Machinarium developer's follow-up debuts under pay-what-you-want model

Amanita Design, developer of critically acclaimed game Machinarium, is allowing day-one buyers of the game to choose how much they'll pay. The pay-what-you want "Humble Botanicula Debut" bundle allows consumers to pick up Botanicula, as well as other Amanita games like Machinarium and Samorost 2, for as little as a penny. So far, the bundle has sold at an average price of $8.68. Though developers have debuted ports for their games in previous Humble Indie Bundle campaigns, it's rare for a studio to launch a new and highly anticipated titles through the platform. The only other developer to do so was Lexaloffle Games with Voxatron last October. Those who pay more than the average will also receive a copy of Vector Park's Windosill and Biograf's Kooky, a Czech full-length feature film featuring art direction from Amanita head Jakub Dvorsky (dubbed, with a subtitles option possibly on the way). Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Botanicula won the Excellence in Visual Art award and was a finalist for the Excellence in Audio category at this year's Independent Games Festival. Machinarium and Samorost 2 have also won IGF awards. Payments for the Humble Botanicula Debut bundle are split, at the buyer's discretion, between the games' developers, Humble Indie Bundle's organizers, and conservation charity The World Land Trust -- which fits with Botanicula's environmental themes. The Humble Botanicula Debut bundle has already recorded more than 7,000 sales and $63,000 in payments. The sale will end on May 3. You can read a previous Gamasutra interview with Amanita on its point-and-click adventure game here. Botanicula is also available on GOG.com for $9.99. A release on Valve's Steam platform is forthcoming.