with the sole purpose of making bundles. The bundles are made available for purchase during limited time frames. Purchasers are able to set how much they wish to pay for the bundles and how they want their money to be distributed between the games' developers and two charities: Child's Play
and the Electronic Frontier Foundation
. The games in the bundles run on Microsoft Windows
, Mac OS X
, and Linux
-based systems and are digitally distributed
initially without digital rights management (DRM) controls. Although the bundles are still advertised as DRM-free, three recently included games require product keys for their multi-player modes, generally considered a form of DRM. Seven bundle drives have been held to date, breaking over $7 million in total sale and charitable donations.
. Rosen describes the inspiration coming to him through similar sales of bundle packages on the Steam platform. Rosen had noted that such sales would have viral word-of-mouth spread across the Internet. Influence also came from a previous "pay-what-you-want" sale for World of Goo upon the title's first anniversary; over 57,000 copies of the game were purchased during this sale, generating over US$117,000 after considering PayPal
handling fees. Rosen by this point was well connected with other independent developers
, for example his brother David is listed as being a game tester for the Penumbra series
, and Penumbra's composer Mikko Tarmia
is now contributing to Wolfire Games' upcoming game project Overgrowth
. Wolfire had also recently teamed with Unknown Worlds Entertainment
to offer a bundle based on their Natural Selection 2
game. The porter of Lugaru to Linux was Ryan C. Gordon
, who was also responsible for porting Aquaria
to Linux. With his close ties to these independent developers, as well as Ron Carmel of 2D Boy
, Rosen was able to assemble the package, taking advantage of merchant sales systems offered by PayPal, Amazon Payments
, and Google Checkout
to minimize the cost of transactions and distribution.
Though achieving word of mouth was a key element of the potential success of the bundle, Rosen also recognized that the process to purchase the Bundles had to be simple; including elements like user account registration or the use of a secondary download client would have potentially driven away sales. Rosen also sought to include charities in the bundle, allowing the purchaser to choose how to distribute the funds between the developers and charities. Rosen believed Child's Play was a worthwhile cause that brought video games to hospitalized children and helped to fight the stigma of video games, while he selected the Electronic Frontier Foundation to support their anti-DRM stance. The means of "pay-what-you-want" would allow purchasers to simply give the money to the charities, but Rosen felt this was not an issue and would "consider that a success" of the sale. Rosen and Wolfire employee John Graham provided technical support during the sales, handling thousands of requests through a few all-night email and chat sessions.
Bonus Game:
The first Humble Indie Bundle went on sale from May 4 through May 11, 2010. Furthermore, three studios offered a further incentive for purchasers during the sale, in that if more than US$1 million was raised by the effort, the source code
for Gish, Penumbra and Lugaru would then be offered.. Midway through the sale period, Wolfire Games was approached by Amanita Design
studios, who wanted to help contribute to the cause in their own way, by donating their game Samorost 2
to the bundle, allowing those that already had purchased the bundle to further download that title.
The promotion was met with what the organisers described as a strong success, achieving more than US$1 million in sales within the week from approximately 116,000 donations. After the extension, the total amount of money raised by the effort was in excess of $1,270,000. Based on the distribution set by users, the two charities received about 31% of the total money raised, while each of the five developers saw an average of US$166,000 in sales. About half of the sales were to Microsoft Windows platforms, while the MacOS X and Linux sales roughly equally split the rest. By tracking pricing, Wolfire Games found that Linux users were the most generous, paying about US$14 per bundle, followed by MacOS X users (US$10) and Windows users (US$7–8). Rosen noted the presence of donations as large as $3333 and $1337
near the final hours of the sale, and believes social link-sharing sites like Reddit
helped them to reach the $1 million milestone. As a result of reaching the US$1 million goal, the source code for the game engines for Gish, Penumbra, Lugaru, and, due to the overwhelming success, Aquaria, was made available under the GNU General Public License
; art, music, and other creative assets for these games were not included. Wolfire also extended the offer on the sale for an additional four days.
While many of the included games were available on Valve's Steam platform, the bundle was not initially integrated with Steam. On December 9, 2010, seven months after the bundle's release, a Steam product key was emailed to purchasers of the bundle that allowed most of the bundle to be downloaded from Steam. This made downloading and playing the bundle more convenient for Steam users and also allowed Steam users to collect Steam achievement
s from the bundle games that implemented them. Samorost 2 was added to the Steam accounts of those who had redeemed their codes for the Humble Indie Bundle on June 1, 2011.
With the success of the first bundle, a second Humble Indie Bundle was launched on December 14, 2010, featuring a new set of five games from independent developers. Charitable donations continued to go towards Child's Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The new bundle included the launch of new Linux
ports for Braid
and Cortex Command
, while another game Revenge of the Titans was first made available for all three platforms as part of the bundle. While Wolfire Studios is still hosting and managing the sale and post-sale downloads, they do not have any games in the bundle; instead, they have allowed for purchasers to tip Wolfire while paying for the games in the bundle.
The second Bundle was able to break $500,000 in sales within one day, including a
$2,000 donation from Minecraft
creator Markus Persson
. Sales surpassed $1 million about 5 days into the sale, upon which purchasers were able to unlock the games on Steam and the Desura
digital download service. As a promotion for the second bundle the first bundle was added to all bundles that were purchased at that point and to all later purchases that contributed more than the average chosen price. Since the sale exceeded $1.75M, Puppy Games has also released the source code for Revenge of the Titans under a BSD-like license while reserving all rights to almost all game assets. The sale cleared $1.8 million in sales after ten days of sales. Similar to the first bundle, around 50% of the total donations were from MacOS X and Linux users, which Rosen later identified as a strong market for indie game developers.
, including Trine
, Shadowgrounds
, and Shadowgrounds Survivor
, for Microsoft Windows, MacOS X, and Linux. It also contained an executable version along with source code for an unfinished game, Jack Claw, and a pre-order for their upcoming game, Splot. Within three days of the launch of the sale, it had raised more than $550,000. By April 22, 2011, the Bundle had surpassed $700,000, at which point Frozenbyte added the source code for both Shadowgrounds games, a level editor for Trine, Mac OS and Linux versions of Jack Claw (in addition to the Windows version), and a demo for Splot. The timeframe for purchasing this bundle ended at midnight on April 26, 2011.
As to the origins of the third bundle, Frozenbyte had been considering raising money for its continued game development through a pay-what-you-want sale for quite some time, but was unsure how to implement such a payment and distribution system and were worried that if they attempted to do such a sale on their own it would not generate enough interest. Impressed by the previous bundles, they contacted John Graham and Jeffrey Rosen who agreed to the idea of making a bundle entirely composed of Frozenbyte titles. Most of the money generated by the sale will go to finishing the development of Trine 2
.
Bonus Games:
The fourth Humble Bundle, but the third carrying the Indie title, was launched on July 26, 2011, featuring a new set of five games from independent developers. Charitable donations continued to go towards Child's Play
and the Electronic Frontier Foundation
. In the case of VVVVVV, the game was not only updated to run on Linux machines, but featured a new completely rebuilt game engine in C++
instead of on the Adobe Flash
platform, and included a level editor and several levels submitted by other indie developers. These changes were prompted by the opportunity for VVVVVV to be featured as part of the upcoming bundle. On August 1, 2011 the game Steel Storm
was added as a "Bonus Game" for all who purchase the bundle. Midway through the sale, purchasers were given the opportunity to play Minecraft
until August 14, 2011. On August 3, 2011, the Humble Indie Bundle #2 was given to those that had bought Bundle #3 before that date. To obtain it after that date, users must pay over the current Average, at the time they decide to purchase Bundle #3. On August 5th, 2011, Atom Zombie Smasher
was added as a bonus game to anyone who purchased the Humble Indie Bundle 3.
Within 17 hours, the Bundle had broken $500,000 in total sales with over 107,000 bundles purchased, a significant improvement relative to the Frozenbyte bundle. The sale broke $1 million less than a week from its onset. Sales hit $2 million on August 8, finishing up with a grand total of $2,169,090.71.
. On September 30, the game Trauma
was added as a free bonus; the game SpaceChem
was added in a similar manner on October 5. Paying more than the average price would also entitle the purchaser to the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle games. The bundle closed with more than $1.1 million in total revenue.
and Blocks that Matter were added on the following day. On November 9, 2011, four more games were added to the bundle as a free bonus, three from the developers of Voxatron - Zen Puzzle Garden, Chocolate Castle
and Jasper's Journeys, and one co-developed by one of The Binding of Isaac developers, Gish
. At closing, the debut raised $902,453.
