It looks like the newer owners of Desura haven't been paying developers, uh oh.
It's a bit of an odd story, as it seems it has taken months for Desura to even comment on it. With some developers noting they tried contacting Desura multiple times, on different support emails, with no reply.
Desura have finally made a blog post about it, and it only seems like they have done so since all this got sent to us and a multitude of other bigger PC sites.
I can imagine there being a few little niggles here and there when a company is taken over, but paying developers who use your store should be one of your highest priorities shouldn't it? A week here and there is acceptable, but I've noted some developers waiting 4-5 months for a payment, that's just not right no matter how you want to spin it.
I constantly say developers need to be more open, but a store should be even more open considering how many people might be relying on it, to quote Desura’s blog post:
Quotea number of very difficult issues to tackle
Not exactly explaining much is it?
I imagine a lot of developers will be jumping ship after this. Itch.io is always a good one to look at.
I'm not unsympathetic, but what does an ill CEO have to do with non-payment to developers? This whole situation is odd, and we have to remember they are a business, and delays like this are just not acceptable.
Update: They have added this to their blog post on it:
QuoteUpdate: 5/22/15:
It has been brought to my attention by a number of developers that my wording was not very clear in the above post regarding Tony's hospitalization. It was never intended to say that that was the reason for the back payments, it was to let the press as well as our developers know that Tony is absent and this is why he is not here talking to everyone himself. While his absence has, as I said above, compounded things over the last week or so, it was and is the lack of automated payment systems which created this bottleneck, and that is where our focus is currently. We do have to await his return before moving forward with implementing solutions, but we are doing our best to continue to stay in communication with everyone.
While it was not unexpected that some would feel compelled to pull their titles from Desura, we hope that developers will work with us, and I want to personally thank everyone who has reached out with words of support and well wishes for Tony's health, as well as for the company in general as we handle this difficult situation. With your patience and support, we can continue to work on resolution, and fixing the problems.
We've also been in touch over twitter, and they have said they are recruiting for their payment system over this weekend:
@gamingonlinux He's recruiting some help to work on payments over the weekend, I was speaking of major changes to the service and site
— LadyKaiju (@LadyAijou) May 23, 2015
When asking about an automatic payment system:
@gamingonlinux Not till we get Tony back, but I'm already speaking to our development team about options, we'll be ready to present them 1/2
— LadyKaiju (@LadyAijou) May 23, 2015
@gamingonlinux 2/2 when Tony gets back, and he can choose from among those instead of having to do the leg work
— LadyKaiju (@LadyAijou) May 23, 2015
I do hope they sort something out, as I've already seen and noted developers leaving them. It's not entirely their fault, Desura should have had an automatic payment system a long, long time before they purchased it. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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That is a great way for con artists (often working as groups) to gain public favor: Broad and unclear descriptions of a problem, and most importantly, garnering sympathy due to a "health problem".
However, it could just be my paranoia, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, to a degree. Medical problem aside, the problems should be made much clearer, especially since these are game developers they're talking to, meaning they will likely understand. "I hope that our devs will work with us on the solutions" does NOT inspire confidence. You don't "hope" your devs will work with you; your devs work with you (or for you) whether they like it or not, and they should be keeping everyone apprised of what's going on while they work on the problem.
I would keep my on them, as it sounds too suspicious.
However, it could just be my paranoia, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, to a degree. Medical problem aside, the problems should be made much clearer, especially since these are game developers they're talking to, meaning they will likely understand. "I hope that our devs will work with us on the solutions" does NOT inspire confidence. You don't "hope" your devs will work with you; your devs work with you (or for you) whether they like it or not, and they should be keeping everyone apprised of what's going on while they work on the problem.
I would keep my on them, as it sounds too suspicious.
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Insperatus May 22, 2015
I recently bought Quest for Infamy on Desura because they advertised a Steam key and I've been wanting to add the game to my collection (and play it! :P)
Upon purchase, no key was available. I contacted Desura and received a reply two days later: "The developer has not yet made any steam keys available, but I will touch bases with them to see if any are ready."
That was four days ago and I haven't heard anything since. I'm not exactly going to be rushing to buy from Desura at this point and after reading your article I wonder if I'll ever get a key.
Upon purchase, no key was available. I contacted Desura and received a reply two days later: "The developer has not yet made any steam keys available, but I will touch bases with them to see if any are ready."
