Exothermic commits 1% of its annual revenue – not profit – to environmental causes

Independent sci-fi game publisher Exothermic has joined 1% for the Planet, committing to donate 1% of its annual revenue to environmental organisations around the world.

The company becomes part of a global network of businesses supporting vetted environmental causes through a percentage of their yearly sales. Crucially, the commitment is calculated from Exothermic’s revenue rather than its eventual profits.

Revenue represents the money earned by a business before development costs, wages, marketing expenses and other outgoings are deducted. Basing the contribution on revenue therefore prevents the donation from disappearing during an unprofitable year or being reduced through creative accounting.

Under the 1% for the Planet system, member companies donate directly to approved environmental partners before providing financial records and donation receipts for verification. The organisation then checks that the company has met its promised 1% contribution for the relevant financial year.

Exothermic operates as an independent publisher and developer focused primarily on science-fiction games. Its releases include the first-person variable-gravity puzzler Whitematter, which was developed and published by Exothermic Games, and realistic space combat simulator In The Black, which it co-publishes alongside developer Impeller Studios.

Whitematter launched on Steam in September 2025 and challenges players to complete more than 40 spatial puzzles by shifting gravity between floors, walls and ceilings. In The Black entered Steam Early Access in May 2026, offering single-player and multiplayer battles built around nuclear-powered spacecraft and a relatively grounded approach to futuristic combat.

By joining 1% for the Planet, Exothermic is tying the environmental contribution directly to the performance of its business. As the publisher grows and generates additional revenue through existing and future releases, the amount it is required to contribute will increase alongside it.

1% for the Planet was established in 2002 by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and Blue Ribbon Flies owner Craig Mathews. The organisation says its network has now certified more than $870 million in donations to environmental causes across over 100 countries.

A 1% pledge might initially sound modest, particularly for an independent publisher, but linking it to revenue creates an ongoing and measurable commitment rather than a one-off promotional donation. The requirement to provide financial documentation and evidence of contributions also gives the scheme a degree of accountability that many broader corporate sustainability promises lack.

For Exothermic, it is a relatively simple promise: as the company earns money from making and publishing games, a portion of that money will now be directed towards organisations working to protect the planet.

Authored by Paul McNally

Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title. Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine, PlayStation Pro, Amiga Action, Mega Action, ST Action, GQ, Loaded, and the The Mirror. He has also hosted panels at retro-gaming conventions and can regularly be found guesting on gaming podcasts and Twitch shows. Believing that the reader deserves actually to enjoy what they are reading is a big part of Paul’s ethos when it comes to gaming journalism, elevating the sites he works on above the norm.

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