: Darwinia, Multiwinia
, DEFCON and Uplink. If the average price was beaten, two more games were given to the buyer: Aquaria
by Bit Blot and Crayon Physics Deluxe by Kloonigames. Two technology demos by Introversion were also included, for Windows only, one including destructible Voxel buildings, the other showing the procedural generation of a city.
On November 29, 2011, an additional game was added, Dungeons of Dredmor
by Gaslamp Games
. The source code of all the released Introversion games (excluding the technology demos) was also made available to the buyers.
writer Mike Thomspon, stating that he "immediately saw the potential" of the Bundle in an article written for the website just prior to the Bundle's sale period. Brandon Boyer of Boing Boing
believed that it provided a model that "seems it could and should be repeated". The move to offer games in a price and manner that consumers were willing to buy was contrasted to larger software publishers that place artificial limitations on their content; Mike Masnick of Techdirt
believed the Humble Bundle promotion worked as it "focus[ed] on giving people real reasons to buy, rather than just feeling entitled to define the terms under which they buy and looking for ways to limit those who want to interact with you in a different manner". The source for the promotion's website has been requested of Wolfire by several other groups, according to Rosen; Rosen continues that he believes that many similar charitable sales can be seen in the future from the Humble Bundle's success. For future Bundles, Rosen desires to include lesser-known titles in contrast to World of Goo and Braid, but has had to already reject some developers' requests to be included in a Bundle, claiming the games' quality may tarnish the Humble Indie Bundle branding. Instead, he believes smaller games with no wide profile and are "legitimately good" would be ideal for inclusion in future Bundles.
In April 2011, it was announced that Sequoia Capital
had provided venture capital of $4.7 million towards future Humble Indie Bundle development.
by links provided in some forums that bypass the payment screen to access the games; Wolfire further surmises additional piracy occurred through BitTorrent-type peer-to-peer sharing services. Rosen noted they purposely removed much of the DRM associated with games to appeal to those that would otherwise engage in software piracy, through both having the games ship without DRM and by having only limited copy protection on their website. Rosen also stated that for about ten users that emailed Wolfire about being unable to pay for the software, he personally donated on their behalf. Rosen comments that there may be legitimate reasons for those that appear to be pirating the game, including the inability to use the payment methods provided or that they had made a single large donation for multiple copies. However, he also considered that there are players that would simply forward the download links to "take pleasure in spreading the pirated links to their friends or anonymous buddies for fun". Wolfire Games did take action to stop predatory sites, such as the closely named "wollfire.com", from selling illegal copies of the bundle.
While aware of the presumed software piracy, Rosen says that Wolfire will take no steps to limit it, believing that "making the download experience worse for generous contributors in the name of punishing pirates doesn't really fit with the spirit of the bundle". Rosen noted that by offering the source code of the games as an incentive, they would hope that "the community will help build them up with the same vigor that crackers tear DRM down". David Wong of Cracked, in considering several reasons for the negative stereotypes for video game players, used the Humble Indie Bundle as an example of demonstrating the "sense of entitlement" that some video game players have, pointing to the high rate of piracy and use of bandwidth as alternatives to spending "even one penny".
In preparing for the second Humble Indie Bundle sale, John Graham acknowledged that some may still download the game through illegal means, but also said that the organizers of the bundle gave their best effort to make the process of purchasing the games simple, and they also wished to create a social impact with the sales by including contributions to Child's Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. An anonymous survey conducted by Wolfire for those who felt it necessary to acquire the second Bundle from other illegitimate sources showed that some preferred the option of using peer-to-peer sharing services like BitTorrent to improve the speed and reliability of the download; as a result, Wolfire added the option to download the games through BitTorrent, hoping to entice more people to acquire the game legitimately.
, and also included the various art assets, level designs, and other creative elements under a freely redistributable license for personal use. Their intent was to allow programmers to experiment and improve the game's engine using the associated assets. Wolfire later began selling the title Lugaru HD on the Mac App Store for $9.99. However, some time afterwards, another company, iCoder, used the open-source resources to recreate the same game for the App Store, charging only $0.99 for their version Lugaru. iCoder claims they have the right to recreate and charge for the game under the GNU license, but Jeffery Rosen notes that this did not apply to the art assets. Also, the GPL license is not compatible with Apple's AppStore. The iCoder version was taken down from the App Store after about a week since Wolfire notified them of the issue, though so far no explanation has been given by Apple. As the iCoder version of the application was popular, being the 60th most downloaded game application prior to its removal, Wolfire offered those that purchased the iCoder version a free copy of their version and codes to unlock the game from within Steam.
Rosen notes that the incident may discourage developers from releasing their source in the future.
who developed the Steel Storm
games complained in an interview about the trouble he had getting his games accepted into the Bundles, originally trying to push their game's first episode as a free bonus for the second Bundle, and then trying to get their full game into the third. Zubov recalls that he had heard "nothing back" until they made a "last minute decision" to include Steel Storm: Burning Retribution in the Humble Indie Bundle 3. Even then, Zubov further described his dissatisfaction with how payment was handled, saying that they were "offered a tiny-tiny fraction of what HIB3 made, a very small (compare to the profits of HIB3) fixed amount of money" even though, according to Zubov, "when Steel Storm was released as a bonus, their sales jumped up significantly." He also mentioned that despite claims by the organizers that their sales would "sky rocket just because [they] were in the HIB3", their actual amount of sales remained relatively constant.
Zubov did however note that their inclusion in the third bundle "did get a lot of users who redeemed their copy of Steel Storm on Steam
and Desura
" and that they hoped this would help keep their "current user base, which we gained with HIB3, interested in our upcoming games". He concluded his comments about his experiences by saying that "only time will tell if HIB3 was [an] awesome deal or not. Maybe, maybe not. If it works out as a long term investment, it will be awesome indeed. If not, I will never ever participate in such capacity (as a bonus item for a small fixed payout) in the future HIB bundles. We all do have bills to pay and families to feed, don't we?"
The technology website Phoronix
has also reported that there has also been some detractors of the Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle, with editor Michael Larabel
claiming that the Bundle does not seem to be "as popular as some of the past bundles" and that "the pace of sales isn't as fast as some of the other bundles." More importantly, he also explains that the "bundle has actually resulted in some complaints among gamers", with most of the complaints centred around that fact that originally there was "just one game being officially part of this bundle". Larabel does note that they did later add more games to the bundle as bonuses and that "adding more value to the bundle may generate some additional sales", but does conclude that the initially small offer has caused there to be less "interest among gamers this time around."
Pay what you want
Pay what you want is a pricing system where buyers pay any desired amount for a given commodity, sometimes including zero. In some cases, a minimum price may be set, and/or a suggested price may be indicated as guidance for the buyer. The buyer can also select an amount higher than the standard...
. The games are multi-platform
Cross-platform
In computing, cross-platform, or multi-platform, is an attribute conferred to computer software or computing methods and concepts that are implemented and inter-operate on multiple computer platforms...
, DRM
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
-free, and independently developed
Independent video game development
Independent video game development is the process of creating video games without the financial support of a video game publisher. While large firms can create independent games, they are usually designed by an individual or a small team of as many as ten people, depending on the complexity of the...
, and buyers can set the revenue split between the developers, charities and humble bundle organizers.
The first bundle was organized and managed by Wolfire Games
Wolfire Games
Wolfire Games is an independent video game development company founded by David Rosen. Wolfire Games develops video games for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.- History :...
. Beginning with the second bundle a separate company spun-off, Humble Bundle, Inc., with the sole purpose of making bundles. The bundles are made available for purchase during limited time frames. Purchasers are able to set how much they wish to pay for the bundles and how they want their money to be distributed between the games' developers and two charities: Child's Play
Child's Play (charity)
Child's Play is a charitable organization founded by the authors of the popular computer and video games-based webcomic Penny Arcade that organizes worldwide toy drives to children's hospitals. Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins founded Child's Play in 2003 to improve the lives of sick children by...
and the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
. The games in the bundles run on Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, and Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
-based systems and are digitally distributed
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
initially without digital rights management (DRM) controls. Although the bundles are still advertised as DRM-free, three recently included games require product keys for their multi-player modes, generally considered a form of DRM. Seven bundle drives have been held to date, breaking over $7 million in total sale and charitable donations.
