Vampire Survivors developer Poncle has announced that it's opening a publishing wing, but it sounds like the indie studio doesn't want to do things the way most traditional publishers do.
Speaking at an investor and publisher event in Liverpool in the UK yesterday (via GamesIndustry.biz), Poncle says that although it's moving into publishing, it doesn't "want IP" in the same way most publishers do.
Instead, Poncle wants to allow developers to "make their games", with the emphasis on "their"; the studio says it wants, in GI.biz writer Vikki Blake's words, to "work more as a label or fund" rather than as a publisher in the traditional sense.
Poncle says it's looking for games made with "sincerity, passion, and depth", according to the GI.biz report. It'll offer those games support for funding, platforms, localization, and more, as well as development advice.
Additionally, Poncle wants to offer its signings marketing support, helping them to create what Poncle says will be "replayable, affordable, and fun" games, akin to the philosophy that birthed Vampire Survivors.
However, Poncle also says it doesn't want to sign "Survivor-like" games; that's one of the studio's "insta-nos", so if you've got a Vampire Survivors-esque game to pitch, you might want to look elsewhere.
The newly-minted publisher's other major no-nos include Web3 games, as well as anything that uses generative AI and any kind of free-to-play mobile game. It sounds like Poncle's publishing heart is very much in the right place.
Poncle has yet to announce what its first major publishing project will be, but in the meantime, Vampire Survivors is still very much firing on all cylinders.
A major update "that no-one knows about" for the game is in the works, and Vampire Survivors is also getting the animated series treatment, although I'm not entirely sure how production company Story Kitchen is going to handle this one. We'll have to wait and see, I suppose.
