Secret Mode, the console and PC indie games publisher which originally began through Sumo Digital, a Tencent-owned publisher/developer, is now itself an independent publisher.
Co-founders Ed Blincoe and James Schall, in partnership with Emona Capital LLP have bought-out Secret Mode from Sumo Digital, a subsidiary of Sumo Group, which itself is a subsidiary of Tencent.
Secret Mode was already a publisher that focused on indie titles, and this split from Sumo Group won’t change anything about that. By the sounds of it, this split from Sumo Group and partnership with investors Emona Capital should power Secret Mode to publish more indies, for years to come.
While Emona Captial partnered with co-founders Blincoe and Schall, Secret Mode will operate independently from Emona Capital, with Blincoe and Schall remaining in their leadership roles.
The news was announced with a post on Secret Mode’s LinkedIn page, where co-founder and vice-president of publishing Ed Blincoe said “Secret Mode is deeply passionate about the creativity and innovation within the indie space, and se we are thrilled to be partnering with Emona Capital and fully focus on the independent publishing scene.”
“I also want to express our gratitude to Sumo not only for believing in Secret Mode’s original vision and overseeing our startup years, but for granting us this opportunity to become a fully independent entity.”
Since Secret Mode began in 2020, it has published a number of indie games for PC, console and mobile, though it’s mostly recognized for A Little to the Left, Still Wakes The Deep and Wobbledogs.
For Emona Capital, managing partner Dominik Dolenec said “Secret Mode has made great waves in its formative years as a publisher of independent games. We look forward to supporting Secret Mode’s mission within the independent games sector across PC and consoles.”
Co-founder Schall also added “By becoming independent, we can now put all our efforts into uncovering the indie gems that gamers never knew they needed in their lives. We are committed to bringing our players the very best indie titles, not just of the future, but also by helping them discover existing indie masterpieces that have undeservedly flown under the radar in years gone by.”
“We are working hard to empower independent developers across the globe, and hope to make some exciting announcements on this front in the coming months.”
The next big title Secret Mode is publishing is an action RPG called Empyreal. from a new studio called Silent Games.
Source – [Secret Mode]