Gamestop to start publishing indie games

Video game retailer GameStop is making a move into publishing.

The company announced Monday a venture called GameTrust, which will publish video games for multiple platforms from independent studios.

Studios Insomniac Games (Ratchet & Clank), Ready at Dawn (The Order: 1886) and Frozenbyte (Trine) are among the indie studios creating games that will be published through GameTrust.

Mark Stanley, GameStop's vice president of internal development and diversification, says the venture will focus on games "largely ignored by big publishers" in favor of triple-A titles.

"That’s where we find a nice niche," says Stanley.

The first game published and released this summer is an underwater exploration game called Song of the Deep, developed by Insomniac. It will be available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The launch of GameTrust is part of the company's effort to diversify beyond selling physical video games. Three years ago, the retailer opened up its video game hardware and software trade-in business to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.