Man, should you folks be excited for this one! We know you already love our Skybound Games division (with titles like Superfight, Red Flags and more), but get hyped cause Skybound is about to go supernova! We’ve brought in Ian Howe (co-founder of 505 Games) to take Skybound Games to a whole new level. We’re partnering with amazing indie creators to bring some of favorite video games—like THE LONG DARK and SLIME RANCHERS—to the retail market. We’ll have more info for you soon, but for now, take a peek at the press release below. Oh, and, while you’re at it, go follow Skybound Games on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
SKYBOUND ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES NEW PUBLISHING VENTURE SKYBOUND GAMES
Led by Ian Howe, Skybound Games Will Publish Steam Successes The Long Dark and Slime Rancher Across New Platforms in September 2018
LOS ANGELES, CA (April 4, 2018) – Multiplatform entertainment company Skybound Entertainment today announced Skybound Games, a division dedicated to publishing independently developed games. Ian Howe, previously the co-founder of publishing company 505 Games, will oversee the new venture.
Skybound Games’ first releases, apocalyptic-survival adventure The Long Dark, developed by Hinterland, and first-person slime wrangling experience Slime Rancher, developed by Monomi Park, will come to retail for the first time in September 2018.
“Partnering with David Alpert, Robert Kirkman, and the rest of the Skybound team is the perfect home for a new video games publishing venture, given their continued dedication to creators in all forms of media,” said Ian Howe. “The company we are building will not only provide a full range of publishing services but will also offer opportunities for game creators to expand their intellectual properties into other forms of media via Skybound’s existing relationships.”
Skybound Interactive will continue to license Skybound IP into various mobile and console games while working with Skybound Games to partner with independent developers to create new IPs and further expand Skybound properties.
“It has been our goal to expand Skybound’s gaming presence into the publishing space, and Ian Howe is the ideal partner to lead this venture. His accomplishments at 505 Games speak to his eye for high quality content and align with our own goals of championing the creator while having the in-house ability to publish their work for a wider audience,” said Skybound Managing Partner Jon Goldman and Skybound Interactive President Dan Murray in a joint statement.
The Long Dark is a thoughtful, exploration-survival experience that challenges solo players to think for themselves as they explore an expansive frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. The game features both a massive open-world survival sandbox, as well as an episodic narrative experience. Slime Rancher is a game about Beatrix LeBeau: a plucky, young rancher who sets out for a life a thousand light years away from Earth on the ‘Far, Far Range’ where she tries her hand at making a living wrangling slimes.
“I’ve long admired Skybound’s skill as a producer of cross-platform entertainment, and their creator-first culture aligns strongly with our own,” says Raphael van Lierop, Hinterland founder and creative director. “I’m excited to partner with Skybound Games and look forward to future collaborations that will bring The Long Dark to fans of The Walking Dead, and beyond.”
“Monomi Park is thrilled to partner with Skybound Games,” said Monomi Park co-founder and Slime Rancher director Nick Popovich. “We believe they’re just as keen as we are to seek new, creative opportunities with Slime Rancher and take our award-winning game to even greater heights.”
Skybound Games can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
