Devolver Digital is committed to producing licensed games under a new independent label, Games for big fans.
As the name suggests, the studio will be responsible for publishing game adaptations of movies, TV shows, and comics. For Games industrythe staff of Good Shepherd (which Devolver acquired in 2021) will make up the team for this endeavor.
And how to publish labels on other studiesServices will be offered for finance, public relations, marketing and other key areas.
Big Fan is run by EA alumnus Lincoln Hershberger as general manager and Lionsgate Games creative director Amanda Kruse as head of business management. Speaking to GamesIndustry, Kruse said the studio aims to do its own thing and not just be “Devolver 2.”
“How can we separate?” he recalled. “I was excited to propose 'let's make some adjustments'. Because that's what excites us and most of our team.”
While Kruse acknowledges that Devolver lets Big Fan “worry less about building our own personal brand,” he wants the label to stand on its own two feet and eventually become “synonymous with quality adaptations in games.”
Regarding the mission statement, Big fan wants to make “really good video game adaptations that are just as good as their source material.” […] This can be anything from a narrative adventure to a team fighting game with aerial combos.”
All aboard express licensed games
Ideally, Hershberger wants a studio “passionate” about a particular property to approach Big Fan so they can approach the IP owner and support the project. Often, an owner grants a publisher gaming rights to his property, as with Rocksteady e Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Expanding games other means (and the inversion) has played an important role in recent years. But Kruse said Big Fan will focus primarily on properties that don't already have a fit to their name, saying this gives the studio “more flexibility.”
There are already six unannounced projects lined up for Big Fan, one of which she says has no film or show in the works. He brings a “really cool energy” that he hopes carries over to current and future projects the company secures.
You can read GamesIndustry's full interview with Kruse and Hershberger Here. Developers interested in working with Big Fan can submit their project Here.