To further clarify my idea...first of all, since this would likely be an online-based product (at least, until a series hits critical mass to be pushed as a retail collection), there'd be plenty of online discussion about the different episodes. It'd also be nice if Valve set up a moderated Amazon-like comment system, so you can get the easy star rating along with detailed user comments without having to deal with pages of l33t- and profanity-ridden gibberish. Professional reviews would be up to the reviewers, but I suspect they'd learn pretty quickly not to judge the whole series based on a single episode.
As for the purchasing system, I'd split it into two separate categories: first, a straight-up purchase of each episode, which I'd target at US$7.95-9.95 (inital episodes would be free, or under $3), and a monthly subscription, which gives you all the intial episodes you desire and two regular episodes per month (which you 'own' forever), for $10-15. Of course, there'd always be the possibility of special deals at certain times, or packages of episodes, or discounts on large purchases, but those'd be the primary selling points.
These are set up to be very much like episodes in a TV series, or at least like good episodes. Each one should be entertaining standing on its own, but also something that adds to and is a consistent part of a larger whole. The intro episodes are like a pilot: you see what the audience thinks of them, and choose to run with it or drop it based on that reaction. And, of course, like has happened with a number of TV series in the past, when they get a strong enough following, they get a higher-quality feature production (a movie in the case of a TV series, a triple A title in the case of a game). And what better way to test out an indie dev team? An established publisher (or even Valve) could, fairly cheaply, set them down with good dev tools and an easy distribution method, and let them loose. Then, that publisher has first option on their next game (or retail distribution of what they've already produced), but can also drop them if their game doesn't get enough love from gamers and the gaming press.
As for the purchasing system, I'd split it into two separate categories: first, a straight-up purchase of each episode, which I'd target at US$7.95-9.95 (inital episodes would be free, or under $3), and a monthly subscription, which gives you all the intial episodes you desire and two regular episodes per month (which you 'own' forever), for $10-15. Of course, there'd always be the possibility of special deals at certain times, or packages of episodes, or discounts on large purchases, but those'd be the primary selling points.
These are set up to be very much like episodes in a TV series, or at least like good episodes. Each one should be entertaining standing on its own, but also something that adds to and is a consistent part of a larger whole. The intro episodes are like a pilot: you see what the audience thinks of them, and choose to run with it or drop it based on that reaction. And, of course, like has happened with a number of TV series in the past, when they get a strong enough following, they get a higher-quality feature production (a movie in the case of a TV series, a triple A title in the case of a game). And what better way to test out an indie dev team? An established publisher (or even Valve) could, fairly cheaply, set them down with good dev tools and an easy distribution method, and let them loose. Then, that publisher has first option on their next game (or retail distribution of what they've already produced), but can also drop them if their game doesn't get enough love from gamers and the gaming press.
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