Pocketpair Publishing has received 150+ game pitches already

Pocketpair Publishing is already busy.
pocketpair publishing game pitches

In mid-January 2025, Pocketpair Publishing announced its establishment, as well as its first game – a horror title developed by Surgent Studios (Tales of Kenzera: ZAU). Since then, the new publisher has reportedly been inundated with game pitches, emails, and LinkedIn requests, with hundreds of developers keen to show off their work for consideration.

“Pocketpair Publishing opened its doors one week ago!” the company’s posted on X. “In that time, we have received: 400 emails, 150 pitches, 2,000+ LinkedIn requests. We are blown away by the interest we have received from YOU, the developers, and we’re doing our best to review each request and pitch.”

“Of course, we cannot help everyone, but we’re determined to help as many great games get made as possible.”

In a time when publisher support for indie developers is drying up, Pocketpair Publishing’s arrival appears to have inspired many. Beyond being a new avenue for funding, it’s likely the company’s experience with developing Palworld, Craftopia, and other experiences, that has attracted so much interest.

Pocketpair is a veteran of the indie game scene and chose to branch into publishing, thanks to the success of Palworld. The wisdom learned on this path would certainly help upcoming developers with their own emerging projects. It’s also worth noting this background gives the company a unique understanding of how the modern games industry works, and how difficult it is to secure publisher interest.

Read: Surgent Studios announces new horror game

It’s likely for these reasons Pocketpair is keen to maintain a developer-first, hands-off approach that prioritises creativity and innovation. When the company announced its first game with Surgent Studios, it also confirmed a fresh approach to seeking out and working with developers.

“At Pocketpair, there is nothing we love more than games, and Pocketpair Publishing is our latest venture to help the world enjoy gaming even more. Game development comes with many challenges, but we want to ease that process as much as possible and provide an environment where creators can pursue their dreams,” John Buckley, head of Pocketpair Publishing said. “We will respect the autonomy and vision of developers and work together to make great games for people all over the world.”

Over the last few years, there have been many horror stories associated with developer-publisher relationships. Some developers have reported exploitative contracts, with publishers taking an exorbitant fee for helping games to market. Others have reported total disinterest from publishers, with even promising games being shunned in favour of “surefire hits.”

The reality is publisher budgets are shrinking, and there are fewer opportunities for developers, whether established or emerging. Pocketpair Publishing is uniquely positioned, given the wider studio’s recent successes, so there’s plenty of hope backing its new endeavours.

As Pocketpair has stated, it can’t help everyone – but as it stands, it sounds like it’ll have plenty of new games to pore over, with a range of innovative projects hopefully given a chance to thrive in the company’s hands.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.