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Starbreeze, the developers of the Payday franchise, have launched ‘IndieLabs’, designed to handle smaller indie projects.
Starbreeze have said that IndieLabs focus will be on project that are "smaller in scope and investment" and that all studios will retain their IP entirely under this new sub-label, with Starbreeze’s COO Mikael Nermark finding promising looking titles for the initiative.
First up is arena battle game AntiSphere by developers Lion Game Lion, although they haven’t given a release date just yet.
This has been a busy year for indie publishing. As more and more indies turn to publishers to help with unexpected costs and the oversaturation of marketplaces with new projects, more and more publishers have set up operations specialising in indie assistance. This year alone, Take-Two, Sega, EA and Gamespot have all launched initiatives focussing on the little guy, joining well established efforts by Curve Digital, Devolver Digital and many more.
From the statement on Starbreeze’s website: "Traditional publishing agreements are typically work-for-hire, centered on the publisher retaining control of the project, brand, marketing and royalties, providing game developers little revenue from game sales."
"Taking an opposite approach, Starbreeze aims at becoming a catalyst for the developer’s success. Projects will be selected and managed carefully and game developers will be encouraged to retain part of the IP."
