This is not clickbait, we really are the most indie-friendly game hosting provider out there! If you had the chance to read the past 2 articles about our tech (containers and edge computing) you already know how our technologies can benefit indies. On one side, we offer worldwide coverage for game hosting accessible on day one and we offer a flexible service with the lowest latency possible. #closertotheuser

But that’s only the tip of the iceberg as the real reason why we are indie-friendly is anchored in our philosophy and our business model. First, we know how it feels to be a small and full of dreams, because that’s how we started here at Edgegap. We also know, from experience, that an indie CEO/Founder is also likely the same person that takes care of accounting, the business development, and taking the trash out at night. In fact, our Chief Strategy Officer Vincent, the one shaping the vision of how our services function, comes from the indie world having co-founded an indie studio in Montreal, launching multiple titles before having a successful exit. Now, let me break down how our philosophy affects how we deal with our indie studio partners.

Integration

There is no one size fit all for game studios; some are made up of a one-man army, others have 20 hyper specialized team-members. However, I believe that we found a common ground when it comes to integration. Integrating with Edgegap is an easy process that can be summarized in 2 steps and will not ask the indie studio to change anything in their game client or netcode. Playing around in the netcode is expansive in dev time and can create some unwanted issues down the line. In addition to being easy, it can also be done relatively quickly and thus allow the studio to test quickly and efficiently.

The 2 easy steps are: containerization of the game server application, and making an API call to our decision-making software. Once the integration is done, it keeps getting easier for the studio as there is no fleet management to handle since Edgegap is a fully managed hosting service. In short, our integration process and the nature of our service allow devs to do what they are the best at, making games that are fun and exciting for all!

Support 

With Edgegap, we like to take a personal approach to  ,. That means that you will get a dedicated Slack channel with a dedicated dev and an account manager to assist you whenever you need. Even if our integration is effortless we do use new technologies that not everyone is familiar with, so we’ll help you when you need it. We’ve helped every studio with the containerization process and we also pay close attention to the game server optimization. The more the game server is optimized, the lower the costs will be and the better we can provide an outstanding service for a reasonable price

Pricing

Free tier/ongoing discount: The first thing that we put in place, pricing-wise, to welcome indies with open arms is our free tier. As long as you have less than 100CCU or 1000 DAU you do not incur costs with Edgegap. If you need to do some prototype tests, or your game is in early access, or this is your first launch and you’re unsure of the reception of your multiplayer game, our free tier is there to help.

No agreements: We do not ask anyone to sign any kind of long-term agreement and that’s my favorite point of them all! Coming from the start-up world, I know how uncertain the future can be and the stress that comes from that. The gaming industry moves fast, so signing a 2 years agreement for your game hosting when you don’t know how successful your game will be is a really hard position to be in. There’s also the case where your needs change along the way and maybe our services will not be the best suited for your game. We make the bet that our service will be so beyond your expectations that you’ll never want to leave, but it’s important that you have the liberty to choose what’s best for your game and your team. Our goal is to empower game makers, not to hold them accountable to an agreement that doesn’t make sense. And for those wondering, yes you can go for an agreement to unlock extra discounts! 

By the minute and real usage: Our pricing structure is all about flexibility and what’s really happening. Studio’s invoices are produced with the number of minutes (not hours) that were used and the number of monthly active users. In other words, you only pay when players are actively playing your game; no more money wasted on standby instances sitting empty waiting for players. We don’t need to waste away precious computing resources, since we can scale automatically within a few seconds according to your game’s demand in any region of the world.

Conclusion

To wrap it up, we are the most indie-friendly game hosting provider because we understand the situation from an indie studio’s perspective and because our technology allows us to answer the issues they are faced with. Our technology is easy to integrate and can be used effortlessly. Our pricing is all about the real usage of your players. We come with a mentality of deeply supporting our clients and we do not lock anyone into agreements.

If you’re a small, medium, or big studio looking for not just a hosting provider, but also a partner to accompany you on your crazy game ideas, get in touch here!