Panic has paid out over $1 million to Playdate developers on Catalog

Playdate developers have earned over $1 million through the handheld’s Catalog storefront since it launched in March 2023.

Panic shared the news in an email and explained precisely 289,305 titles have been sold via the curated digital marketplace in that time. Those sales have netted developers exactly $1,043,186 in payouts.

“Playdate might be an indie platform, but seeing numbers like this makes us realize that even an indie platform can be meaningful in the gaming world. Catalog has been successful beyond our expectations,” said Panic.

“We’re so extremely happy and proud to be working with so many amazing developers from all around the globe and helping them sell the amazing things they make! And thank you for buying them.”

Catalog has been bolstered with the addition of 262 hand-selected titles since it debuted, although that doesn’t comprise the entire Playdate library given the ditty device also supports third-party storefronts such as itch.io via sideloading.

Panic continues championing Playdate developers through Catalog

Last year, Panic told Game Developer it wanted Playdate developers to take centre stage after selling over 70,000 consoles worldwide and addressing a string of manufacturing and logistical challenges.

“It’s beyond our wildest dreams in terms of how many developers have embraced [the platform] and the quality of the titles that we’re seeing,” said Panic’s head of special projects, Greg Maletic. “We want to make sure people know about that and can see what kind of market this has blossomed into.”

Related:The huge, hidden web game market no one talks about (and how to get in)

More recently, Panic announced a $30 price increase for Playdate due to rising manufacturing costs—which seemingly caught the company unawares.

“Guess what: after getting up and running at our new factory, they soon let us know that it would cost quite a bit more to make a Playdate than it did at our previous factory,” it said in an email to customers. “We were not very excited to hear this! (What next?!) But as a result, on March 25th (2025), brand new Playdate systems will be priced at $229.”

At the same time, Panic confirmed it would be offering shoppers the chance to purchase a certified refurbished Playdate for $179, but noted stock would be “extremely limited.”

Panic will announce what’s next for Playdate during an update video containing more details about its next seasonal release slate on April 17. 

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