A fresh entrant to the video‑game publishing arena, PUBLSH, has been launched by former executives of the marketing firm Petrol. The company’s inaugural offering is the episodic detective adventure Pera Coda, a title that draws clear inspiration from the critically acclaimed Disco Elysium. The game is being developed by the Turkish studio Elyzio, working through its internal branch known as Falan Studio. Based out of California, PUBLSH was co‑founded in 2025 by chief executive officer Ben Granados and chief strategy officer Samuel Clarke.
Granados brings to the venture a rich background in the gaming sector, having previously co‑founded Petrol, an agency that has partnered with a roster of heavyweight publishers and IP owners such as Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, CD Projekt, Epic Games, Game Science, Krafton, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Tencent. This experience has given him a deep understanding of how marketing, community building, and brand strategy intersect with game development.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Clarke explained that PUBLSH identified a niche in the market for a publishing model that blends seasoned, collaborative support with the flexibility typically associated with advertising agencies. The firm intends to provide direct project investments, bespoke financing structures, and hands‑on guidance to developers, all while maintaining a lean, partnership‑focused approach.
At present, the company is self‑funded by its founders, but Clarke hinted that they are open to bringing in a small cohort of external investors who share the same long‑term vision for the business. Clarke articulated the company’s overarching philosophy as delivering "publisher‑level leadership without publisher‑level control." He emphasized that PUBLSH will be highly selective about the projects it backs, fostering deep collaboration and embedding itself within the development teams it supports.
The team’s collective expertise spans product and portfolio strategy, business development, financing, platform negotiations, distribution channels, audience development, marketing, communications, and go‑to‑market execution. This broad skill set is intended to give partner studios a comprehensive support system that goes beyond the traditional publisher‑developer relationship.
Looking ahead, PUBLSH plans to release roughly four to five games each year, a deliberately modest slate designed to ensure each title receives ample operational bandwidth and financial commitment. The firm is targeting projects with development budgets under $20 million, believing that this range allows for meaningful investment without stretching resources too thin. "We want enough operational space to invest deeply in every studio we partner with," Clarke said.
"We’d rather add high value to five development partners and games than be one of twenty partners on twenty games." The first game on PUBLSH’s roster, Pera Coda, is slated for a PC launch in 2027. It blends classic point‑and‑click investigative mechanics with a strong emphasis on psychological storytelling, aiming to immerse players in a richly atmospheric world.
Granados praised the title’s distinct voice, noting that the team evaluated many potential projects before selecting Pera Coda as the perfect fit for their new publishing model. "We looked at a lot of great games to lean into with our new approach to publishing, and Pera Coda stood out to us immediately for having a voice of its own," he explained. Granados also highlighted Elyzio’s creative achievement, describing the game as both atmospheric and intriguing, with a narrative style that feels fresh and compelling.
He added, "Elyzio has created a game that is atmospheric and intriguing, with storytelling that just felt fresh and compelling to us. We knew we wanted to work with this team and help bring their unique vision to players around the world." In summary, PUBLSH is positioning itself as a boutique publisher that offers high‑touch, strategic support without imposing the heavy‑handed control often associated with larger publishing houses. By focusing on a small, carefully curated slate of projects and leveraging its founders’ extensive industry connections, the company aims to nurture innovative titles like Pera Coda and help them reach a global audience.
The upcoming release of Pera Coda will serve as a litmus test for PUBLSH’s model, potentially setting a new standard for how independent studios and publishers can collaborate in the evolving landscape of interactive entertainment.