Concept
The idea for the Bundle was from Jeff Rosen of Wolfire GamesWolfire Games
Wolfire Games is an independent video game development company founded by David Rosen. Wolfire Games develops video games for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.- History :...
. Rosen describes the inspiration coming to him through similar sales of bundle packages on the Steam platform. Rosen had noted that such sales would have viral word-of-mouth spread across the Internet. Influence also came from a previous "pay-what-you-want" sale for World of Goo upon the title's first anniversary; over 57,000 copies of the game were purchased during this sale, generating over US$117,000 after considering PayPal
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
handling fees. Rosen by this point was well connected with other independent developers
Independent video game development
Independent video game development is the process of creating video games without the financial support of a video game publisher. While large firms can create independent games, they are usually designed by an individual or a small team of as many as ten people, depending on the complexity of the...
, for example his brother David is listed as being a game tester for the Penumbra series
Penumbra (video game series)
Penumbra is the name of an episodic video game series by developer Frictional Games, published by Lexicon Entertainment and Paradox Interactive. The games use the HPL Engine, initially developed as a tech demo...
, and Penumbra's composer Mikko Tarmia
Mikko Tarmia
Mikko Tarmia is a Finnish video game music composer known for working with Codeblender Software, Frictional Games, and Wolfire Games. He also founded the independent record label The Sound of Fiction....
is now contributing to Wolfire Games' upcoming game project Overgrowth
Overgrowth
Overgrowth is an upcoming action video game under development by Wolfire Games. It was announced on September 17, 2008. for all three major computer platforms: Windows, Mac OS X and Linux....
. Wolfire had also recently teamed with Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Unknown Worlds is an independently-owned American game development company whose goal is to "unite the world through play". Based in San Francisco, California, the studio is best known for the forthcoming sequel to Natural Selection, due to be released in 2011.-History:Unknown Worlds was formed in...
to offer a bundle based on their Natural Selection 2
Natural Selection 2
Natural Selection 2 is a multiplayer computer game mixing first-person shooter and real-time strategy gameplay. It is set in a science fiction universe, and is currently under development....
game. The porter of Lugaru to Linux was Ryan C. Gordon
Ryan C. Gordon
Ryan C. Gordon is a former Loki Software employee who is now responsible for icculus.org, which hosts many Loki Software projects as well as several new projects created by himself and others...
, who was also responsible for porting Aquaria
Aquaria (video game)
Aquaria is a 2D sidescrolling action-adventure computer game designed by Alec Holowka and Derek Yu, who together form the independent game company Bit Blot, which developed and originally published the game. After more than two years of development, the game was released in 2007 for Windows...
to Linux. With his close ties to these independent developers, as well as Ron Carmel of 2D Boy
2D Boy
2D Boy is an American independent video game development company founded by Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, former Electronic Arts employees who left their jobs to form an independent development and production company....
, Rosen was able to assemble the package, taking advantage of merchant sales systems offered by PayPal, Amazon Payments
Amazon Payments
Amazon Payments, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon.com that provides a means to process transactions online. Launched in 2006, Amazon Payments uses the consumer base of Amazon.com and focuses on giving users the same checkout experience available on Amazon.com.Amazon Payments has several...
, and Google Checkout
Google Checkout
Google Checkout is an online payment processing service provided by Google aimed at simplifying the process of paying for online purchases. Users store their credit or debit card and shipping information in their Google Account, so that they can purchase at participating stores by clicking an...
to minimize the cost of transactions and distribution.
Though achieving word of mouth was a key element of the potential success of the bundle, Rosen also recognized that the process to purchase the Bundles had to be simple; including elements like user account registration or the use of a secondary download client would have potentially driven away sales. Rosen also sought to include charities in the bundle, allowing the purchaser to choose how to distribute the funds between the developers and charities. Rosen believed Child's Play was a worthwhile cause that brought video games to hospitalized children and helped to fight the stigma of video games, while he selected the Electronic Frontier Foundation to support their anti-DRM stance. The means of "pay-what-you-want" would allow purchasers to simply give the money to the charities, but Rosen felt this was not an issue and would "consider that a success" of the sale. Rosen and Wolfire employee John Graham provided technical support during the sales, handling thousands of requests through a few all-night email and chat sessions.
Humble Indie Bundle #1
- World of GooWorld of GooWorld of Goo is a physics-based puzzle game by 2D Boy, an independent game developer consisting of Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, both former Electronic Arts employees, released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, Android and WiiWare...
(2D Boy2D Boy2D Boy is an American independent video game development company founded by Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, former Electronic Arts employees who left their jobs to form an independent development and production company....
) - AquariaAquaria (video game)Aquaria is a 2D sidescrolling action-adventure computer game designed by Alec Holowka and Derek Yu, who together form the independent game company Bit Blot, which developed and originally published the game. After more than two years of development, the game was released in 2007 for Windows...
(Bit Blot) - GishGish (video game)Gish is a 2D PC platform game developed by Alex Austin, Edmund McMillen and Josiah Pisciotta and distributed by Chronic Logic, Stardock and other distributors. A sequel was announced, but subsequently canceled in late 2009 when Edmund left Cryptic Sea....
(Edmund McMillenEdmund McMillenEdmund McMillen is an American video game designer who is known for his unique visual style and innovative gameplay design, as well as his emphasis on the importance of careful level design and rewarding difficulty curves.-Early life:...
) - Penumbra: OverturePenumbra: OverturePenumbra: Overture is the first in a series of episodic first-person adventure games developed by Swedish developer Frictional Games. It was originally intended as the first episode of a trilogy. With the announcement of the second episode, Penumbra: Black Plague, it was stated that the second game...
(Frictional GamesFrictional GamesFrictional Games is an independent video game company located in Helsingborg, Sweden. The developer comprises a small core team and is led by Thomas Grip and Jens Nilsson. Certain key roles such as Music and Narrative Design are performed by external staff like Mikko Tarmia and Tom Jubert,...
) - LugaruLugaruLugaru: The Rabbit's Foot is the first commercial video game created by Wolfire Games. It is a cross-platform, 3D action game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and GNU/Linux. It features Turner, an anthropomorphic rabbit with curiously well-developed combat skills.Lugaru was made almost solely by...
(Wolfire GamesWolfire GamesWolfire Games is an independent video game development company founded by David Rosen. Wolfire Games develops video games for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.- History :...
)
Bonus Game:
- Samorost 2Samorost 2Samorost 2 is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. Released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux on December 8, 2005, the game is the second video game title in the Samorost series and the sequel to Samorost....
(Amanita DesignAmanita DesignAmanita Design is an independent Czech video game developing company that was founded in 2003 by Jakub Dvorský. The company has made several Webby Award-winning games, as well as educational and advertising minigames and animations, all using Adobe Flash. Clients include BBC, Nike and The...
)
The first Humble Indie Bundle went on sale from May 4 through May 11, 2010. Furthermore, three studios offered a further incentive for purchasers during the sale, in that if more than US$1 million was raised by the effort, the source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
for Gish, Penumbra and Lugaru would then be offered.. Midway through the sale period, Wolfire Games was approached by Amanita Design
Amanita Design
Amanita Design is an independent Czech video game developing company that was founded in 2003 by Jakub Dvorský. The company has made several Webby Award-winning games, as well as educational and advertising minigames and animations, all using Adobe Flash. Clients include BBC, Nike and The...
studios, who wanted to help contribute to the cause in their own way, by donating their game Samorost 2
Samorost 2
Samorost 2 is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. Released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux on December 8, 2005, the game is the second video game title in the Samorost series and the sequel to Samorost....
to the bundle, allowing those that already had purchased the bundle to further download that title.
The promotion was met with what the organisers described as a strong success, achieving more than US$1 million in sales within the week from approximately 116,000 donations. After the extension, the total amount of money raised by the effort was in excess of $1,270,000. Based on the distribution set by users, the two charities received about 31% of the total money raised, while each of the five developers saw an average of US$166,000 in sales. About half of the sales were to Microsoft Windows platforms, while the MacOS X and Linux sales roughly equally split the rest. By tracking pricing, Wolfire Games found that Linux users were the most generous, paying about US$14 per bundle, followed by MacOS X users (US$10) and Windows users (US$7–8). Rosen noted the presence of donations as large as $3333 and $1337
Leet
Leet , also known as eleet or leetspeak, is an alternative alphabet for the English language that is used primarily on the Internet. It uses various combinations of ASCII characters to replace Latinate letters...
near the final hours of the sale, and believes social link-sharing sites like Reddit
Reddit
reddit is a social news website where the registered users submit content, in the form of either a link or a text "self" post. Other users then vote the submission "up" or "down," which is used to rank the post and determine its position on the site's pages and front page.Reddit was originally...
helped them to reach the $1 million milestone. As a result of reaching the US$1 million goal, the source code for the game engines for Gish, Penumbra, Lugaru, and, due to the overwhelming success, Aquaria, was made available under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
; art, music, and other creative assets for these games were not included. Wolfire also extended the offer on the sale for an additional four days.