That was four days ago and I haven't heard anything since. I'm not exactly going to be rushing to buy from Desura at this point and after reading your article I wonder if I'll ever get a key.
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GustyGhost May 22, 2015
I was looking at joining Desura so that I am not as reliant on Steam (don't put all your eggs in one basket). Is this a bad time to join? Should I look elsewhere?
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Quoting: AnxiousInfusionI was looking at joining Desura so that I am not as reliant on Steam (don't put all your eggs in one basket). Is this a bad time to join? Should I look elsewhere?I would definitely consider GOG. The platform seems to be growing lately and I know some people who use it instead of steam.
I know nobody personally, who uses Desura (though I would still consider it for distribution, if this "issue" gets resolved.)
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muntdefems May 22, 2015
I used to be a Desura champion, and I really wished it to become a real alternative to Steam, but my enthusiasm has totally waned by now. Nothing has changed in the 2.5 years I've been using it, even after changing hands twice. A non-working Linux client, and fewer quality games being released there (and those who do, usually during early development, are totally neglected by the devs once they get into Steam) is nothing to be excited about, that's for sure.
Your best bet right now would be to wait until GOG's Galaxy is available on Linux. Hope we get it sooner than later.
Quoting: AnxiousInfusionI was looking at joining Desura so that I am not as reliant on Steam (don't put all your eggs in one basket). Is this a bad time to join? Should I look elsewhere?
Your best bet right now would be to wait until GOG's Galaxy is available on Linux. Hope we get it sooner than later.
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Projectile Vomit May 22, 2015
I've had trouble with Desura crashing when I try to install games I already have in my play list. Luckily, most of the games I have in Desura (with the exception of a few) I can download outside of Desura.
...Desura.
...Desura.
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Quoting: InsperatusI recently bought Quest for Infamy on Desura because they advertised a Steam key and I've been wanting to add the game to my collection (and play it! :P)
Upon purchase, no key was available. I contacted Desura and received a reply two days later: "The developer has not yet made any steam keys available, but I will touch bases with them to see if any are ready."
That was four days ago and I haven't heard anything since. I'm not exactly going to be rushing to buy from Desura at this point and after reading your article I wonder if I'll ever get a key.
I'm the dev of Quest For Infamy! First off, I want to say thank you for purchasing our game and supporting us! Yay!! Secondly, shoot me an email - info at infamous-quests.com and I'll get you your Steam Key ASAP.
Fun fact - we haven't gotten a payment from Desura for QFI yet at all, and it went on sale there July 11, 2014. Says we haven't sold $500 worth of games there yet. Which may or may not be true, I've heard from other devs that the sales stats tracking we see isn't accurate. Or otherwise we just haven't made crap from the game yet. (The second IS entirely possible, classic/retro point and click role playing adventures are PREEEETY niche, I'd say.)
Anyway, contact me, and I'll help you with anything you need.
Bt
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How awesome is that??!!
Developers actually commenting and willing to produce a product key for your purchase! I hope you guys are making money from sales and continue developing!
A few years back I was using Desura for downloading and playing many games. I had several games that I purchased and a few free games. Then I started using Linux and found that Desura also had a Linux version available. It worked perfectly!
Today, I'm still waiting for a stable Desura client so I can start downloading my games again. Who knows if this is going to happen? I love supporting Indie games and DRM Free games, so I hope they get their "act together" and help us help them.
Developers actually commenting and willing to produce a product key for your purchase! I hope you guys are making money from sales and continue developing!
A few years back I was using Desura for downloading and playing many games. I had several games that I purchased and a few free games. Then I started using Linux and found that Desura also had a Linux version available. It worked perfectly!
Today, I'm still waiting for a stable Desura client so I can start downloading my games again. Who knows if this is going to happen? I love supporting Indie games and DRM Free games, so I hope they get their "act together" and help us help them.
4 Likes, Who?
I was alerted to this thread by a friend of mine, who's also a voracious Linux user - I try my best to be out there for the people who buy our game, and I'm generally available via email and twitter easily! Being a dev is an honor, so I try my best for people.
Bt
Bt
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Quoting: Blackthorne519I was alerted to this thread by a friend of mine, who's also a voracious Linux user - I try my best to be out there for the people who buy our game, and I'm generally available via email and twitter easily! Being a dev is an honor, so I try my best for people.Thank you for taking time to care for your customers.
Bt
I hope Desura continues this strategy as GOG has. I have experienced GOG's concern for their customers and community. Other gaming services should learn from them.
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