It has been nine years since Mike Rose founded the independent publisher No More Robots. Over that period the studio has carved out a respectable niche, largely thanks to a back‑catalog that includes the wildly successful bike‑racing title Descenders – the first game released under the No More Robots banner and still a strong seller today.
Now the company is preparing to launch its very first self‑developed title, a cruise‑ship management simulator called Cruise Control. The road to that release has not been straightforward. The idea originated from a conversation between Rose and Dan Foster, a developer who joined No More Robots to handle console ports and brought with him a background in online multiplayer from his time at Team 17.
Their discussion sparked the concept of a team‑based online shooter. After three years of work, the project attracted interest from a "big company" – someone Rose says he knows well. However, that partner eventually pulled out, claiming the game wasn’t a good fit.
The timing coincided with the brief appearance and rapid removal of Concord, a sign that the online‑shooter market was becoming treacherous. "As you can imagine, a tiny studio like ours can’t just launch a multiplayer shooter on its own," Rose explains.
"I was crushed – it was one of the most unpleasant experiences I've had in this industry, especially because it came from a partner I deeply respect." With the shooter on hold, Rose had to decide what his five‑person team would tackle next. He landed on Cruise Control, a concept he described as "something we could make quickly and that belongs to a PC genre that consistently performs well." The project began as a cruise‑ship management game in the vein of Two Point Hospital or Two Point Museum, but it gradually morphed into a puzzle‑oriented experience inspired by titles such as Mini Motorways. Releasing a game that the company itself has built feels dramatically different from publishing someone else’s work.
Rose admits the anxiety is higher, but the potential upside is also far greater. "Because we own 100 % of Cruise Control, each sale is worth three or four times as much to us as a typical publishing cut," he says. "If the game performs as well as one of our previous hits, that would be massive for the studio." Should Cruise Control succeed, Rose hints that the shelved shooter could be resurrected in a more modest form.
The team already has a demo ready, but the final product might be scaled back to a PvE experience rather than a full‑blown PvP arena. "Entering the competitive shooter space as a small studio would be insane," he notes. "We’re thinking about repurposing the core mechanics into something more manageable." Reflecting on the broader industry, Rose describes recent years as a "massacre" for many developers. No More Robots, however, did not ride the COVID‑era boom; expansion frightened Rose, so the studio stayed lean and avoided the deep cuts that forced many larger companies to downsize.
He calls this cautious approach an "accidental bit of genius." At the end of 2021 he distributed all profits among staff, assuming the same would happen the following year. When it didn’t, the studio simply broke even, having not over‑extended. "We don’t need to make loads of money – everyone gets paid, we release games, and we have fun. I know it sounds naïve and stupid, but somehow it works," Rose says.
The publishing model at No More Robots has remained fairly consistent. Descenders was produced on a five‑figure budget, as were most of the label’s other titles like Hypnospace Outlaw and Yes, Your Grace. A few games received larger budgets during the pandemic, a period Rose admits he got caught up in, and he acknowledges the studio was "bit a couple of times for that." Today the company is back to five‑figure budgets, with the notable exception of Another Door, an upcoming multiplayer roguelike slated at $180,000.
Rose recounts a conversation with his wife when the budget for Another Door was set: "I was so sure about this one," he says. "She just told me to go for it. We announced it and the response has been huge.
Of course we still have to launch, but my intuition feels right." Keeping budgets modest is a deliberate strategy, given the unpredictable nature of indie success. Rose explains, "I have to assume every game will just do fine.
If we become the flavour of the month, that’s fantastic, but we can survive even if we’re just average. That’s how you stay afloat." The studio’s biggest hit remains Descenders, released in 2017 and now generating over $35 million in revenue. Remarkably, half of those sales occurred in the last year, with a surge between April and September 2025 that Rose describes as a "pop" with no obvious catalyst.
He attributes part of the game’s longevity to its accidental similarity to Roblox experiences: simple controls, endless riding, and a lobby that kids can occupy for hours. "We didn’t design it for that audience – we aimed at hardcore mountain‑bike fans – but 99 % of Steam reviews are kids saying ‘bike goes brrrr,’" Rose laughs.
Because of that unexpected demographic, Roblox approached No More Robots about a port. The talks lasted six months and involved a ten‑step approval process, only to be shut down at the final stage by CEO Dave Baszucki, who felt the game was too different from existing Roblox content. Rose admits he might semi‑regret passing on the opportunity, noting that the platform’s massive user base could have offered a huge upside, but also recognizing the risk of venturing into unfamiliar territory.
Since then, No More Robots has refocused on PC releases, moving away from a period dominated by console titles delivered through Game Pass – a channel Rose describes as "huge" for small‑scale games. He also stresses the importance of organic interest over forced marketing. "The best sign is when a game is gaining steam without us pushing it," he says.
He watches Steam wishlist graphs closely; a steady upward trend is far more encouraging than a flat line punctuated by occasional spikes from influencer campaigns. This organic momentum is precisely why Rose is confident about Another Door. "Without any promotion, it’s already racking up thousands of wishlists daily," he notes.
"When we do a small influencer push, the numbers quadruple. That kind of baseline enthusiasm is rare for us and could translate into a Descenders‑level hit." Despite the excitement, Rose admits that after nine years he feels drained. "I don’t want to keep doing this forever.
I want a new challenge and have a few ideas already," he confides. The studio has remained small, with Rose still handling many operational tasks himself. Even the successful launch of Thank You for Your Application gave him sleepless nights, not because of the game's performance but due to the sheer volume of launches he has overseen. Looking ahead, Rose says he is moving toward a point where he can step back entirely.
"I’m heading toward 100 % done, but I don’t know when that will be," he concludes, hopeful that the next chapter – whether it involves another self‑developed title, a revamped shooter, or something entirely different – will bring fresh energy to the modest yet resilient indie studio he built nearly a decade ago.