Midwest Games
CompanyUnited States
Documents about Midwest Games
Naavik66 min
A New Era of Publishing
The traditional game publishing model is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation as the industry shifts away from rigid, high-stakes ownership structures toward flexible, service-oriented partnerships.
- Midwest Games operates a hybrid publishing model that combines traditional invest-and-revenue-share deals with 'Shadow Publishing,' a for-hire services model where developers retain full ownership of their IP and revenue.
- The gaming industry is experiencing a 'fractured' landscape where developers increasingly self-fund, leading to a menu of flexible publishing options such as marketing-only deals, shared recruitment, and UA-only financing.
- Maintaining a high volume of releases—ideally one per month—is essential for publishers to stay current with market trends, as knowledge of discoverability tactics degrades significantly if a firm has not launched a title in six months.
NaavikSep 2026
The Game Business60 min
Xbox divided over its future, and do people even buy physical PlayStation games?
The gaming industry is currently undergoing a structural transformation characterized by a transition toward digital-first distribution and a move away from traditional, rigid publishing models.
- Sony plans to cease physical disc production by 2028, marking a definitive shift toward a digital-only distribution model.
- Publishers are moving away from fixed, long-term headcount toward decentralized, scalable partnerships to improve operational agility and reduce costs.
- The industry is pivoting toward a middle-market model that prioritizes realistic, genre-specific budgeting over the pursuit of unpredictable, high-budget outlier successes.
The Game BusinessJul 2026