While many of the included games were available on Valve's Steam platform, the bundle was not initially integrated with Steam. On December 9, 2010, seven months after the bundle's release, a Steam product key was emailed to purchasers of the bundle that allowed most of the bundle to be downloaded from Steam. This made downloading and playing the bundle more convenient for Steam users and also allowed Steam users to collect Steam achievement
Achievement (video gaming)
In video gaming parlance, an achievement, also sometimes known as a trophy or challenge, is a meta-goal defined outside of a game's parameters...
s from the bundle games that implemented them. Samorost 2 was added to the Steam accounts of those who had redeemed their codes for the Humble Indie Bundle on June 1, 2011.
Humble Indie Bundle #2
- BraidBraid (video game)Braid is a platform and puzzle video game developed by independent software developer Jonathan Blow. The game was released on August 6, 2008 for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. A Microsoft Windows version was released on April 10, 2009. Hothead Games ported and released the game to Mac OS...
(Jonathan BlowJonathan BlowJonathan Blow is an independent video game developer. His game Braid won the "Game Design" award at the Independent Games Festival in 2006. He is currently developing The Witness, to be released in 2012....
/Number None Studios) - Cortex CommandCortex CommandCortex Command is a 2-dimensional side-scrolling action game developed by Data Realms. In the game, the player takes the role of a disembodied brain, who controls various clones and robots to achieve his aims. There is no campaign as of yet, so there is no main objective the player works towards...
(Data Realms LLC) - MachinariumMachinariumMachinarium is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. It was released on October 16, 2009 for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, on September 8, 2011 for iPad 2 on App Store and on November 21, 2011 for BlackBerry PlayBook. Demos were made available on September 30,...
(Amanita DesignAmanita DesignAmanita Design is an independent Czech video game developing company that was founded in 2003 by Jakub Dvorský. The company has made several Webby Award-winning games, as well as educational and advertising minigames and animations, all using Adobe Flash. Clients include BBC, Nike and The...
) - OsmosOsmosOsmos is a puzzle video game developed by Canadian developer Hemisphere Games for different systems as Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The game was made available on Steam on 17 August 2009. The Android port was also hinted to be in development...
(Hemisphere Games) - Revenge of the TitansRevenge of the TitansRevenge of the Titans is a tower defense game with real-time strategy elements. The game was developed by Puppy Games. It was one of the five games included in the second Humble Indie Bundle. As a result of the success of the Humble Indie Bundle sale the source code of Revenge of the Titans was...
(Puppy Games).
With the success of the first bundle, a second Humble Indie Bundle was launched on December 14, 2010, featuring a new set of five games from independent developers. Charitable donations continued to go towards Child's Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The new bundle included the launch of new Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
ports for Braid
Braid (video game)
Braid is a platform and puzzle video game developed by independent software developer Jonathan Blow. The game was released on August 6, 2008 for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. A Microsoft Windows version was released on April 10, 2009. Hothead Games ported and released the game to Mac OS...
and Cortex Command
Cortex Command
Cortex Command is a 2-dimensional side-scrolling action game developed by Data Realms. In the game, the player takes the role of a disembodied brain, who controls various clones and robots to achieve his aims. There is no campaign as of yet, so there is no main objective the player works towards...
, while another game Revenge of the Titans was first made available for all three platforms as part of the bundle. While Wolfire Studios is still hosting and managing the sale and post-sale downloads, they do not have any games in the bundle; instead, they have allowed for purchasers to tip Wolfire while paying for the games in the bundle.
The second Bundle was able to break $500,000 in sales within one day, including a
$2,000 donation from Minecraft
Minecraft
Minecraft is a sandbox-building independent video game written in Java originally by Swedish creator Markus "Notch" Persson and now by his company, Mojang, formed from the proceeds of the game. It was released as an alpha on May 17, 2009, with a beta version on December 20, 2010...
creator Markus Persson
Markus Persson
Markus Alexej Persson is a Swedish indie game developer and founder of Mojang AB. He is best known for creating the sandbox building game Minecraft.- Biography :...
. Sales surpassed $1 million about 5 days into the sale, upon which purchasers were able to unlock the games on Steam and the Desura
Desura
Desura is a proprietary digital distribution platform developed by DesuraNET for Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms, although a client for Mac OS X has also been hinted at. It is used to distribute games and related media online, with a primary focus on small independent developers rather than...
digital download service. As a promotion for the second bundle the first bundle was added to all bundles that were purchased at that point and to all later purchases that contributed more than the average chosen price. Since the sale exceeded $1.75M, Puppy Games has also released the source code for Revenge of the Titans under a BSD-like license while reserving all rights to almost all game assets. The sale cleared $1.8 million in sales after ten days of sales. Similar to the first bundle, around 50% of the total donations were from MacOS X and Linux users, which Rosen later identified as a strong market for indie game developers.
Humble Frozenbyte Bundle
The third Humble Bundle sale started on April 12, 2011, and features five games from the indie developer FrozenbyteFrozenbyte
Frozenbyte Inc. is a Finnish game-developer founded in 2001 and based in Helsinki, Finland. The company has now grown to a professional team of almost 20 people, with its first commercial game being Shadowgrounds for Microsoft Windows...
, including Trine
Trine (video game)
Trine is a side-scrolling action platform and puzzle video game, available for the Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and PlayStation Network. It was developed by the Finnish company Frozenbyte, who previously developed the Shadowgrounds series...
, Shadowgrounds
Shadowgrounds
Shadowgrounds is a shoot 'em up for Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux and Mac OS X, developed by Frozenbyte. The game takes place on a space colony on Ganymede which is being attacked by aliens...
, and Shadowgrounds Survivor
Shadowgrounds Survivor
Shadowgrounds Survivor is a shooter game developed by Frozenbyte and the sequel to Shadowgrounds. It has three playable characters, a RPG-like upgrade system for weapons and characters, a survival mode, graphics enhanced from its predecessor, an integrated physics engine, and a soundtrack by Ari...
, for Microsoft Windows, MacOS X, and Linux. It also contained an executable version along with source code for an unfinished game, Jack Claw, and a pre-order for their upcoming game, Splot. Within three days of the launch of the sale, it had raised more than $550,000. By April 22, 2011, the Bundle had surpassed $700,000, at which point Frozenbyte added the source code for both Shadowgrounds games, a level editor for Trine, Mac OS and Linux versions of Jack Claw (in addition to the Windows version), and a demo for Splot. The timeframe for purchasing this bundle ended at midnight on April 26, 2011.
As to the origins of the third bundle, Frozenbyte had been considering raising money for its continued game development through a pay-what-you-want sale for quite some time, but was unsure how to implement such a payment and distribution system and were worried that if they attempted to do such a sale on their own it would not generate enough interest. Impressed by the previous bundles, they contacted John Graham and Jeffrey Rosen who agreed to the idea of making a bundle entirely composed of Frozenbyte titles. Most of the money generated by the sale will go to finishing the development of Trine 2
Trine 2
Trine 2 is an upcoming side-scrolling action platform and puzzle video game under development by Frozenbyte. It is the sequel to Trine and will be released on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and Windows on December 6, 2011.Trine 2 will allow three players to play the...
.
Humble Indie Bundle #3
- Crayon Physics Deluxe (Kloonigames)
- CogsCogs (video game)-Gameplay:Cogs is built on a number of puzzles that mimic sliding block puzzles. Each level, representing some three-dimensional object, has various objectives, but generally involve moving tiles to connect sets of gears, piping, and other physical elements to make that object behave in a specific...
(Lazy 8 Studios) - VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV is a 2D puzzle platform video game designed by Terry Cavanagh and scored by Magnus Pålsson. The game was built in Adobe Flash and released on January 11, 2010, for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. The game was ported to C++ by Simon Roth in 2011, and released as part of the Humble Indie...
