Secret Mode Adopts Dual Strategy, Balancing Big‑Budget IP Hits with Indie Experiments

Secret Mode is currently riding a wave of optimism. After untangling itself from Sumo Digital—and by extension Tencent—last year, the newly autonomous UK publisher has been accelerating its growth at a rapid pace.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz conducted at Gamescom, Chief Publishing Officer James Schall highlighted that the company has experienced "phenomenal growth" over the past eighteen months. He explained that the team initially drafted a strategic roadmap extending to 2030, only to surpass those milestones within roughly four months. Schall emphasized that the split from Sumo was relatively straightforward, thanks in part to fresh capital from Emona Capital, and that Tencent proved to be a cooperative partner throughout the transition.

"I was stunned by how swiftly the deal closed and how positive the whole process felt for everyone involved," he said. From Tencent's perspective, the divestiture also made sense. After acquiring Sumo in early 2022, the Chinese conglomerate began assessing its sprawling portfolio, questioning the need for eighteen separate publishing entities. This aligns with comments from Tencent executive Yong‑yi Zhu, who recently told GamesIndustry.biz that the group is pruning its holdings to focus on companies that fit its long‑term vision.

So what is Secret Mode’s new direction? Schall and CEO Ed Blincoe describe a two‑pronged approach: they will back "pure indie" projects while also investing in larger‑scale, IP‑driven games like Star Wars: Galactic Racer. The belief is that a focus on quality across both spectrums will help the publisher cut through an increasingly crowded market. Schall noted that discoverability has become a major hurdle.

"In today’s environment, selling a mediocre game is almost impossible, and even a very good game can struggle to find an audience. There’s no longer a simple playbook; you have to make the right choices and hope luck is on your side," he explained. One of those choices is to back titles that have already shown promise but still have untapped potential. Secret Mode has placed a sizable wager on Star Wars: Galactic Racer, slated for release on 6 October.

Schall described the game's wishlist numbers as "phenomenal," while Blincoe recalled playing an early build more than a year ago and being impressed by its continued improvement. The title is being developed by Fuse Games, a new UK studio.

Secret Mode secured the publishing rights at the end of September last year after persuading Emona Capital that the project warranted further investment. "We walked in with an opportunity and worked with our investors to figure out a funding structure," Schall said.

The publisher’s other high‑budget bets differ in nature. Secret Mode now publishes Fancy Games' Escape the Backrooms—originally launched in Early Access in 2022—and Anegar Games' 2024 release Chained Together. Both are co‑op experiences that cater to a demographic raised on online interaction during the COVID era.

"These players live on Twitch, they hang out with friends online, and they expect ongoing content," Schall observed. "We can either rely on a short viral spike or iterate continuously to keep them engaged." Beyond publishing, Secret Mode is also taking on development responsibilities through trusted partners. External studio Blackbird Interactive has been extending Escape the Backrooms, while Secret Mode has opened an internal development studio in Sheffield to produce additional content for its portfolio, according to Blincoe.

Both games are generating a steady flow of sales that fund their own development cycles. "New players keep arriving, and the existing community wants more updates. That’s why we’re committed to delivering fresh content," Blincoe explained.

This reflects a broader industry trend often called "caretaker development," where third‑party teams assume stewardship of existing titles when original developers move on. French studio Evil Empire, for instance, now handles post‑launch content for the popular indie hit Brotato and is actively scouting other games that could benefit from a similar arrangement. Schall believes there are numerous opportunities with developers who have achieved initial success but feel constrained—whether by creative fatigue, demanding communities, or financial comfort.

"We help them reset, rediscover their passion, and handle the publishing side, which isn’t easy but is something we’ve become adept at," he said. Secret Mode has experience in this arena. Schall cited the case of Wobbledogs, created by Tom Astle, which was stuck in Early Access with limited resources. Secret Mode stepped in, released the game, and gave Astle the freedom to pursue new projects.

The emphasis today is on the long tail rather than a single explosive launch. Schall, a former Sega veteran of thirteen years, recalls many titles that didn’t peak on day one but grew organically over months or years.

"Games can find their audience later—sometimes the algorithm simply hasn’t pointed the right users at them," he noted. "We’ve seen titles start with modest sales and become highly profitable six months down the line." Nonetheless, discovering that audience remains a challenge. Schall admits that luck—perhaps an influencer’s endorsement—can make a decisive difference. "Discoverability is one of the biggest headaches for the industry.

Algorithms tend to push the same popular content, making it hard for unique experiences to break through. That keeps me up at night," he confessed.

The old playbook—press previews, a massive launch marketing push, then moving on—no longer holds. Schall pointed out that a teenager can upload a game to Roblox or itch.io and amass millions of players without any publisher involvement. "These creators often don’t even know what a publisher is, yet they’re achieving massive success and disrupting the industry," he said.

Secret Mode therefore aims to keep an eye on these emerging, disruptive creators, especially as visual fidelity becomes less of a differentiator. After decades of chasing photorealism, the industry has reached a point where many players prioritize fun and distinct artistic identity over sheer graphical polish.

"We need to find the fun first," Schall concluded. While flagship projects like Star Wars: Galactic Racer will remain vital, Schall believes there’s room for a diverse array of experiences—perhaps a vector‑graphics, 2D madness that simply entertains. The two pillars—big‑budget IP titles and modest indie experiments—represent contrasting but complementary strategies.

It will be intriguing to see which side carries more weight as the company moves forward. Both Schall and Blincoe stress that Secret Mode remains open to larger opportunities, provided the economics make sense. "We’ll run the numbers and decide; we’re not turning down projects solely because of their scale," Schall said.

Blincoe, however, cautions that the company must first ensure it remains a "stable ship" before over‑committing. "We’ll watch how our current slate performs, announce a few more titles over the next months, see how Star Wars does, and then decide the next steps. We need to walk before we run."