Indie Game Publishers: How to Find the Perfect Fit for Your Game

This website is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget, part of a global network that informs, influences and connects the world’s technology buyers and sellers. “Sell your game, artpack, levels, soundtrack; we’ve got you covered! You can assign an individual price to each item on your game page or choose the pay-what-you-want model.” One of the most popular profit-sharing agreements is that once that game is launched, the Game Publisher earns a larger % of royalties until they are paid back their initial investment. This allows both the Indie Team and the Game Publisher to make a profit that otherwise wouldn’t happen without the funding of the Game Publisher. Moreover, Steam take an industry standard 30% cut from all your sales, which certainly does add up. While they are younger than many other on this list, we’re confident that humble will INDIE PUBLISHER GAMES continue to grow as they have done since their initial launch way back in 2010.

Don’t Forget to Explore Publisher’s Background

Beyond funding, Team17 provides great support in game design and development. They engage closely with developers to deliver practical feedback and expert advice. Ninichi is based in London, UK, and works on a freelance basis with indie game studios, indie game developers, filmmakers & other media makers all across the globe. TinyBuild helps indie developers to publish their games across a multitude of platforms, releasing games onto Steam, Xbox One, PS4, 3DS, VR, iOS and Google Play.

It helps, too, that the characters, story, and soundtrack all have a high level of quality from what we’ve seen so far. Clair Obscur certainly pushes the boundaries of what we expect an indie game to be. Many games on this list shine either due to the story, gameplay, or art design. On the contrary, its narrative and visuals play a huge part in its success. However, the core of its appeal is still the mood of the game — unsettling, desolate, terrifying.

Game Jolt

They market each game in a way that highlights its special qualities, such as its unique story, memorable writing, and creative art style. Fellow Traveller often prefers games with solid stories, memorable writing, and creative art. Fellow Traveller provides essential publishing help so developers can follow their creative vision. Chucklefish cares a lot about community feedback during game development. They have their expertise in marketing, distribution, and industry connection, so your game will be noticed and reach its full potential. It became a massive success with the help of its game publisher, Private Division.

Serenity Forge is a game development studio with a publishing arm and wealth of other services dedicated to supporting indie developers with their game projects. It’s incredibly difficult to crown a handful of titles “the best indie games of all time”, but I’ve nonetheless tried to include 10 titles that deserve to be experienced by everyone. These titles have pushed the gaming medium forward, innovated on familiar tropes of the medium, and cemented a lasting presence in the hearts and minds of gamers. You’ll probably find some of the most popular games missing from this list, but that’s simply because I can’t fit every indie gem in a single article.