 | |
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 29, 2021 |
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Alexis Garavaryan (CEO) |
| Website | kepler-interactive |
Kepler Interactive is a video game publisher founded in September 2021. Based in London and Singapore, it is co-owned by a group of independent game developers. Its published games include Tchia , Scorn , and Sifu .
Kepler Interactive was founded in September 2021 by CEO Alexis Garavaryan, the co-founder behind Kowloon Nights, a game development fund. [2] Self-described as a "super developer" publishing group, Kepler was initially co-owned by seven independent studios: A44 (known for developing Ashen ), Alpha Channel, Awaceb, Ebb Software, Shapefarm, Sloclap (known for developing Absolver ) and Timberline Studio. Each participating studio had "equal say" on the publishing label's decision-making process and were able to share resources and financial gains, but Kepler itself will not interefere with the operations of each studio, allowing them to stay independent. [3] [4] Kepler received $120 million in funding from Chinese gaming company NetEase, which became a minority shareholder. [1] The studio's revenue reached $50 million in 2022, boosted by the release of Ebb Software's Scorn and Sloclap's Sifu . [5]
In 2023, Kepler also launched Kepler Ghost, a white-label publishing service, providing marketing and publishing for game developers. Eternights from Studio Sai was the first video game project to benefit from this program. [6] Additional developers, including The Gentlebros (the developer behind the Cat Quest series) and new studio Sandfall Interactive also joined Kepler. [5] It also partnered with Ironwood Studios for the publishing and release of Pacific Drive . [7]
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Developer | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Sifu | Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Sloclap | |
| Scorn | Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | Ebb Software | ||
| 2023 | Tchia | Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | Awaceb | |
| 2024 | Ultros | Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 | Hadoque | [8] |
| Pacific Drive | Windows, PlayStation 5 | Ironwood Studios | ||
| Cat Quest III | Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | The Gentlebros | ||
| Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn | Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | A44 | ||
| 2025 | Bionic Bay | Windows, PlayStation 5 | Mureena, Psychoflow Studio | [9] |
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | Sandfall Interactive | [10] |
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Developer | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Eternights | Windows, Playstation 4, Playstation 5 | Studio Sai | |
| En Garde! | Windows | Fireplace Games | ||
| Apocalypse Party | Breaker Games | |||
| Battle Shapers | Metric Empire | |||
| 2024 | Windblown | Motion Twin | [11] | |
| Unrailed 2: Back on Track | Windows, macOS, Linux | Indoor Astronaut | [12] | |
| 2025 | Neon Abyss 2 | Windows | Veewo Games |
Aspyr Media, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded by Michael Rogers and Ted Staloch in Austin, Texas. Originally founded to port gaming titles to macOS, the company, since 2005, has become a publisher and developer of entertainment for multiple gaming platforms.
Marvelous USA Inc.,, is an American video game company founded by former members of Square Enix USA. Founded in 2004, the company became a subsidiary of Japanese game company Marvelous in 2011, providing the localization and publishing services for video games and related materials. In 2024, the company only retained the Xseed Games brand for third-party published titles.
Cyanide SA is a French video game developer based in the Nanterre suburb of Paris. The company was founded in 2000 by Patrick Pligersdorffer, formerly of Ubi Soft. Since 2007, Cyanide operates a second studio, Amusement Cyanide, in Montreal, Canada, and employs a total of 110 staff members as of 2018. Cyanide was acquired by French publisher Bigben Interactive in May 2018.
Focus Entertainment is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. Founded in 1996, Focus has published and distributed original titles such as Sherlock Holmes, TrackMania, Runaway, and sports games like Cycling Manager and Virtual Skipper.
THQ Nordic GmbH is an Austrian video game publisher based in Vienna. Formed in 2011, it is a publishing subsidiary of Embracer Group. Originally named Nordic Games, as was the parent company, both companies were renamed THQ Nordic in August 2016 after the parent company had acquired the "THQ" trademark in 2014.
Playism is a Japanese independent video game publisher operated by Active Gaming Media. Playism started as a digital distribution platform for PC games in May 2011.
