Sony's New Publishing Label Unties is Publishing PC And Switch Games

Published: October 19, 2017 8:39 PM /

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Unties

You'd think that Sony Music Entertainment (SME) would stick with, well, music, but the subsidiary company is broaching new waters with the announcement of its new game publishing label Unties. In a translation of a press release courtesy of Gematsu, SME gives reason to this unexpected direction due to the ever-increasing ease of digital publishing and distribution. A likely factor in this is the company's rampant success in the mobile game market with Fate/Grand Order, which increased its sales by 18.8% and was a major contributor to its operating income earlier this year.

Unties makes a bit more sense with this in mind, even if its existence is strange given that Sony Interactive Entertainment already created a division called ForwardWorks to develop mobile titles, which has only recently started to get a roll on with a mobile adaption of Everybody's Golf. So far though, ForwardWorks is a long way behind SME's mobile works in profitability and reach. Unties goal and role is a more broad one, seeking to promote promising, smaller titles that may go under the radar or missed. Three of the first four games to be published under the Unties label began life on Steam Greenlight, a place where many an indie game has gone to be lost.

With the announced games, let's start with Last Standard. It's a 3D action title that generates different weapons by analyzing what you post to your social media accounts. This evolves with custom movesets and the ability to alter weapons as you play. It's a...novel concept for sure, but a release date and other platforms are to be announced. Merkava Avalanche is an action fighting title from WinterCrownWorks that's essentially robot jousting. You command a giant robot in a desert with a shield and lance in hand in what appears to be a military campaign, but details are a bit vague for the time being. Another title called Deemo Reborn is in the works by Rayark. It's based on the mobile title Deemo, which is a music rhythm game in the style of Guitar Hero that has you playing the piano by hitting notes that fall downwards on the screen. It will be exclusively published on PlayStation 4 with PlayStation VR support, but how it will make the transition to the platform remains to be seen. Lastly, Tiny Metal is a turn-based tactical game developed by Area35 with progression based on conquering other lands and controlling different types of troops. It was only scheduled for release on Steam this fall, but will now be coming to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch as well on Nov. 21.

What's most noteworthy about Unties is how it's a Sony subsidiary open to multiplatform releases with the likes of Tiny Metal. This doesn't mean that Sony as a whole is going to start publishing prominent indie and big name exclusives on other platforms, but if SME finds success in this venture over the years, there's a slight possibility that Sony might be open to the idea. However, given its staunch stance on cross-platform play, it's a bit of a stretch for the time being.

What do you make of this curious offshoot of SME? Do you think this might lead to Sony being more open by cooperating with other publishers? Let us know in the comments section below.

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I'm a part-time videogame journalist with a BA in Game and Interactive Media Design and an MA in Writing Studies. I bleed theology, sci-fi, and fantasy… More about Joey

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Tiny Metal
Game Page Tiny Metal
Developer
Area 35
Publisher
Area 35
Release Date
November 21, 2017 (Calendar)