We’re working on something exciting, something big. With @EpicGames as our publisher, we have incredible resources and full creative freedom. Thrilled about this opportunity. That said, for now that’s all I can tell you. @remedygames https://t.co/61Bl2CqIbs
— Sam Lake (@SamLakeRMD) March 26, 2020
Epic will publish games from Remedy, Playdead and Gen Design
Fortnite firm launches publishing label with “most developer-friendly terms in the industry”
Epic Games has announced it will launch its own publishing label and it’s already signed projects from Remedy (Control), Gen Design (The Last Guardian) and Playdead (Inside).
In an announcement video published on Thursday, Epic said its Epic Games Publishing label would offer “the most developer-friendly terms in the industry,” so that creators can “focus on making great games.”
The terms of its publishing deals include full creative freedom and ownership for developers, it said, with studios retaining creative control and 100% of their intellectual property.
Epic Games Publishing will cover up to 100% of development costs, from developer salaries to go-to-market expenses such as QA, localization, marketing, and all publishing costs.
Finally, Epic said it would share profits 50/50, once its development costs have been recouped.
Additional information, development partners, and games will be announced in the coming months, Epic said.
“We’re building the publishing model we always wanted for ourselves when we worked with publishers,” said Epic CEO Tim Sweeney.
“gen DESIGN, Remedy, and Playdead are among the most innovative and talented studios in the industry, with strong visions for their next games,” added Hector Sanchez, Head of Epic Games Publishing. “They will have full creative control, while Epic will provide a solid foundation of project funding and services.”
Remedy’s Sam Lake said: “Epic understands what it takes to make a big game. They want to give us full creative freedom.”
Fumito Ueda added: “Since we have gone indie and opened a studio, I want to be able to reach more players than before.”
Finally, Playdead’s Arnt Jenson said of the deal: “This is an art house studio. We can maintain the integrity of the organisation and all the games.”
Control studio Remedy Entertainment announced earlier on Thursday that the publishing deal would include two unannounced games.
The first project is a “AAA multi-platform game” already in pre-production, the company said, while the second is a “smaller-scale” project set in the same franchise. Both projects are being developed on Remedy’s proprietary Northlight game engine and tools.
The games will be released for next-gen consoles and PC in “the next few years,” Remedy said.