Desura: The New Leader in the Online Gaming Niche?

Desura, a one-time big competitor to Steam in the digital game market, has seen a lot of changes. At first, Desura was all about helping small, independent game creators by giving them a place to sell their games and connect with players. It stood out because of its strong community, easy game updates, and support for game developers.

Over time, Desura went through a lot of ups and downs. It started with DesuraNET, then got passed to Linden Lab and later Bad Juju Games. Unfortunately, Bad Juju didn’t do well and filed for bankruptcy in 2015, which caused problems for Desura, including times when it wasn’t working. In 2016, OnePlay bought Desura, planning to make it a subscription service, but that didn’t work out either because of OnePlay’s financial issues.

In 2020, things took another turn when a buyer from Finland bought Desura, about whom only the fact that he specializes in the development and promotion of online games is known and does everything possible to remain anonymous. Instead of just selling games, now it was more about offering free games and making its own simple online games. This was a big move away from its original purpose.

Today’s Desura is quite different from before. It still has the same name and logo, but it’s more focused on online gaming. Even with its tough history, including problems that made users and game developers unhappy, Desura is trying to make a comeback in the online gaming world.

Looking ahead, Desura is getting ready for a new start with plans for a Kickstarter campaign to fund improvements to their website. They want to make a website that’s really engaging and fun for gamers. This new direction is about making Desura more than just a place to get games; it’s about creating a great experience for players.

This Kickstarter initiative is a significant step towards rejuvenating Desura. The success of this project hinges on garnering substantial support and effectively delivering on their commitments. Facing this challenge head-on, Desura is geared up to take a leap of faith, determined to revitalize its platform. The experience gained from the tumultuous phase following the bankruptcy of its parent company, Bad Juju Games, in June 2015, has been a critical learning curve for Desura. These periods of ownership changes and operational hurdles have significantly shaped Desura’s strategy towards crowdfunding and managing projects.

With all these changes, there’s a question about how Desura will do in the online gaming world. Can it become a big player again and compete with sites like Crazy Games or Poki? Desura’s story shows how the online game market is always changing.