(Terry Cavanagh) - Hammerfight (Kranx Productions)
- And Yet It MovesAnd Yet It MovesAnd Yet It Moves is a single-player puzzle platform game developed by independent developer Broken Rules. The game was released on personal computer and WiiWare platforms, and the name itself is an English translation of Galileo Galilei's famous remark E pur si muove!-Gameplay:And Yet It Moves is...
(Broken Rules)
Bonus Games:
- Steel StormSteel StormSteel Storm is an independent video game series developed by Kot-in-Action Creative Artel using the free software DarkPlaces engine that were released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms...
(Kot-in-Action Creative ArtelKot-in-Action Creative ArtelKot-in-Action Creative Artel is an independent video game company headquarterd in Del Rio, Texas and founded in 2008 by Alexander Zubov. Consisting of a core team of three people, they developed the Steel Storm series for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms.On November 25, 2010 ,...
) - Atom Zombie SmasherAtom Zombie SmasherAtom Zombie Smasher is a real-time strategy game developed by independent developer Blendo Games. In it, the player attempts to rescue as many citizens as possible from an oncoming zombie horde using helicopter rescue units and an array of military units to protect the citizens and defeat the...
(Blendo Games)
The fourth Humble Bundle, but the third carrying the Indie title, was launched on July 26, 2011, featuring a new set of five games from independent developers. Charitable donations continued to go towards Child's Play
Child's Play (charity)
Child's Play is a charitable organization founded by the authors of the popular computer and video games-based webcomic Penny Arcade that organizes worldwide toy drives to children's hospitals. Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins founded Child's Play in 2003 to improve the lives of sick children by...
and the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
. In the case of VVVVVV, the game was not only updated to run on Linux machines, but featured a new completely rebuilt game engine in C++
C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
instead of on the Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
platform, and included a level editor and several levels submitted by other indie developers. These changes were prompted by the opportunity for VVVVVV to be featured as part of the upcoming bundle. On August 1, 2011 the game Steel Storm
Steel Storm
Steel Storm is an independent video game series developed by Kot-in-Action Creative Artel using the free software DarkPlaces engine that were released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms...
was added as a "Bonus Game" for all who purchase the bundle. Midway through the sale, purchasers were given the opportunity to play Minecraft
Minecraft
Minecraft is a sandbox-building independent video game written in Java originally by Swedish creator Markus "Notch" Persson and now by his company, Mojang, formed from the proceeds of the game. It was released as an alpha on May 17, 2009, with a beta version on December 20, 2010...
until August 14, 2011. On August 3, 2011, the Humble Indie Bundle #2 was given to those that had bought Bundle #3 before that date. To obtain it after that date, users must pay over the current Average, at the time they decide to purchase Bundle #3. On August 5th, 2011, Atom Zombie Smasher
Atom Zombie Smasher
Atom Zombie Smasher is a real-time strategy game developed by independent developer Blendo Games. In it, the player attempts to rescue as many citizens as possible from an oncoming zombie horde using helicopter rescue units and an array of military units to protect the citizens and defeat the...
was added as a bonus game to anyone who purchased the Humble Indie Bundle 3.
Within 17 hours, the Bundle had broken $500,000 in total sales with over 107,000 bundles purchased, a significant improvement relative to the Frozenbyte bundle. The sale broke $1 million less than a week from its onset. Sales hit $2 million on August 8, finishing up with a grand total of $2,169,090.71.
Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle
On September 28, 2011, the Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle was announced. Originally the bundle only included the game Frozen SynapseFrozen Synapse
-External links:****...
. On September 30, the game Trauma
Trauma (video game)
Trauma is a graphical adventure interactive fiction game developed by Polish programmer Krystian Majewski as part of a thesis project, and released in August 2011. The game is based on a woman that has suffered a physiological trauma, and has been languishing in several dreamscapes while...
was added as a free bonus; the game SpaceChem
SpaceChem
SpaceChem is a cross-platform indie puzzle game from Zachtronics Industries, creator of Infiniminer which was the main basis of the cult indie game Minecraft...
was added in a similar manner on October 5. Paying more than the average price would also entitle the purchaser to the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle games. The bundle closed with more than $1.1 million in total revenue.
Humble Voxatron Debut
On October 31, 2011, the Humble Voxatron Debut was released. One game, Voxatron by Lexaloffle Games, was initially included. The bundle ran for 14 days. At the time of the bundle's release, the game was labeled as Voxatron Alpha. The Binding of IsaacThe Binding of Isaac (video game)
The Binding of Isaac is an independent video game designed by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl. It was released on Steam on September 28, 2011. Players control a crying naked child named Isaac or one of five other unlockable characters...
and Blocks that Matter were added on the following day. On November 9, 2011, four more games were added to the bundle as a free bonus, three from the developers of Voxatron - Zen Puzzle Garden, Chocolate Castle
Chocolate Castle
Chocolate Castle is a puzzle video game developed by New Zealand-based company Lexaloffle and published on April 2, 2007. The game was developed by Lexaloffle's owner and operator Joseph White, who designed Chocolate Castle as a platform for further puzzle games...
and Jasper's Journeys, and one co-developed by one of The Binding of Isaac developers, Gish
Gish (video game)
Gish is a 2D PC platform game developed by Alex Austin, Edmund McMillen and Josiah Pisciotta and distributed by Chronic Logic, Stardock and other distributors. A sequel was announced, but subsequently canceled in late 2009 when Edmund left Cryptic Sea....
. At closing, the debut raised $902,453.
Humble Introversion Bundle
On November 22, 2011, the Humble Introversion Bundle was released. The bundle included four games by Introversion SoftwareIntroversion Software
-History:The company was founded in 2001 by three friends, Chris Delay; Mark Morris; and Thomas Arundel, who met when they were undergraduates at Imperial College London...
: Darwinia, Multiwinia
Multiwinia
Multiwinia is the fourth video game made by Introversion Software, the creators of Uplink, Darwinia and Defcon. It is a real-time strategy game. It is included with the Darwinia+.-Plot:...
, DEFCON and Uplink. If the average price was beaten, two more games were given to the buyer: Aquaria
Aquaria (video game)
Aquaria is a 2D sidescrolling action-adventure computer game designed by Alec Holowka and Derek Yu, who together form the independent game company Bit Blot, which developed and originally published the game. After more than two years of development, the game was released in 2007 for Windows...
by Bit Blot and Crayon Physics Deluxe by Kloonigames. Two technology demos by Introversion were also included, for Windows only, one including destructible Voxel buildings, the other showing the procedural generation of a city.
On November 29, 2011, an additional game was added, Dungeons of Dredmor
Dungeons of Dredmor
Dungeons of Dredmor is a roguelike indie game by Gaslamp Games. The game features tile-based graphics.- Gameplay :The game starts as the player assumes the role of the game's main character entering a hostile dungeon crawler environment. The player enters a dungeon at the top floor and gradually...
by Gaslamp Games
Gaslamp Games
Gaslamp Games, Inc. is a small, independent software development company based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada currently designing video games for the Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems....
. The source code of all the released Introversion games (excluding the technology demos) was also made available to the buyers.
Success
The first promotion was considered to be very successful. Rosen noted that they considered the million-dollar goal as a best-case scenario, but once the sale actually started, "it was immediately clear that we were on to something". Rosen would later attribute part of the success to Ars TechnicaArs Technica
Ars Technica is a technology news and information website created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, science, technology policy, and video games. Ars Technica is known for its features, long articles that go...
writer Mike Thomspon, stating that he "immediately saw the potential" of the Bundle in an article written for the website just prior to the Bundle's sale period. Brandon Boyer of Boing Boing
Boing Boing
Boing Boing is a publishing entity, first established as a magazine, later becoming a group blog.-History:...
believed that it provided a model that "seems it could and should be repeated". The move to offer games in a price and manner that consumers were willing to buy was contrasted to larger software publishers that place artificial limitations on their content; Mike Masnick of Techdirt
Techdirt
Techdirt is a weblog that reports on technology trends, and related business and economic policy issues, often focusing on copyright and patent reform. The website was started in 1997 by Mike Masnick and it was originally based on the weblog Slash. Techdirt has been named among the favorite blogs...
believed the Humble Bundle promotion worked as it "focus[ed] on giving people real reasons to buy, rather than just feeling entitled to define the terms under which they buy and looking for ways to limit those who want to interact with you in a different manner". The source for the promotion's website has been requested of Wolfire by several other groups, according to Rosen; Rosen continues that he believes that many similar charitable sales can be seen in the future from the Humble Bundle's success. For future Bundles, Rosen desires to include lesser-known titles in contrast to World of Goo and Braid, but has had to already reject some developers' requests to be included in a Bundle, claiming the games' quality may tarnish the Humble Indie Bundle branding. Instead, he believes smaller games with no wide profile and are "legitimately good" would be ideal for inclusion in future Bundles.
