I don't know Mode7, but as an indie-developer myself I can tell that you that if HIB knocked on my door I wouldn't tell them to wait 3 months.

I am not sure you realize how much of a king-maker/lottery HIB is.

For one developer I personally know whose game was on one of the previous bundles, it single-handedly brought him from losing with little to no chance of ever recouping costs to paying for more than a year of salaries for the 3 people involved thereby financing their next game.

That's mostly due to the money HIB brought in directly but also due to bringing a lot publicity that helped them after the bundle was over.

It's basically the indie-games equivalent of a brand new unfunded startup getting a phone call from PG asking if they want to join the next YC, starting in 1 week - you don't say no to an opportunity like that.

I seriously doubt the "one game bundle" was HIB's idea. (Or rather, I really hope it was not. Does not bode well for the future.)

And I know exactly how profitable the Bundles have been. This de-values the bundle.

Here are the options:

1) Do a one-man-show today, with just you. This is what Mode7 is doing. (The included Frozen Byte stuff does not count, it is a rehash of the worst selling HIB. Desperate!)

2) Wait for the real HIB in December-ish and release with 4 other games.

How does being part of a bigger bundle hurt you? This is not like "join the next YC, starting in 1 week", this is like "you have not have coffee or a shower and are still in your PJs, but get down to the board room and pitch right now". YC's value is that it is a group event, with lots of startups. HIBs value is that it is a group event with lots of games. This is not a group event. It is one game, with a desperate attempt to recoup more from the least popular past HIB.

    I seriously doubt the "one game bundle" was HIB's idea.

Whose idea do you think it was? Mode7 is hardly in a position to dictate HIB how to do their bundles, if they're not interested there is a long list of other developers waiting to replace them.

I seriously doubt this wasn't HIB's idea.

    2) Wait for the real HIB in December-ish and 
    release with 4 other games.

And get 1/7 of $x million instead of 1/3. It was a gamble but looking at how much money it has brought in after scarcely a day - seems pretty much the same as the average of the other bundles.

Whether or not it's a good idea for HIB is a good question (I don't know the answer but I can see both pros and cons).

But Mode7 are making out like bandits and would have been fools to turn this offer down.

I find it much more likely that Mode7 said "Hey HIB, we just finished a linux port yesterday. Can we be in your next Bundle?"

HIB has been approached by developers before. There is quick profit and massive exposure in the HIB. Case in point, the devs who have asked to be in the bundle for free, just for the exposure.

HIB might have had to ask devs and make offers in the early few, but not now.

Regardless, let's not get distracted from the central point: Frozen Synapse is a great game :-)

(Still no linux client for their previous customers though.)

Thinking about it more, this may have well been HIB's idea, if only because it is so different and they are very curious/experimentive people.

If this bundle works out well, I could see them trying to float an entirely new business model. Something similar to Woot, with a new game every two weeks. Not sure if this is good or bad. It would certainly be hard on my wallet.