Stardock Launches Impulse: The PC's Next-Generation Distribution Platform
PLYMOUTH, MI - June 17, 2008 - With the backing of
industry powerhouse games and software developers and publishers,
Stardock today announced the launch of its next-generation digital
distribution platform, Impulse (www.impulsedriven.com). Impulse is a
cohesive, integrated virtual platform for consumers and developers that
is designed to simplify buying, supporting, and developing PC games and
applications for Windows XP and Vista.
"Impulse is a platform first, a store second," said Brad Wardell,
president and CEO of Stardock Corp. "Our primary objective with Impulse
is to address the issues users have with their Windows experience
today. That includes being able to boot up a new PC, install Impulse,
and then be able to press a button and have it install all of your
software and games with one click."
To this end, Stardock has been working with major PC game publishers
and software developers to bring as many titles onto Impulse over the
next several months. For developers and publishers, Impulse supports
localized currencies, custom pricing models for affiliates, exclusive
store items on a per-partner basis, publisher controlled availability,
and more. For consumers, Impulse is expected to have the largest
selection of digitally-available software on the market within its
first year of operation. Currently Impulse features more than 100 games
and software applications.
Stardock is currently working with premier game and software
companies including Epic Games, THQ, AVG, iolo, Gas Powered Games,
Hothead Games, Ironclad Games, Meridian4 and many others.
"Impulse is, by far, the most advanced digital distribution platform
we've seen, and we're extremely excited to take advantage of the
features of Impulse Reactor," said Chris Taylor, CEO of Gas Powered
Games. "It's easy to use, has awesome capabilities for developers, and
it doesn't tie consumers to a single digital distribution platform."
Continued Wardell, "Impulse is designed to help consumers get the
full use of their PC. For example, a user who has purchased multiple
programs over the years is left hunting for CDs and registration
numbers when setting up a new machine, and their data may be scattered
across multiple USB drives and other computers. If the user has games,
it can be needlessly complex to find and set up multiplayer games and
keep up to date on drivers."
Impulse addresses these issues; once a user purchases a program, it
is automatically associated with their Impulse account. Users can
update or re-download a given program when they set up a new machine or
as needed. In addition, Impulse allows users to associate programs with
their Impulse accounts even if those programs weren't purchased through
Impulse. For example, a user who purchases a game from their local
retailer or a different digital distribution service would be able to
associate their purchase with Impulse if the program's publisher takes
advantage of the free option. Additionally, Impulse supports refunds
for users who have technical issues with a game or application.
"Digital distribution empowers independent developers like Hothead
and is exactly what the game industry needs today," said Vlad Ceraldi,
president of Hothead Games. "Impulse will offer more choices to gamers
and developers alike--we are truly excited about the games we will
bring to Impulse, starting with our first game series, On the
Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness."
Impulse will also provide a virtual platform called Impulse Reactor,
a set of server-side features for developers that will work even if the
user doesn't have the Impulse client installed. Impulse Reactor will
include support for virtual drives for saved game data, multiplayer
matchmaking, game rankings, NAT negotiation for multiplayer games,
friends lists, and support forums.
Also unique to Impulse is its distribution model. Companies and
individuals will be able to distribute their own branded version of
Impulse starting in mid-August, and every time a user creates an
account with an affiliated distributor, that distributor will receive a
percentage of the gross revenue of any future purchases.
Amongst the first distributors of Impulse will be AMD, which will be
distributing Impulse as part of their Ruby ROM content disk that
accompanies their graphics cards as well as from the AMD Game! website.
Darren McPhee, senior marketing manager for gaming at AMD said, "We
are excited about the potential of Impulse to help enhance the user
experience of our customers. With the continuing advances in PC
technology, we see Impulse as a terrific way to help bring these
advances to our user base."
Impulse can be used by developers, publishers, and even retailers.
"Digital distribution shouldn't be seen as a threat to our retail
partners, rather as an opportunity," said Wardell.
By passing Microsoft's stringent testing procedures, Impulse has
been Certified for Windows Vista. Applications that receive this
recognition have been independently tested to assure the highest levels
of compatibility, functionality and reliability and must meet both
Microsoft's own security guidelines and the privacy standards set for
by the Anti-Spyware coalition.
"Microsoft is pleased that Stardock has earned the Certified for
Windows Vista software logo for their Impulse application," said Jeff
Price, senior director in Windows Client Product Management at
Microsoft Corp. "This highlights Stardock's commitment to providing its
customers with higher quality applications that deliver a more secure,
reliable and compatible experience with Windows Vista."
"We are excited to be working with Stardock on the launch of
Impulse. We believe that through Impulse, the iolo brand, and System
Mechanic in particular, will be introduced into a promising new market.
Through Impulse, consumers will be able to benefit from having access
to a variety of software applications, games and drivers through a
single platform," said Tim Weinzirl, business development manager, iolo
technology.
Stardock will be releasing Impulse in three phases. Today marks the
initial launch of the Impulse client, with the immediate availability
of titles from multiple PC game publishers and software developers.
Phase two, scheduled for mid-August, will include Impulse Reactor and
the beta of MyImpulse, a utility that will allow developers to
automatically submit their games or software to Impulse under a
streamlined, uniform royalty agreement for moderation. Phase three will
be launched in early 2009 and will greatly automate the ability for
developers to publish their games and software on Impulse as well as
include virtual drive management tools.
To learn more about Impulse visit www.impulsedriven.com. Impulse is also included on the retail version of Stardock's new PC strategy game, The Political Machine 2008.
About Stardock
Stardock is one of the world's leading developers and publishers of
PC games and desktop software. Its PC games include Sins of a Solar
Empire, the highest rated and best selling PC strategy game of 2008 as
well as the critically acclaimed Galactic Civilizations series. Its
desktop software includes Object Desktop, WindowBlinds, and a host of
other programs for customizing the Windows experience.
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