In April 2011, it was announced that Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital is a Californian venture capital firm located on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California. The Wall Street Journal has called Sequoia Capital "one of the highest-caliber venture firms", and noted that it is "one of Silicon Valley's most influential venture-capital firms"...
had provided venture capital of $4.7 million towards future Humble Indie Bundle development.
Piracy
Despite the ability to get the games at nearly zero cost, Wolfire Games estimate that 25% of the traceable downloads for the first Bundle have come from software piracyCopyright infringement of software
Copyright infringement of software=The copyright infringement of software refers to several practices which involve the unauthorized copying of computer software. Copyright infringement of this kind varies globally...
by links provided in some forums that bypass the payment screen to access the games; Wolfire further surmises additional piracy occurred through BitTorrent-type peer-to-peer sharing services. Rosen noted they purposely removed much of the DRM associated with games to appeal to those that would otherwise engage in software piracy, through both having the games ship without DRM and by having only limited copy protection on their website. Rosen also stated that for about ten users that emailed Wolfire about being unable to pay for the software, he personally donated on their behalf. Rosen comments that there may be legitimate reasons for those that appear to be pirating the game, including the inability to use the payment methods provided or that they had made a single large donation for multiple copies. However, he also considered that there are players that would simply forward the download links to "take pleasure in spreading the pirated links to their friends or anonymous buddies for fun". Wolfire Games did take action to stop predatory sites, such as the closely named "wollfire.com", from selling illegal copies of the bundle.
While aware of the presumed software piracy, Rosen says that Wolfire will take no steps to limit it, believing that "making the download experience worse for generous contributors in the name of punishing pirates doesn't really fit with the spirit of the bundle". Rosen noted that by offering the source code of the games as an incentive, they would hope that "the community will help build them up with the same vigor that crackers tear DRM down". David Wong of Cracked, in considering several reasons for the negative stereotypes for video game players, used the Humble Indie Bundle as an example of demonstrating the "sense of entitlement" that some video game players have, pointing to the high rate of piracy and use of bandwidth as alternatives to spending "even one penny".
In preparing for the second Humble Indie Bundle sale, John Graham acknowledged that some may still download the game through illegal means, but also said that the organizers of the bundle gave their best effort to make the process of purchasing the games simple, and they also wished to create a social impact with the sales by including contributions to Child's Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. An anonymous survey conducted by Wolfire for those who felt it necessary to acquire the second Bundle from other illegitimate sources showed that some preferred the option of using peer-to-peer sharing services like BitTorrent to improve the speed and reliability of the download; as a result, Wolfire added the option to download the games through BitTorrent, hoping to entice more people to acquire the game legitimately.
Software "counterfeits"
Several games in the Humble Indie Bundles have been released as open-source software as a result of the Bundles reaching certain sales levels. One such game was Wolfire's own Lugaru HD, where they released the engine under the GNU General Public LicenseGNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
, and also included the various art assets, level designs, and other creative elements under a freely redistributable license for personal use. Their intent was to allow programmers to experiment and improve the game's engine using the associated assets. Wolfire later began selling the title Lugaru HD on the Mac App Store for $9.99. However, some time afterwards, another company, iCoder, used the open-source resources to recreate the same game for the App Store, charging only $0.99 for their version Lugaru. iCoder claims they have the right to recreate and charge for the game under the GNU license, but Jeffery Rosen notes that this did not apply to the art assets. Also, the GPL license is not compatible with Apple's AppStore. The iCoder version was taken down from the App Store after about a week since Wolfire notified them of the issue, though so far no explanation has been given by Apple. As the iCoder version of the application was popular, being the 60th most downloaded game application prior to its removal, Wolfire offered those that purchased the iCoder version a free copy of their version and codes to unlock the game from within Steam.
Rosen notes that the incident may discourage developers from releasing their source in the future.
Criticism
Alexander Zubov of Kot-in-Action Creative ArtelKot-in-Action Creative Artel
Kot-in-Action Creative Artel is an independent video game company headquarterd in Del Rio, Texas and founded in 2008 by Alexander Zubov. Consisting of a core team of three people, they developed the Steel Storm series for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms.On November 25, 2010 ,...
who developed the Steel Storm
Steel Storm
Steel Storm is an independent video game series developed by Kot-in-Action Creative Artel using the free software DarkPlaces engine that were released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms...
games complained in an interview about the trouble he had getting his games accepted into the Bundles, originally trying to push their game's first episode as a free bonus for the second Bundle, and then trying to get their full game into the third. Zubov recalls that he had heard "nothing back" until they made a "last minute decision" to include Steel Storm: Burning Retribution in the Humble Indie Bundle 3. Even then, Zubov further described his dissatisfaction with how payment was handled, saying that they were "offered a tiny-tiny fraction of what HIB3 made, a very small (compare to the profits of HIB3) fixed amount of money" even though, according to Zubov, "when Steel Storm was released as a bonus, their sales jumped up significantly." He also mentioned that despite claims by the organizers that their sales would "sky rocket just because [they] were in the HIB3", their actual amount of sales remained relatively constant.
Zubov did however note that their inclusion in the third bundle "did get a lot of users who redeemed their copy of Steel Storm on Steam
Steam (content delivery)
Steam is a digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications platform developed by Valve Corporation. It is used to distribute games and related media online, from small independent developers to larger software houses...
and Desura
Desura
Desura is a proprietary digital distribution platform developed by DesuraNET for Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms, although a client for Mac OS X has also been hinted at. It is used to distribute games and related media online, with a primary focus on small independent developers rather than...
" and that they hoped this would help keep their "current user base, which we gained with HIB3, interested in our upcoming games". He concluded his comments about his experiences by saying that "only time will tell if HIB3 was [an] awesome deal or not. Maybe, maybe not. If it works out as a long term investment, it will be awesome indeed. If not, I will never ever participate in such capacity (as a bonus item for a small fixed payout) in the future HIB bundles. We all do have bills to pay and families to feed, don't we?"
The technology website Phoronix
Phoronix
Phoronix is a technology website that offers product reviews, Linux distribution screenshots, interviews, and news while maintaining a pure Linux orientation. Phoronix was started in June 2004 by Michael Larabel, who currently serves as the owner and editor-in-chief. The name Phoronix is a...
has also reported that there has also been some detractors of the Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle, with editor Michael Larabel
Michael Larabel
Michael Larabel is the founder of Phoronix, a Linux advocate and consultant and the director of software development for Reside@HOME.Michael Larabel received a great deal of attention for starting the ATI Technologies Redblog and issuing The State of ATI Linux in the early days of operating Phoronix...
claiming that the Bundle does not seem to be "as popular as some of the past bundles" and that "the pace of sales isn't as fast as some of the other bundles." More importantly, he also explains that the "bundle has actually resulted in some complaints among gamers", with most of the complaints centred around that fact that originally there was "just one game being officially part of this bundle". Larabel does note that they did later add more games to the bundle as bonuses and that "adding more value to the bundle may generate some additional sales", but does conclude that the initially small offer has caused there to be less "interest among gamers this time around."
