For independent developers
Publishing, without the part where you find out the terms afterwards.
We work with small teams that have something playable. What follows is what we actually do, what it costs you in rights and revenue, and where the line is on content. All of it before you sign anything.
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Game publishing & distribution
From a finished build to a live store page
We take a game that is playable and get it onto the storefronts it belongs on, with the paperwork, the pricing and the release plan handled by people who have done it before.
- Store setup and page copy for PC storefronts, with age-rating applications filed per territory where the storefront requires one.
- Build pipeline, depot configuration, branch management and patch cadence.
- Regional pricing, launch discount planning and wishlist conversion timing.
- Console and additional storefront releases are prepared and submitted to the platform holder; approval is theirs to give, and we never promise it in advance.
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Development support & QA
Production help, and a second pair of eyes on the build
Practical production support for small teams: milestone planning that survives contact with reality, and structured testing so the bugs are found by us rather than by a review thread.
- Milestone and scope planning, with an honest read on what will not fit.
- Functional, compatibility and regression testing on a documented device matrix.
- Storefront technical requirements: input, save handling, accessibility options, and the checklist each platform actually enforces.
- Build health: crash triage, performance passes on low-end hardware, and a release-candidate sign-off you can point at.
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Marketing & global PR
Reaching players without lying to them
Campaign work built on the game you actually made: capsule art and trailers cut from real footage, a press list that matches the genre, and a launch beat plan you can staff.
- Positioning, capsule art direction and trailers cut from in-game footage.
- Press and content-creator outreach, review-key handling and embargo management.
- Festival, showcase and event submissions, with the deadlines tracked for you.
- Community and storefront-update rhythm through Early Access and post-launch.
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Release operations & post-launch
The unglamorous half of shipping
Localisation, support, reporting and the long tail. A launch week is not the end of the work, and the plan should say so before anyone signs.
- Localisation management: string extraction, vendor coordination, LQA passes.
- Player support workflows and refund-policy handling per storefront.
- Sales, wishlist and refund reporting shared with the studio on a fixed schedule.
- Post-launch content planning, seasonal event participation and price strategy.
Commercial terms
What the agreement is, and what it is not.
Publishing arrangements get described in ways that make them sound like something they are not. Here is the plain version, and it is the same version that appears in our terms.
A commercial publishing agreement
Where we cover costs for a title, we do so from the cooperative's own capital, under a publishing agreement, and we recoup from that title's revenue on the terms written into the contract. It is not a loan, a security, a deposit, an equity investment or a public offering, and we do not give financial or investment advice. Anyone telling you otherwise is not us.
Your IP stays yours
The default is that the studio keeps ownership of its intellectual property. We hold defined publishing rights, for a defined term and defined territories, and the contract says exactly which. Anything else would have to be negotiated separately and written down.
No guaranteed outcomes
We do not promise sales figures, wishlist counts, chart positions, featuring, or approval by a platform holder — those are not ours to promise. Console and additional storefront releases are prepared and submitted; the platform holder decides.
From pitch to release
Five steps, and you are told where you are in them.
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01
Send the pitch
A short description, a link to a playable build or a vertical slice, and whatever you have for a trailer. Two pages beats twenty.
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02
We confirm receipt
You get an acknowledgement with a reference number within five working days, whether or not we are going to take it further.
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03
Evaluation
We play it. If the answer is no, you get the reason in writing rather than silence. If it is a maybe, we tell you what would change it.
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04
Terms in writing
Scope, revenue split, recoupment, territories, term length and IP ownership on paper before anything starts. The studio keeps its IP unless a separate agreement says otherwise, in writing.
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05
Production and release
Milestones, QA, marketing beats, launch, and the post-launch schedule — reported back to you on a fixed cadence.
Please do not send confidential material through the pitch form. If your project needs an NDA in place first, say so in the form and we will arrange one before you send anything else.
What we do not publish
Six things that end a conversation.
The cooperative was formed partly in reaction to how the industry monetises players. These are not preferences; they are the limits of what we will put our name on.
If your game contains any of these, we are the wrong publisher and we will say so on the first reply rather than the fifth meeting.
- Gambling, casino, betting, sweepstakes or any real-money wagering
- Loot boxes, paid random-item mechanics or gambling-style simulations
- Cryptocurrency, tokens, NFTs or blockchain-based in-game economies
- Real-money trading of in-game items and player-to-player marketplaces
- Distribution through unauthorised third-party app stores or APK mirrors
- Adult content, and games designed around addictive or deceptive spending
Questions we get
Answered before you have to ask.
Do you take our IP?
No. The default position in our agreements is that the studio keeps ownership of its intellectual property, and we hold the publishing rights that are defined in the contract for a defined term and territory. Anything different would have to be negotiated and written down explicitly.
Is publishing funding an investment in our studio?
No. What we agree is a commercial publishing arrangement financed from the cooperative's own capital and recouped from the revenue of the title it covers. It is not a loan, a security, a deposit, an equity stake or a public offering, and we do not give financial advice.
What stage should a game be at before we pitch?
Playable. A vertical slice that shows the core loop tells us far more than a design document, and it is the fastest route to a real answer.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, and we prefer to sign one before you send anything you consider confidential. Please do not put confidential material in the pitch form itself — send a short summary and we will arrange the NDA first.
Do you publish outside the EU?
Yes. Storefront distribution is global by default. Territory-specific rating requirements are handled per release and are named in the agreement.
How many studios have released through you?
None yet. The publishing programme is open and this is the first window for external submissions — we would rather tell you that plainly than dress up a partner list. Our own title, Cathedral of Sorrow, is in development and self-published.
Ready when you are.
A short description and a playable build beats a long deck.