Penny Arcade launches Greenhouse

Gabe and Tycho of popular web-comic Penny Arcade have just announced that they have teamed up with Hothead Studios, developer of the upcoming Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, to launch Greenhouse.

And what is Greenhouse exactly? It's an online distribution platform targeted specifically at catering for indie games - think Steam for the little guy.

Greenhouse was officially launched today, but so far there aren't any games listed at the official site except for the upcoming Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - the title of which may have been a joke against game journalists who have to keep typing it all out for news stories.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness will be made available for PC, Mac OS and Linux over the Greenhouse service.

In an interview with Wired, Tycho and Gabe talked about how Greenhouse was originally supposed to showcase only their own content, but has since grown to something more open. They also reaffirm that Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness The Game will not have a commercial release in shops, which they see as little more than a dead duck.

So, does the gaming community need another indie-centric version of Steam? Are Tycho and Gabe the ones to run it? Let us know what you think in the forums.