Robot Cache is a Steam competitor that allows players to sell back unwanted games for cryptocurrencies
Robot Cache is a new online store for PC games that's offering some radical changes to the current publisher-platform-player dynamic.
Robot Cache is a company founded by Brian Fargo, veteran video game industry executive who's also behind studios like inXile, and Interplay.
The service claims to offer a "decentralised" marketplace where publishers get a bigger cut of the sale of new games, and where players are able to sell back the digital games they finish.
A player gets to retain up to 25% of the proceeds when reselling a game, and that value will be transferred in a digital token called IRON. IRON is Robot Cache’s cryptocurrency, which you can use to buy other games on the service. Because the platform is decentralised, one player could sell their old game to another and get credited in IRON.
For publishers, Robot Cache will allow them to retain up to 95% of the sale value for new games, compared to 70% on other platforms like Steam. Publishers can also set resale values, though they'll only get 70% of resale proceeds.
But there's another side to Robot Cache. The platform's client can also be used (opt-in) to mine IRON on a player's PC. The company said IRON will also be awarded when certain community milestones are reached, and as part of a reward programme.
IRON is based on Ethereum's ERC-20 standard. Ethereum, of course, being the well known cryptocurrency. Robot Cache will pre-sell tokens starting this week, which will be converted into IRON at the service's launch in the second quarter of this year.
Robot Cache's DRM is based on blockchain, a system of smart contracts that ensures digital ownership. The digital rights will be stored in blockchains and transferred to another player when a resale is made.
Robot Cache has said that players will be able to cash out, but the company has not yet made a deal with any third-party vendors, though it's currently researching the available options. In the meantime, Robot Cache is interested in keeping everything in its ecosystem, similar to how you can only use Steam Wallet funds to purchase games.
Head over to the Robot Cache website for more. The service will go live sometime in Q2.