List of games offered
| Bundle | Period Offered | Game | Developer | Initial Release Year | Total Raised | Tot purchases | Average price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humble Indie Bundle 1 | May 4–10*, 2010 | World of Goo World of Goo World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle game by 2D Boy, an independent game developer consisting of Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, both former Electronic Arts employees, released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, Android and WiiWare... |
2D Boy 2D Boy 2D Boy is an American independent video game development company founded by Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, former Electronic Arts employees who left their jobs to form an independent development and production company.... |
2008 | US$1.27+ M | 138,813 | $9.18 |
| Aquaria Aquaria (video game) Aquaria is a 2D sidescrolling action-adventure computer game designed by Alec Holowka and Derek Yu, who together form the independent game company Bit Blot, which developed and originally published the game. After more than two years of development, the game was released in 2007 for Windows... |
Bit Blot | 2007 | |||||
| Gish Gish (video game) Gish is a 2D PC platform game developed by Alex Austin, Edmund McMillen and Josiah Pisciotta and distributed by Chronic Logic, Stardock and other distributors. A sequel was announced, but subsequently canceled in late 2009 when Edmund left Cryptic Sea.... |
Cryptic Sea | 2004 | |||||
| Penumbra: Overture Penumbra: Overture Penumbra: Overture is the first in a series of episodic first-person adventure games developed by Swedish developer Frictional Games. It was originally intended as the first episode of a trilogy. With the announcement of the second episode, Penumbra: Black Plague, it was stated that the second game... |
Frictional Games Frictional Games Frictional Games is an independent video game company located in Helsingborg, Sweden. The developer comprises a small core team and is led by Thomas Grip and Jens Nilsson. Certain key roles such as Music and Narrative Design are performed by external staff like Mikko Tarmia and Tom Jubert,... |
2007 | |||||
| Lugaru HD Lugaru Lugaru: The Rabbit's Foot is the first commercial video game created by Wolfire Games. It is a cross-platform, 3D action game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and GNU/Linux. It features Turner, an anthropomorphic rabbit with curiously well-developed combat skills.Lugaru was made almost solely by... |
Wolfire Games Wolfire Games Wolfire Games is an independent video game development company founded by David Rosen. Wolfire Games develops video games for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.- History :... |
2005 | |||||
| Samorost 2 Samorost 2 Samorost 2 is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. Released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux on December 8, 2005, the game is the second video game title in the Samorost series and the sequel to Samorost.... |
Amanita Design Amanita Design Amanita Design is an independent Czech video game developing company that was founded in 2003 by Jakub Dvorský. The company has made several Webby Award-winning games, as well as educational and advertising minigames and animations, all using Adobe Flash. Clients include BBC, Nike and The... |
2007 | |||||
|
|||||||
| Humble Indie Bundle 2 | December 14–24, 2010 | Braid Braid (video game) Braid is a platform and puzzle video game developed by independent software developer Jonathan Blow. The game was released on August 6, 2008 for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. A Microsoft Windows version was released on April 10, 2009. Hothead Games ported and released the game to Mac OS... |
Jonathan Blow Jonathan Blow Jonathan Blow is an independent video game developer. His game Braid won the "Game Design" award at the Independent Games Festival in 2006. He is currently developing The Witness, to be released in 2012.... Number None Studios |
2008 | US$1.8+ M | 232,855 | $7.85 |
| Cortex Command Cortex Command Cortex Command is a 2-dimensional side-scrolling action game developed by Data Realms. In the game, the player takes the role of a disembodied brain, who controls various clones and robots to achieve his aims. There is no campaign as of yet, so there is no main objective the player works towards... |
Data Realms LLC | Currently in playable Beta | |||||
| Machinarium Machinarium Machinarium is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. It was released on October 16, 2009 for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, on September 8, 2011 for iPad 2 on App Store and on November 21, 2011 for BlackBerry PlayBook. Demos were made available on September 30,... |
Amanita Design Amanita Design Amanita Design is an independent Czech video game developing company that was founded in 2003 by Jakub Dvorský. The company has made several Webby Award-winning games, as well as educational and advertising minigames and animations, all using Adobe Flash. Clients include BBC, Nike and The... |
2009 | |||||
| Osmos Osmos Osmos is a puzzle video game developed by Canadian developer Hemisphere Games for different systems as Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The game was made available on Steam on 17 August 2009. The Android port was also hinted to be in development... |
Hemisphere Games | 2009 | |||||
| Revenge of the Titans Revenge of the Titans Revenge of the Titans is a tower defense game with real-time strategy elements. The game was developed by Puppy Games. It was one of the five games included in the second Humble Indie Bundle. As a result of the success of the Humble Indie Bundle sale the source code of Revenge of the Titans was... |
Puppy Games | 2011 | |||||
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Open-source software Open-source software is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software.Open... as a result of success of the sale. |
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| Humble Frozenbyte Bundle | April 12–26, 2011 | Trine Trine (video game) Trine is a side-scrolling action platform and puzzle video game, available for the Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and PlayStation Network. It was developed by the Finnish company Frozenbyte, who previously developed the Shadowgrounds series... |
Frozenbyte Frozenbyte Frozenbyte Inc. is a Finnish game-developer founded in 2001 and based in Helsinki, Finland. The company has now grown to a professional team of almost 20 people, with its first commercial game being Shadowgrounds for Microsoft Windows... |
2009 | US$0.9+ M | 183,219 | $4.97 |
| Shadowgrounds Shadowgrounds Shadowgrounds is a shoot 'em up for Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux and Mac OS X, developed by Frozenbyte. The game takes place on a space colony on Ganymede which is being attacked by aliens... |
Frozenbyte Frozenbyte Frozenbyte Inc. is a Finnish game-developer founded in 2001 and based in Helsinki, Finland. The company has now grown to a professional team of almost 20 people, with its first commercial game being Shadowgrounds for Microsoft Windows... |
2005 | |||||
| Shadowgrounds Survivor Shadowgrounds Survivor Shadowgrounds Survivor is a shooter game developed by Frozenbyte and the sequel to Shadowgrounds. It has three playable characters, a RPG-like upgrade system for weapons and characters, a survival mode, graphics enhanced from its predecessor, an integrated physics engine, and a soundtrack by Ari... |
Frozenbyte Frozenbyte Frozenbyte Inc. is a Finnish game-developer founded in 2001 and based in Helsinki, Finland. The company has now grown to a professional team of almost 20 people, with its first commercial game being Shadowgrounds for Microsoft Windows... |
2007 | |||||
| Splot | Frozenbyte Frozenbyte Frozenbyte Inc. is a Finnish game-developer founded in 2001 and based in Helsinki, Finland. The company has now grown to a professional team of almost 20 people, with its first commercial game being Shadowgrounds for Microsoft Windows... |
Unreleased Pre-Order | |||||
| Jack Claw | Frozenbyte Frozenbyte Frozenbyte Inc. is a Finnish game-developer founded in 2001 and based in Helsinki, Finland. The company has now grown to a professional team of almost 20 people, with its first commercial game being Shadowgrounds for Microsoft Windows... |
Unreleased Prototype Bonus | |||||
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Desura Desura is a proprietary digital distribution platform developed by DesuraNET for Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms, although a client for Mac OS X has also been hinted at. It is used to distribute games and related media online, with a primary focus on small independent developers rather than... redemption keys for all games, except Splot and Jack Claw, as well as an OnLive OnLive OnLive is a cloud gaming platform: the games are synchronized, rendered, and stored on remote servers and delivered via the Internet.The service is available using the OnLive Game System, PCs running Microsoft Windows and Intel-based Macs with OS X 10.5.8 or later... key for Trine, were distributed to the bundle customers. |
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| Humble Indie Bundle 3 | July 26 – August 9, 2011 | Crayon Physics Deluxe | Kloonigames | 2009 | US$2.16+ M | 351,251 | $5.83 |
| Cogs Cogs (video game) -Gameplay:Cogs is built on a number of puzzles that mimic sliding block puzzles. Each level, representing some three-dimensional object, has various objectives, but generally involve moving tiles to connect sets of gears, piping, and other physical elements to make that object behave in a specific... |
Lazy 8 Studios | 2009 | |||||
| VVVVVV VVVVVV VVVVVV is a 2D puzzle platform video game designed by Terry Cavanagh and scored by Magnus Pålsson. The game was built in Adobe Flash and released on January 11, 2010, for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. The game was ported to C++ by Simon Roth in 2011, and released as part of the Humble Indie... |
Terry Cavanagh | 2010 | |||||
| Hammerfight | Kranx Productions | 2009 | |||||
| And Yet It Moves And Yet It Moves And Yet It Moves is a single-player puzzle platform game developed by independent developer Broken Rules. The game was released on personal computer and WiiWare platforms, and the name itself is an English translation of Galileo Galilei's famous remark E pur si muove!-Gameplay:And Yet It Moves is... |
