Owlcat Games says devs must learn how to usurp established titles

When Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader and Pathfinder: Kingmaker developer Owlcat Games stood up a publisher for narrative-focused games, it did so with years of self-publishing experience under its belt. In 2019, head of publishing Andrey Tsvetkov joined the company to build up a self-publishing arm, and after 5 years and the acquisition of publisher Meta Publishing, the company's ready share its success with other developers.

Launching a new game publisher in 2024 is a bold choice. The last year hasn't just seen thousands of developer layoffs, it's seen a number of games dramatically undersell and put publishers and developers out of business. In an interview with Game Developer, Tsvetkov seemed keenly aware of that fact, telling us that the company is working hard to prepare its signed games for success.

The main goal, he said, is to help signed developers "walk the path we have already walked." "We know the challenges that await them in this process, so we want to make sure they are avoiding them. After creating three games in a row, we actually know what kinds of pipelines, what kinds of budgets, and what kinds of efforts one needs to create these kinds of experiences."

A creative vision and backing from an experience publisher aren't enough to succeed on their own—which is why Tsvetkov believes the number one thing developers pitching him should prepare for is to explain how their game can stand out in a given market.

Related:Owlcat Games opens third-party, narrative game-focused publishing label

Owlcat Games' publishing terms favor developers (but it can only help so many teams)

Developers interested in pitching a narrative title to Owlcat Games can expect what Tsvetkov described as favorable terms if they make it all the way to the end. The company isn't interested in taking ownership over intellectual property, and it favors revenue splits that give developers a greater chunk of the change.

He couldn't give specifics on signed contracts, but said revenue splits at Owlcat might start at "around 20-25 percent" (for the publisher), then change for "later stages of the product lifecycle."

Owlcat apparently isn't just looking for interesting-looking games, but also a sense that there's a core team behind them who can maintain focus on their pitched product even while scaling up the team. If a game doesn't make the cut, Tsvetkov said he's happy to give feedback so developers can pitch themselves better elsewhere.

The label's first two published games are both striking. Rue Valley is a narrative RPG in the vein of Disco Elysium that uses RPG-like systems to explore a character's inner psyche, and Shadow of the Road is an isometric RPG akin to Baldur's Gate 3 set in an alternate history Japan. But what, it's worth asking, made these games stand out from other pitched titles?

The answer, Tsvetkov said, has to do with how well they can compete with similar games—even ones a decade old. "Right now you're competing with games that are seven, eight, ten years old and are in good shape," he said. "They still look great and you can buy them for $5 on sale."

In isolation that can be a depressing fact, but Tsvetkov seemed to see it as an opportunity. "If you approach with a pitch, we evaluate on our side [and ask] 'what is the market share for this game?'"

Here "market share" refers to the genre a game operates in. Some games like Vampire Survivors might birth a whole new "genre" that captures player interest, other polished titles like Baldur's Gate 3 might knock down the competition that previously dominated the field. Both options are on the table, but the size of the market will impact what kinds of budgets Owlcat is comfortable with.

Rue Valley for instance, gets to build on the success and mechanics of Disco Elysium, a game that has sparked a few imitators, but it's still early enough that not many game studios have launched big-budget follow-ups. (Unfortunately for Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM, its struggles may mean it's not putting one out anytime soon either...)

Meanwhile Shadow of the Road competes in the same market as Baldur's Gate 3 (and even Owlcat Games' own turn-based RPGs), but it has a unique setting and gameplay hook for players looking for a fresh take on the genre. Owlcat was willing to bet on both games' success.

Think carefully about what makes your game special

For developers inspired by Disco Elysium's success, he advised them to be cautious just jumping into the genre because it's relatively unexplored. "It's not about the mindset of 'oh I've seen the success of Disco Elysium, I need to know how to recreate that,'" he said. "It's about 'I have a story I want to tell that's really deep inside me,' and then you can do it with [Disco Elysium]'s gameplay."

A key lesson developers might want to take from Disco Elysium's success isn't the subject matter or specific game mechanics, it's that more players want to engage with RPG systems that center the story more than they enable deep complexity with combat builds and character classes.

Tsvetkov's advice is familiar in some ways—developers need strong creative ideas and a good sense of how they'll bring a game to life to land publishing deals or investors. But his invitation to explore the market share a game is breaking into may help developers spot opportunities in new genres—or see how to thrive in one dominated by beloved classics.