It has been nine years since Mike Rose founded the independent publisher No More Robots, and in that time the studio has carved out a respectable niche in the indie gaming world. The company’s early breakthrough came with Descenders, a high‑octane mountain‑bike title that not only launched under the No More Robots banner but also continues to generate strong sales years after its debut. The success of Descenders gave the label a solid financial footing and a reputation for backing games that resonate with both hardcore players and casual audiences. Now, after a series of pivots and a fair amount of trial‑and‑error, No More Robots is preparing to release its first internally developed game: Cruise Control, a simulation that puts players in charge of running a cruise liner.
The idea for Cruise Control emerged from a conversation between Rose and Dan Foster, a developer who joined the company to handle console ports and brought with him valuable experience in online multiplayer from his stint at Team 17. Their discussion initially sparked the concept of a team‑based online shooter. Rose recalls that the shooter project consumed three years of development and even attracted the attention of a "big company"—someone he knew well.
Unfortunately, that prospective partner ultimately pulled out, claiming the project wasn’t a good fit. The timing coincided with the rapid rise and abrupt removal of the game Concord, a signal that the online‑shooter market was becoming increasingly volatile.
"As a tiny studio, we simply couldn’t launch an online multiplayer shooter on our own," Rose admits. "I felt crushed—one of the most unpleasant emotions I’ve experienced in this industry, especially because it came from a partner I deeply respect." With the shooter shelved, Rose and his five‑person team faced a crossroads: what should they tackle next? The answer arrived in the form of Cruise Control. Rose describes the moment as a flash of practicality: "I thought, ‘Here’s a game we could make quickly, and it’s a genre that does well on PC.’" The initial concept was a cruise‑ship management sim reminiscent of Two Point Hospital or Two Point Museum, but as development progressed the design shifted toward a puzzle‑oriented experience inspired by titles such as Mini Motorways.
Releasing a game that the studio itself created feels fundamentally different from publishing someone else’s work. While the anxiety levels are higher—because every mistake now directly affects the company’s bottom line—Rose believes the upside is proportionally larger.
"Every sale of Cruise Control is worth three or four times as much to us as a typical publishing cut," he explains. "If it performs as well as one of our previous hits, that would be massive for No More Robots." The potential success of Cruise Control could even revive the abandoned shooter, which already has a demo ready. However, Rose cautions that a pure PvP shooter is unlikely to be viable for a small studio; instead, he is contemplating a rework into a PvE experience that would be more manageable.
Reflecting on the broader industry, Rose paints a grim picture of the last few years, calling it a "massacre." Yet No More Robots managed to avoid the severe downsizing that many larger firms endured during the COVID‑driven boom. The reason, he says, is simple: the company resisted the temptation to expand rapidly, a decision that kept it from overextending. In 2021, Rose made an unconventional move by distributing the year’s profits evenly among all staff members. "I gave our team a substantial bonus and assumed the same would happen the following year," he recounts.
When the anticipated revenue didn’t materialise, the company was still in a stable position because it had not taken on additional overhead. "We break even, we pay everyone, we keep making games, and we’re having fun. It sounds naïve and stupid, but somehow it works," he adds with a grin. The publishing model at No More Robots has remained relatively consistent.
Descenders, Hypnospace Outlaw, Yes, Your Grace and most other titles have been produced on five‑figure budgets. A handful of games received larger allocations during the pandemic, a period Rose admits he got caught up in, but the label has since returned to modest spending, with the notable exception of Another Door—a multiplayer roguelike slated for release with a $180,000 budget.
Rose’s philosophy on budgeting is rooted in the unpredictable nature of indie success. "I have to assume every game will do okay," he says. "If we happen to be the flavour of the month, that’s fantastic, but we can survive on steady, modest returns." He cites Thank You for Your Application as an example of a title that unexpectedly became the "flavour of the week," a surprise that reinforced his belief in backing projects he personally enjoys, even if their commercial prospects are uncertain. Descenders remains the crown jewel of No More Robots’ catalogue, having generated over $35 million in revenue—a remarkable figure given its modest development costs.
Intriguingly, half of those earnings arrived in the most recent year, with a sales spike between April and September 2025 that Rose attributes to nothing more than organic word‑of‑mouth. He also notes that the game unintentionally functions like a Roblox experience: kids can simply hop in, press a button, and spend hours riding bikes in the lobby, oblivious to the game’s original target audience of adult mountain‑bike enthusiasts. This unexpected demographic led to a six‑month negotiation with Roblox about creating a dedicated version for their platform, only to be shut down at the final approval stage by CEO Dave Baszucki, who felt the game was too divergent from Roblox’s existing content. Looking ahead, Rose is cautiously optimistic about Another Door, which is already amassing thousands of daily Steam wishlists without any active marketing push.
"When we add a small influencer boost, the wishlist numbers quadruple," he observes, interpreting the organic interest as a strong indicator of future success. He even speculates that Another Door could match the commercial impact of Descenders if the momentum continues.
Despite the excitement surrounding these projects, Rose admits that after nine years at the helm, he feels drained and is yearning for a new challenge. He still handles a large portion of the label’s day‑to‑day operations, and the stress of multiple launches—particularly the sleepless nights surrounding Thank You for Your Application—has taken its toll. "I don’t want to keep doing this forever," he confides.
"I’m looking for something different, and I have a few ideas I want to explore." In summary, No More Robots’ journey illustrates how a small, disciplined team can thrive by keeping budgets modest, embracing organic growth, and remaining flexible enough to pivot when opportunities arise. Whether Cruise Control becomes a breakout hit, the shooter is resurrected as a PvE experience, or Another Door rockets to unexpected heights, the company’s core philosophy—prioritising sustainable development over reckless expansion—remains its guiding star as it steps into its next decade.