Pocketpair Ventures into the gaming publishing arena

Pocketpair, known for its imaginative and engaging games like Palworld and recently Overdungeon as a surprising new Nintendo Switch despite their lawsuit against Palworld allegedly patents violation, is now venturing into the publishing sphere.

The company has announced its formation of a new publishing business aptly titled Pocketpair Publishing.

Pocketpair Publishing aims to provide comprehensive support for indie game developers and small studios. This includes financial assistance, development aid, and much-needed publishing resources. A key aspect of their vision is to maintain a hands-off approach where they respect the creative autonomy and vision of the developers. They aim to support the creation and completion of dream projects without imposing strict conditions.

First Project Collaboration: Surgent Studios

Their first major project involves collaboration with UK-based Surgent Studios. Surgent Studios, known for the horror game Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, is set to release a new horror title. This standalone game, scheduled for 2025, is not a continuation of their previous work but promises to bring fresh narrative experiences to players.

According to Abubakar Salim, CEO of Surgent Studios, the collaborative effort will focus on exploring a unique pattern in the entertainment industry through an unconventional and experimental horror game.

The following is what it has been shared to VGC by Abubakar Salim, CEO of Surgent Studios.:

Both Surgent and Pocketpair are well-versed in taking risks.
We noticed a pattern in the entertainment industry, and Pocketpair has given us the opportunity to make a horror game about it. It will be short and weird, and we think players will be interested in what we have to say.
We’re still in earnest conversation about further projects set in the Tales of Kenzera universe, but this will be a standalone piece: a mile marker between where we’ve come from and where we’re going.

Also, the Head of Pocketpair Publishing, John “Bucky” Buckley added:

As the games industry continues to grow, more and more games find themselves struggling to get funded or greenlit. We think this is a real shame, because there are so many incredible creators and ideas out there that just need a little help to become incredible games.
We were instantly fascinated by Abubakar’s creative vision for a horror game on a topic he’s uniquely qualified to explore. The ultimate goal of Pocketpair Publishing is to find creators with a genuine passion for games and enable them to create fun, new experiences for gamers all over the world.