Lantana Games built a self-distribution shop in minutes.

Lantana Games has been making games since 2009 and showing them at PAX East, BostonFIG, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Indie Arcade, with an Accessibility and Inclusion Award at the 2022 BostonFIG Figgies among the studio's more recent recognitions.

They wanted to sell game keys to players directly rather than only through Steam or itch.io. As an independent studio, cost control mattered, so a high-maintenance commerce platform was not an option. They needed something quick to set up, deeply customisable, and able to take payments securely without leaving them responsible for collecting and filing tax across jurisdictions.

They built the shop themselves with the website builder — their own fonts, colours, and as many page sections as they wanted — in a matter of minutes.

Uploading games was straightforward: galleries, trailers, and full descriptions. Steam keys stay encrypted until a player buys, then arrive by email automatically, so there is no manual fulfilment.

Connecting payouts took a few details, after which payments ran through their own customised checkout with payouts arriving daily. Their games also went into the Fungies marketplace, which brings its own audience.

Early sales were promising enough that Lantana listed the Fungies store as a core distribution channel on their main website, alongside the marketplaces rather than as an afterthought.

With a live store and daily payouts, the studio has a route to players it owns, and one that costs nothing to keep running when it is not selling.