suppose I want to make a Flash browser game that can be played in small groups. So for that I would make the Flash app itself, but I will also need a server that will support proper communication between the clients in the same group, let’s say using RTMP protocol. Plus, it would be nice to be able to do authentication and some sort of subscription of users to make money.
So I was wondering, are there companies out there that might provide to me a lot of this functionality in white label fashion in return for rent payment or a cut of profit? My point is, the bulk of this setup is essentially the same for any browser game – everyone needs the notion of a small game room, everyone needs the data-over-ip running, everyone needs to do authentication and collect subscription money etc. So why aren’t there providers of these services that could have profited regardless of which browser game succeeds and which fails? Or do they actually exist?
EDITED:
Tegeril, thanks for your answer. Influxis does provide Flash hosting, but it appears that they don’t provide much of the functionality I described. E.g. they don’t support game rooms, user authentication or billing out of the box. We have to develop it ourselves and host on their servers.
Influxis offers Flash Media Interactive Server hosting.
Pricing/Plans including a build-your-own custom option
Pre-built Applications