Hooded Horse
CompanyUnited States
Documents about Hooded Horse
Game Developers Conference61 min
What Indie Game Publishers Really Think: 15 Years of Industry Insights from Finji's Rebekah Saltsman
Indie game publishing functions as a strategic partnership designed to mitigate the financial, operational, and interpersonal risks inherent in software development.
- Indie publishers typically manage titles with budgets of $2 million or less, focusing on small teams across all genres while providing essential business development, marketing, and operational support.
- Publishers act as mediators for team communication and project health, protecting their own reputation and financial investment by ensuring developers avoid burnout and adhere to platform-mandated schedules.
- When pitching to publishers, developers must demonstrate they can ship by providing realistic schedules, documented budgets with appropriate buffers, and clear team breakdowns to de-risk the project.
Game Developers ConferenceSep 2026
The Game Business31 min
Life after Sega: Can Relic and Amplitude rejuvenate strategy games
Relic Entertainment and Amplitude Studios are navigating a pivotal transition following their departure from Sega, marking a broader industry shift toward independent agility within the strategy game sector.
- Relic Entertainment and Amplitude Studios have transitioned to independent operations following their departure from Sega to prioritize operational autonomy and community-focused development.
- Relic Entertainment is implementing a tiered production system that separates flagship titles from smaller, experimental projects under the 'Relic Labs' initiative to reduce financial risk and overhead.
- Amplitude Studios is maintaining its focus on the 4X strategy genre with a dedicated team of approximately 170 professionals, prioritizing deep engagement with its existing player base over mass-market expansion.
The Game BusinessSep 2025
How To Market A Game27 min
He Is Coming: Demo analysis
The game He Is Coming, a roguelite adventure title published by Hooded Horse, serves as a case study for successful Steam Next Fest participation.
- Demo design is the primary marketing lever for Steam developers, requiring clear calls to action like wishlist prompts on game-over screens and the use of progressive disclosure to introduce mechanics.
- Steam’s discovery algorithms prioritize games with sustainable, long-term playtime metrics over those that rely solely on high difficulty or linear level progression.
- Procedurally generated content, such as incremental items and stat modifiers, is more efficient for increasing player engagement time than developing traditional, linear levels.
How To Market A GameFeb 2025