Don't Nod Entertainment SA is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. Founded in June 2008, it started development on Remember Me (2013). Because of its poor return on investment, Don't Nod entered "judicial reorganisation" in 2013. With the help of French agency funding, it developed Life Is Strange, whose successful release raised Don't Nod's industry status. It began third-party publishing with Gerda: A Flame in Winter in 2022.
Nacon is a French video game publisher, holdings company and gaming peripherals manufacturer based in Lesquin. It designs and distributes gaming accessories, and publishes and distributes video games for various platforms. In 2020, Bigben Group was consolidated to form Nacon.
Annapurna Games, LLC is an American video game publisher and developer. The company is a division of Annapurna Pictures, and was founded in 2016, and has focused on publishing innovative and emotive indie games. Notable games published by the company include Donut County, Kentucky Route Zero, Outer Wilds, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Wattam, What Remains of Edith Finch, Telling Lies, Neon White and Stray.
Two Point Studios is a British video game development company founded on 26 July 2016 by Ben Hymers, Mark Webley, and Gary Carr. Carr and Webley had previously worked on titles including Theme Hospital, Black & White, and the Fable series for Bullfrog Productions and later Lionhead Studios, and Two Point Studios has other developers from those companies and Mucky Foot Productions. In May 2019, the company was acquired by Sega and became part of Sega Europe.
Private Division is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was founded in December 2017 as a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive. Private Division funds and publishes indie games developed by small to mid-sized studios. This includes taking over Kerbal Space Program publishing and releasing titles from Obsidian Entertainment, Panache Digital Games, and V1 Interactive.
Thunderful Group AB is a Swedish video game holding company based in Gothenburg. It was founded in December 2019 through a merger between Thunderful AB and Bergsala Holding's distribution business, consisting of Bergsala, Amo Toys, and Nordic Game Supply.
Embracer Group AB is a Swedish video game and media holding company based in Karlstad. The company comprises 9 operative groups: Amplifier Game Invest, Asmodee, CDE Entertainment, Coffee Stain, Dark Horse Media, Deca Games, Freemode, Plaion, and THQ Nordic.
In the video game industry, 2022 saw the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry, slowing hardware sales for most of the year as well as development delays for major titles. The industry continued its trend of acquisitions and mergers, highlighted by Microsoft announcing its plan to acquire Activision Blizzard for nearly $69 billion. The industry as a whole continued to deal with issues such as workplace harassment and discrimination, alongside crunch periods, leading to at least the quality assurance staff at three separate studios to vote to unionize.
In the video game industry, 2023 saw significant changes within larger publishers and developers. Microsoft, after having satisfied worldwide regulatory bodies, completed its US$69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, making them the third largest game publisher in the world. Embracer Group, which had been in an acquisition spree over the previous few years, had an estimated $2 billion deal fall through, causing many of the studios under Embracer to either lay off staff or close entirely. Similar layoffs were seen at Unity, Amazon, ByteDance, Epic Games, Bungie, and Ubisoft, leading to over 9,000 jobs lost in the industry in 2023 and part of a larger trend of layoffs at technology companies in 2023.
Outright Games Ltd. is a British video game publisher focused on licensed games, mainly based on family-friendly properties similar to GameMill Entertainment. The company was co-founded in 2016 by Terry Malham as well as his children, Terry Malham-Wallis and Stephanie Malham. It operates offices in London and Madrid.
Serenity Forge LLC is an American video game developer and publisher based in Boulder, Colorado. The studio was founded in 2014 by Zhenghua "Z" Yang.
Plug In Digital is a French video game publisher and distributor. They were founded in 2012 and established two subsidiaries since then: Dear Villagers, who publish mid-market games for personal computers and consoles, and PID Games, who publish games of all varieties.
ILCA is a video game development company based in Tokyo, Japan. The studio is most known for developing Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (2021) and One Piece Odyssey (2023). The company also has offices based in Nagoya, Kyoto, and Kobe.
