Mike Rose founded the indie publishing house No More Robots nine years ago, and in that time the company has carved out a respectable niche in the games market. Their breakout title, the downhill‑bike adventure Descenders, was the first game to bear the No More Robots label and remains a strong seller, generating more than $35 million in revenue on a modest budget.
Now the studio is preparing to launch its inaugural self‑developed title, a cruise‑ship management and puzzle hybrid called Cruise Control. The project’s origin story is a tale of serendipity and setbacks. Rose recalls a brainstorming session with Dan Foster, a newcomer hired to handle console ports who previously worked on Team 17’s multiplayer offerings.
Their conversation sparked the idea of a team‑based online shooter. Development on that shooter stretched over three years and eventually attracted interest from a “big company” that Rose describes as “someone you would know very well.” Unfortunately, that partner withdrew, claiming the project wasn’t the right fit. The timing coincided with the brief, troubled launch of the game Concord, which was quickly pulled from stores, hinting at broader challenges in the online‑shooter arena.
Rose admits the rejection was a crushing blow: “It was one of the most unpleasant feelings I’ve had in this industry, especially coming from a partner I deeply respect.” With the shooter shelved, Rose had to decide what his five‑person team would tackle next. He landed on the concept of Cruise Control because it was a genre they could produce quickly and that historically performed well on PC.
The initial design resembled a cruise‑ship management sim in the spirit of Two Point Hospital or Two Point Museum, but as development progressed it morphed into a more puzzle‑oriented experience inspired by titles like Mini Motorways. Publishing a game you’ve built yourself feels fundamentally different from licensing someone else’s work, Rose says. The anxiety is higher, but the upside is potentially massive. “Every sale of Cruise Control is worth three or four times as much to us because we keep 100 % of the revenue,” he explains.
“If it performs as well as our biggest hits, that would be huge.” Should Cruise Control succeed, Rose hints that the dormant shooter could be resurrected, albeit likely as a more modest PvE experience rather than a full‑blown PvP arena. “Entering the competitive shooter market as a small studio would be insane,” he notes, “so we’re rethinking the design to fit our resources.” Reflecting on the broader industry, Rose describes recent years as a “massacre” for many developers. No More Robots, however, avoided the worst of the COVID‑driven expansion frenzy because Rose was wary of scaling too fast. The company therefore escaped the deep layoffs that hit larger studios.
In an “accidental” moment of generosity, Rose split the year‑end profits among all staff in 2021, giving everyone a sizable bonus. He expected the same outcome in 2022, but when sales plateaued the company simply broke even—still comfortable because they hadn’t over‑extended.
"We don’t need to make loads of money; everyone gets paid, we release games, and we have fun. It sounds naïve and stupid, but somehow it works," Rose says.
The publishing model at No More Robots has remained fairly consistent. Most of their catalog, including Hypnospace Outlaw and Yes, Your Grace, has been produced on five‑figure budgets.
A few projects received larger sums during the pandemic, which Rose admits was a misstep that “bit” them. Today the budget ceiling is back to five figures, with the notable exception of Another Door, an upcoming multiplayer roguelike slated at $180,000.
Rose recalls telling his wife he was certain about that investment; she encouraged him to proceed, and the game is now generating buzz. Rose’s cautious budgeting stems from the unpredictable nature of indie success. He adopts a “assume every game will do okay” mindset, planning for modest returns while hoping for breakout hits.
That strategy paid off with Thank You for Your Application, a niche document‑checking game that unexpectedly became “flavour of the week.” Rose signed it because he liked the concept, not because he foresaw a hit, but he ensured the financial math was sound regardless of outcome. "If the launch is fine, we survive; if it’s amazing, we thrive," he says. Descenders remains the studio’s crown jewel.
Since its 2017 release, it has earned over $35 million, a remarkable figure given its low‑budget origins. Intriguingly, about half of those sales occurred in a single six‑month window between April and September 2025, without any obvious catalyst.
Rose attributes part of the game’s appeal to its accidental similarity to Roblox experiences: kids can jump in, hold a trigger, and the bike zooms around simple ramps for hours. While the developers originally targeted hardcore mountain‑bike enthusiasts, the majority of Steam reviews now come from younger players describing the game as “bike goes brrrr.” The Roblox similarity even led to formal talks about porting Descenders to that platform.
After a six‑month negotiation and a ten‑step approval process, Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki ultimately rejected the proposal, claiming the game was too different from existing titles and would confuse users. Rose acknowledges that funding a Roblox version himself would have been a gamble, given No More Robots’ lack of experience on that ecosystem, and he “semi‑regrets” not taking the risk because of Roblox’s massive audience.
Going forward, No More Robots is refocusing on PC releases after a period of console‑centric titles delivered through Game Pass—a channel Rose describes as “huge” for small‑scale games. He also emphasizes organic interest as the best predictor of success.
Rather than chasing spikes from influencer pushes, Rose watches the steady climb of Steam wishlists; a consistently rising curve signals genuine player curiosity. This metric fuels his optimism for Another Door, which is already amassing thousands of daily wishlists without any marketing spend.
"When we add a small influencer push, the numbers quadruple," he says, "and that tells me we could see a Descenders‑level breakout if we keep the momentum." Despite the excitement, Rose admits he feels drained after nine years of relentless launches and sleepless nights. He is eager for a new challenge and has several ideas he wants to explore. Even though he still handles many of the label’s day‑to‑day tasks, he is moving toward a point where he can step back: "I’m moving towards 100 % done. I don’t know when that will be," he concludes.