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For physical PC games

Three ways your game keeps going.

Bring a supported PC game to We the Indies with Rialto 1.5 for free, DRM-free game updates and Cloud Saving. You can use our fulfillment or keep your own storefront, branding and fulfillment. Releases made and fulfilled by us can also include digital ownership.

  • Free with an eligible release
  • DRM-free
  • Nothing runs automatically

What the three features mean

The short version first. Each feature does one specific job.

01

Game updates

A player can patch the installed game without changing the disc.

Rialto checks the installed files and changes only what the update needs. Updating is never automatic. It starts only when the player chooses Check for Update in the game menu.

02

Cloud Saving

A Save Code carries the latest cloud save to another computer.

It is our own service, built into the game menu Rialto makes, and has nothing to do with Steam Cloud. Saves stay in their normal place on the computer. The player can copy a Save Code from the game menu, install the game on another computer, and enter that code to recover the latest cloud save.

03

Digital ownership

An eligible physical game can also come with a DRM-free digital copy.

The disc remains the physical copy the player bought. Digital ownership gives that player a way to download the same eligible game DRM-free when a disc drive is not available.

Eligibility

What can my release include?

It depends on how the game comes to We the Indies.

Rialto 1.5 + We the Indies

Publish and distribute with us

You send the supported PC game files. We build the physical release with Rialto 1.5 and sell it through We the Indies.

Can include all three
  • Game updatesCan include
  • Cloud SavingCan include
  • Digital ownershipCan include

Game updates, Cloud Saving and digital ownership can come with the release at no added cost. Not every release has all three.

Rialto 1.5 + your storefront

Your brand. Your fulfillment.

Sell your supported PC game through your custom storefront on We the Indies. Use Rialto 1.5, keep your branding and handle fulfillment through your own service.

Can include updates and Cloud Saving
  • Game updatesCan include
  • Cloud SavingCan include
  • Digital ownershipNot included

You set your prices. Our 1.5 percent fee is added on top, paid by the buyer, so the price you set is what you earn. Game updates and Cloud Saving can come at no added cost. Digital ownership is not available with your own fulfillment.

Without Rialto 1.5

Finished ISO or existing stock

Bring Your Own ISO, or list an existing PC or console game as supplied. If the PC game does not use Rialto 1.5, we do not add its game menu or services.

Not included
  • Game updatesNot included
  • Cloud SavingNot included
  • Digital ownershipNot included

No We the Indies game updates, Cloud Saving or digital ownership are added.

For developers

Sending a game update is simple

Once an eligible game is approved and live, the developer controls when an update is sent.

  1. 1

    Open IndieHub

    Choose the approved game you want to update.

  2. 2

    Send the new build

    Select Send a game update and upload the new version.

  3. 3

    We prepare the patch

    The update is checked and prepared for that game.

  4. 4

    The player chooses

    The player clicks Check for Update. Nothing happens in the background.

Built around consent

The player stays in control

  • The original disc never changes.
  • The installed game works without an account or a constant connection.
  • Updates happen only when the player asks for one.
  • Local saves remain local unless the player chooses to create a Save Code.
Publish your PC gameAbout game preservation

A few useful details

Does every game sold by We the Indies get these features?
Supported PC games using Rialto 1.5 can include game updates and Cloud Saving, including games sold through your own storefront with your own fulfillment. Digital ownership is for eligible releases made and fulfilled by We the Indies. Games supplied without Rialto 1.5 and console games do not receive these services.
Does a game update rewrite the disc?
No. The disc stays exactly as it was made. The update changes only the installed game files that need to change.
Are updates automatic?
No. The player starts an update by choosing Check for Update in the Rialto-made game menu.
Where do my save files live?
They stay in their normal place on the computer. Cloud Saving is an optional recovery path using a Save Code, not a replacement for the local saves.
Do I need an account to play?
No. The game remains DRM-free. Play never waits on an account, an update or Cloud Saving.