11-Bit Studios: Finding Success in Publishing while Missing Out on Cult of the Lamb

Chris Wigley, a former commercial pilot, now resides in Barbados, where he searches for innovative indie games. This role is a dream come true for him. Wigley's journey into this position was accidental, as he previously worked on a website showcasing interesting indie games. After being laid off from his pilot job due to the COVID pandemic, he was approached by Rufus Kubica, the external development director at 11-Bit Studios, to work with them in finding games for the company. 11-Bit Studios is renowned for developing games such as This War of Mine, Frostpunk, and The Alters, but it also operates a publishing arm that has released titles like Moonlighter, Children of Morta, The Invincible, and Indika. The company's release rate is not high, with only a dozen games published since 2014, but this is a deliberate strategy. According to Kubica, the small output is a result of the company's intense engagement with each project, aiming for one or two releases per year with a strong focus. The reason for venturing into publishing is to have more releases and expand the concept of meaningful entertainment, focusing on heavier, more thought-provoking games. The company does not target specific genres but avoids certain areas like VR-only titles, platformers, sports titles, hyper-casual games, and purely narrative-driven or puzzle games. Mobile games are also not a priority, despite the studio's own titles being released on mobile in the past. Wigley explains that they have published games on mobile but not mobile games, highlighting the distinction between the two. 11-Bit Studios looks for games that are unique, possibly with leaner production, and things they wouldn't experiment with internally. An example is Indika, which Wigley scouted and found to be extremely scary from a market standpoint due to its unusual subject matter. Like many publishers, 11-Bit typically requires a vertical slice demo before signing a new title and often gets involved in projects at an early stage, providing creative feedback. However, the company does not always make the right decisions, and Kubica mentions that they have a "special file" of games they evaluated but turned down, which later became big hits, such as Cult of the Lamb. 11-Bit Studios had two significant hits early on with Moonlighter and Children of Morta, but subsequent titles have not reached the same sales heights, although the market has changed significantly. The company is happy with the performance of The Invincible and Indika, which, although not viral successes, have done well. In contrast, they were underwhelmed with The Thaumaturge, but it still found an audience. 11-Bit Studios has gone through phases in its publishing approach, initially being trapped in the pixel art genre but gradually moving towards games with strong, meaningful aspects and high production values. Now, the company is in its third phase, focusing on smaller, more agile, and cheaper titles that are mechanics-driven. Death Howl is an example of this new approach, a soulslike deck builder with a thought-provoking element. The game was discovered through 11-Bit's public submission process, which typically yields low-quality games, but Death Howl stood out. 11-Bit's shift towards smaller games comes at a time when funding for mid-range titles is decreasing, and the company predicts that the quality bar will rise in the AA space. Although 11-Bit is focusing on smaller titles, there are no plans to drastically increase the number of releases per year, as the studio wants to maintain a passion-driven, curated approach. Publishing still accounts for a substantial part of 11-Bit's revenue, helping the company remain sustainable between the releases of its own games. More developers are turning to publishing for similar reasons, but it is not an easy transition, requiring a good reputation and significant overhead. With the ease of self-publishing and non-traditional funding platforms, some argue that developers may not need publishers, but Wigley believes it depends on the developer's needs. 11-Bit Studios offers benefits like external feedback, visibility, and a strong reputation, which can be difficult for developers to find on their own. The company is not worried about signing games but is concerned about the increasing number of games, making it harder for titles to stand out.