GoKawiilPublisher and game management platform indie.io just announced the pending launch of something called Indie Pass . This is a subscription service, so it's sort of like Game Pass but for indie titles.
It launches on April 13 and will offer over 70 games on that date, with more coming down the line. Not a single person on this planet wants another monthly subscription to manage, but this one costs just $8. That's a pretty good deal, considering Game Pass Ultimate costs a whopping $30 per month .
However, these subscription platforms are only as good as their libraries. The company has already confirmed a bunch of nifty titles like the cozy game Echoes of the Plum Grove, the farm-based shooter Air Hares and the tactical RPG Dark Deity. It also promises a "constantly evolving catalog." Indie.io publishes a lot of stuff, so that should make it easier to keep the catalog stacked.
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The company is also currently courting indie developers and publishers , with a promise to reveal some of these partnerships in the coming weeks. This could be a nice way to drum up interest in new or smaller games, but everything really depends on if people are willing to pony up for another subscription.
Indie Pass is just for PC. However, there doesn't seem to be anything that would prevent the platform from working on a Steam Deck via the console's Proton layer. This lets players run Windows-specific titles on the console's Linux-based OS. This has long been considered a good way to run indie.io-published games that don't make their way to Steam. Engadget has reached out to the company for specifics and will update this post when we hear back.