The CEO of Nine Dots, Guillaume Boucher-Vidal, believes that now is the right time to compete with other publishers who are pulling back. The company’s financial stability from the sales of Outward gives them the confidence to venture into publishing. Boucher-Vidal aims to create a powerful brand that targets sophisticated gamers and grants them a high level of self-expression. Their focus is on autonomy, exploration, good music, and catering to mature gamers, mostly over the age of 30.
Natasha Collin, Nine Dots’ COO and executive producer, explains that the company’s publishing program is built on three core pillars. Firstly, Nine Dots aims for sustainable development by establishing friendly and fair partnerships with development studios. They offer business terms that are less aggressive than their competitors, ensuring that royalties flow to the development studio from the very first copy sold. Secondly, they believe in maintaining a recognizable signature through a selection of pre-defined concepts in the games they publish. Lastly, Nine Dots prioritizes ethical work practices by rejecting the concept of “crunch time” and prioritizing a healthy work-life balance for their employees.
Boucher-Vidal’s mission with Nine Dots was always to improve the game industry by treating people right and eliminating crunch. By focusing on efficiency and leaving out unnecessary elements, he and his team were able to create Outward without sacrificing their well-being. This philosophy became the foundation for the kind of games Nine Dots wants to publish. They seek to provide developers with favorable business terms and the freedom to create while maintaining a commitment to a healthy work-life balance.
Nine Dots plans to invest $1 million to $2.5 million in projects, with a focus on accountability as a publisher. The company is building a marketing team to work with external developers and will be agnostic in terms of genres, avoiding saturating the market with the same type of game. They will work with developers making PC and console games but have no interest in mobile or blockchain games. Boucher-Vidal believes that blockchain games often prioritize extracting value from players rather than creating value for them.
In terms of the game economy and layoffs, Boucher-Vidal believes that the industry needs more maturity in how it manages itself. He acknowledges the competition for talent and high salaries but emphasizes the importance of sustainability. Nine Dots’ developer-publisher split will be 70-30, with developers getting paid from the first copy sold, unlike many deals where developers only get paid after the publisher’s advance is paid off.
Nine Dots’ move into third-party publishing shows their commitment to improving the game industry and providing developers with better opportunities. Their focus on sustainable development, ethical work practices, and maintaining a recognizable signature in their games sets them apart from other publishers. As they venture into publishing, Nine Dots aims to create value rather than extract it, ensuring that both developers and players benefit from their partnership.
