Devolver Digital's New Big Fan Studio Explained

Develop Digital has long specialized in publishing indie games, and this has opened new avenues for the studios behind those games to hit the big time. Formed from the team behind Good Shepherd Entertainment, Devolver Digital's new Big Fan Games label will allow indie devs to work with some of the major franchises.

From humble beginnings to rapid growth, Devolver Digital continues to be a household name – especially with the low-heavy, humorous skits portrayed through Devolver Directs. The publisher has been involved with some big names for a while now, but managed to reach new heights after this publication. fall boys In 2020. After the publishing rights for Mediatonic's runaway hits were quickly sold to Epic, Devolver was able to use the funds to expand its operations and merge other firms with itself.

Devolver Digital's new label for licensed indie games

Among Devolver Digital's latest operations, a new publishing label has been announced. First revealed on Twitter on October 1, Big Fan Games is a publishing operation with the goal of bringing together indie devs and big-ticket licensed IPs. Along with this announcement, a website for Big Fan has been launched — though no new games have been featured yet. However, the website displays the publisher's partners; A lineup that includes Disney, Rebellion, HBO, and Darkhorse Comics.

The publisher is formed from the team behind Good Shepherd Entertainment, one of Devolver's aforementioned acquisitions, which previously published Hellboy Web of Wyrd and John Wick Hex. These two games are being promoted (as well as Devolver-published governswho has helped Game of Thrones) page as examples of what Big Fan can do for indie studios. The new page advertises how Big Fan is actively looking for new pitches with an email address for the pitches.

Which big fan is offering indie devs

Big Fan does not provide level support John WickBut many other bells and whistles are expected with publishers such as these geared toward pairing indies with big names. The site doesn't go into much depth, but it does boast how a big fan can take on the problems of “red tape,” localization, porting, quality assurance, marketing, and creative collaboration in the vein of project management and co. – Piloting.

In this way, Kruse confirms the extent to which Good Shepherd has been rolled into Big Fan games, something already demonstrated by Big Fan's site, where old Good Shepherd press releases are displayed with the publisher's new name. Adding to the pressure for developers, this statement confirms why Big Fan is working separately from Devolver. “We're all experts at what we do,” Kruse added, emphasizing the specific skills of this separate label — though retaining Developer's connections, which Big Fan could benefit from acting as a middle-man between indie studios and IPs. holders.

At a time when gamers are increasingly tired of AAA games, the indie market has exploded in a big way. While licensed Belchware is, to an extent, a relic, giving smaller studios the chance to engage with larger IPs can be the perfect marriage of innovation, revitalization, and collective appreciation — especially as independently-run studios like Larian Games are able to create. Big splash with major licenses.