Broken Rules | 2009 | |||||
| Steel Storm Steel Storm Steel Storm is an independent video game series developed by Kot-in-Action Creative Artel using the free software DarkPlaces engine that were released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms... |
Kot-in-Action Creative Artel Kot-in-Action Creative Artel Kot-in-Action Creative Artel is an independent video game company headquarterd in Del Rio, Texas and founded in 2008 by Alexander Zubov. Consisting of a core team of three people, they developed the Steel Storm series for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms.On November 25, 2010 ,... |
2010 | |||||
| Atom Zombie Smasher Atom Zombie Smasher Atom Zombie Smasher is a real-time strategy game developed by independent developer Blendo Games. In it, the player attempts to rescue as many citizens as possible from an oncoming zombie horde using helicopter rescue units and an array of military units to protect the citizens and defeat the... |
Blendo Games | 2011 | |||||
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Desura Desura is a proprietary digital distribution platform developed by DesuraNET for Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms, although a client for Mac OS X has also been hinted at. It is used to distribute games and related media online, with a primary focus on small independent developers rather than... redemption keys for all games, except some were not immediately available on Steam for Mac. Minecraft Minecraft is a sandbox-building independent video game written in Java originally by Swedish creator Markus "Notch" Persson and now by his company, Mojang, formed from the proceeds of the game. It was released as an alpha on May 17, 2009, with a beta version on December 20, 2010... until August 14, 2011. Steel Storm Steel Storm is an independent video game series developed by Kot-in-Action Creative Artel using the free software DarkPlaces engine that were released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms... by Kot-in-Action Creative Artel Kot-in-Action Creative Artel Kot-in-Action Creative Artel is an independent video game company headquarterd in Del Rio, Texas and founded in 2008 by Alexander Zubov. Consisting of a core team of three people, they developed the Steel Storm series for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms.On November 25, 2010 ,... was added for free to the bundle on August 1, 2011. Atom Zombie Smasher Atom Zombie Smasher is a real-time strategy game developed by independent developer Blendo Games. In it, the player attempts to rescue as many citizens as possible from an oncoming zombie horde using helicopter rescue units and an array of military units to protect the citizens and defeat the... by Blendo Games was added for free to the bundle on August 5, 2011. |
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| Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle | September 28 – October 12, 2011 | Frozen Synapse Frozen Synapse -External links:****... |
Mode 7 Games | 2011 | US$1.11+ M | 231,797 | $4.81 |
| Trauma Trauma (video game) Trauma is a graphical adventure interactive fiction game developed by Polish programmer Krystian Majewski as part of a thesis project, and released in August 2011. The game is based on a woman that has suffered a physiological trauma, and has been languishing in several dreamscapes while... |
Krystian Majewski | 2010 | |||||
| SpaceChem SpaceChem SpaceChem is a cross-platform indie puzzle game from Zachtronics Industries, creator of Infiniminer which was the main basis of the cult indie game Minecraft... |
Zachtronics Industries | 2011 | |||||
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Direct2Drive Direct2Drive is an online game store offering PC videogames via direct download. On May 25, 2011, Gamefly acquired Direct2Drive from IGN Entertainment Group .- Competition with Steam :... , and Desura Desura Desura is a proprietary digital distribution platform developed by DesuraNET for Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms, although a client for Mac OS X has also been hinted at. It is used to distribute games and related media online, with a primary focus on small independent developers rather than... redemption keys for all games, except Splot and Jack Claw, as well as an OnLive OnLive OnLive is a cloud gaming platform: the games are synchronized, rendered, and stored on remote servers and delivered via the Internet.The service is available using the OnLive Game System, PCs running Microsoft Windows and Intel-based Macs with OS X 10.5.8 or later... key for Trine. Trauma (video game) Trauma is a graphical adventure interactive fiction game developed by Polish programmer Krystian Majewski as part of a thesis project, and released in August 2011. The game is based on a woman that has suffered a physiological trauma, and has been languishing in several dreamscapes while... by Krystian Majewski was added as a free bonus to the bundle on September 30, 2011. SpaceChem SpaceChem is a cross-platform indie puzzle game from Zachtronics Industries, creator of Infiniminer which was the main basis of the cult indie game Minecraft... by Zachtronics Industries was added to the bundle on October 5, 2011; a separate soundtrack followed October 7, 2011. |
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| Humble Voxatron Debut | October 31 – November 14, 2011 | Voxatron | Lexaloffle | Alpha release | US$0.9+ M | 172,261 | $5.24 |
| Blocks That Matter | Swing Swing Submarine | 2011 | |||||
| The Binding of Isaac The Binding of Isaac (video game) The Binding of Isaac is an independent video game designed by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl. It was released on Steam on September 28, 2011. Players control a crying naked child named Isaac or one of five other unlockable characters... |
Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl | 2011 | |||||
| Gish Gish (video game) Gish is a 2D PC platform game developed by Alex Austin, Edmund McMillen and Josiah Pisciotta and distributed by Chronic Logic, Stardock and other distributors. A sequel was announced, but subsequently canceled in late 2009 when Edmund left Cryptic Sea.... |
Cryptic Sea | 2004 | |||||
| Chocolate Castle Chocolate Castle Chocolate Castle is a puzzle video game developed by New Zealand-based company Lexaloffle and published on April 2, 2007. The game was developed by Lexaloffle's owner and operator Joseph White, who designed Chocolate Castle as a platform for further puzzle games... |
Lexaloffle | 2007 | |||||
| Jasper's Journeys | Lexaloffle | 2008 | |||||
| Zen Puzzle Garden | Lexaloffle | Unknown | |||||
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| Humble Introversion Bundle | November 22 – December 6, 2011 | Darwinia | Introversion Software Introversion Software -History:The company was founded in 2001 by three friends, Chris Delay; Mark Morris; and Thomas Arundel, who met when they were undergraduates at Imperial College London... |
2005 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Uplink | Introversion Software Introversion Software -History:The company was founded in 2001 by three friends, Chris Delay; Mark Morris; and Thomas Arundel, who met when they were undergraduates at Imperial College London... |
2001 | |||||
| Multiwinia Multiwinia Multiwinia is the fourth video game made by Introversion Software, the creators of Uplink, Darwinia and Defcon. It is a real-time strategy game. It is included with the Darwinia+.-Plot:... |
Introversion Software Introversion Software -History:The company was founded in 2001 by three friends, Chris Delay; Mark Morris; and Thomas Arundel, who met when they were undergraduates at Imperial College London... |
2008 | |||||
| DEFCON | Introversion Software Introversion Software -History:The company was founded in 2001 by three friends, Chris Delay; Mark Morris; and Thomas Arundel, who met when they were undergraduates at Imperial College London... |
2006 | |||||
| Voxel Tech Demo | Introversion Software Introversion Software -History:The company was founded in 2001 by three friends, Chris Delay; Mark Morris; and Thomas Arundel, who met when they were undergraduates at Imperial College London... |
Tech Demo | |||||
| City Generator Tech Demo | Introversion Software Introversion Software -History:The company was founded in 2001 by three friends, Chris Delay; Mark Morris; and Thomas Arundel, who met when they were undergraduates at Imperial College London... |
Tech Demo | |||||
| Aquaria Aquaria (video game) Aquaria is a 2D sidescrolling action-adventure computer game designed by Alec Holowka and Derek Yu, who together form the independent game company Bit Blot, which developed and originally published the game. After more than two years of development, the game was released in 2007 for Windows... |
Bit Blot | 2007 | |||||
| Crayon Physics Deluxe | Kloonigames | 2009 | |||||
| Dungeons of Dredmor Dungeons of Dredmor Dungeons of Dredmor is a roguelike indie game by Gaslamp Games. The game features tile-based graphics.- Gameplay :The game starts as the player assumes the role of the game's main character entering a hostile dungeon crawler environment. The player enters a dungeon at the top floor and gradually... |
Gaslamp Games Gaslamp Games Gaslamp Games, Inc. is a small, independent software development company based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada currently designing video games for the Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems.... |
2011 | |||||
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Aquaria (video game) Aquaria is a 2D sidescrolling action-adventure computer game designed by Alec Holowka and Derek Yu, who together form the independent game company Bit Blot, which developed and originally published the game. After more than two years of development, the game was released in 2007 for Windows... and Crayon Physics Deluxe were available for those that paid more than the average bundle price. Dungeons of Dredmor Dungeons of Dredmor is a roguelike indie game by Gaslamp Games. The game features tile-based graphics.- Gameplay :The game starts as the player assumes the role of the game's main character entering a hostile dungeon crawler environment. The player enters a dungeon at the top floor and gradually... was added to the Bundle on November 29, 2011 and was available for those that paid more than the average bundle price. |
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