AMC TV Network Supports Overlooked Indie Games

AMC's involvement in the gaming industry is not limited to licensing its popular franchise, The Walking Dead. The company also operates an indie publisher, led by Simon Ferrari, who is the director of games at AMC Networks. Ferrari started at AMC seven years ago as a freelancer, working on The Walking Dead mobile games. He notes that AMC's approach to the new media landscape is to become an aggregate of boutiques, rather than a large, monolithic service. AMC does a lot of indie work on the film and TV side, including operating the IFC TV channel, the IFC Film Center in New York, and co-organizing the Sundance Film Festival. Ferrari mentions that making games at a TV network usually means licensing, as most people at the company don't know how to build a games studio. However, AMC's experience with indie film production and distribution companies led Ferrari to think that working on indie games would be a good fit. Four years ago, AMC Games released its first game, Airplane Mode, which was developed by local people in the New York indie game development scene. The company has since released several other games, including The Magnificent Trufflepigs, It's a Wrap, and The Fabulous Fear Machine. Ferrari's passion for the indie scene is evident, and he notes that being part of a large company gives him the freedom to fund and sign games that he believes in. AMC Games is willing to take risks that other publishers might not, and Ferrari is proud to be supporting games that are fun and interesting, but may not have gotten enough attention otherwise. The company is not looking for a specific type of game, but rather wants to support games that are narrative-driven and have a unique art style. Ferrari notes that the indie game landscape is constantly changing, with new games and developers emerging all the time. He is excited to see where the industry will go in the future and is committed to continuing to support and promote indie games. AMC Games is also looking to expand its operations, including providing more support to indie developers, such as localization, QA, and community management. Ferrari's personal dream is to be able to provide the necessary support to help indie games succeed, and he believes that AMC Games can play a key role in making that happen.