Deep Rock Galactic dev Ghost Ship Games opens publishing division to create indie "launchpad"

Deep Rock Galactic developer Ghost Ship Games has opened a publishing division to establish a "launchpad" for indie games. 

The Danish studio, which was purchased by Embracer Group in 2021, described Ghost Ship Publishing as the next stage of its evolution following that acquisition.

Ghost Ship Publishing will announce a slate of titles later this year, but said it specifically wants to help nurture the Danish indie scene—though it isn't afraid to push beyond those borders.

"Our goal is to assist fellow developers with funding and marketing expertise, while also helping them establish a solid business. Founding a publishing brand is a passion project for us, and we are very excited to make this a reality," said Ghost Ship CEO Søren Lundgaard.

The first Ghost Ship Publishing titles will be announced during the Deep Rock Galactic fifth anniversary livestream on March 2, 2022.

Holy Ship

Back in January, Ghost Ship revealed its dwarven-mining-simulator-slash-shooter had sold over 5.5 million copies since launching in 2018, with 2.3 million of those sales coming in 2022.

The studio described that growth as "tremendous," and said the success of Deep Rock Galactic was crucial in allowing it to launch Ghost Ship Publishing.

Expanding on its plans for the nascent division on the Ghost Ship website, the company said it will champion open development, flexible design practices, and equal partnerships.

"We started our own journey through Early Access and know the importance of finding your audience. We believe game development is at its best when the developers and fans get to share the passion for the project," reads the Ghost Ship Publishing manifesto.

"We love working with games that are endlessly expandable, have deep systems, and build their worlds through gameplay and interaction between players. If players can’t wait to tell their friends about your game, you are doing something right.

"[Finally], we believe in fair deals, equal partnerships, full transparency, and consumer-friendly business models. If people are happy to buy your game, you know you are on the right track."