Fandom is Getting Into Game Publishing with New Rogue-Like UnderMine
Fandom, the vast global entertainment platform, has long established itself as a place to go for fan-centric content spanning video games, tabletop games, and more. Now, the company is branching out even further into game publishing. Earlier today, Fandom formally announced the launch of a new game publishing arm, together with its first game; UnderMine, an indie rogue-like dungeon crawler. This title, in development at Thorium Entertainment, will be available from today in Early Access on Steam.
Fandom’s New Game Publishing Arm
“We’ve had a strong desire to publish video games for years now,” explains Ben Robinson, Fandom’s VP of Gaming; “as it’s a natural extension of the strong gaming community we’ve cultivated on Fandom, but we needed to find the perfect game with which to launch our publishing arm. We believe that UnderMine is the perfect fit and are confident that our deep understanding of the gaming industry and what appeals to gamers will make us a great partner for Thorium.”
Indeed, Fandom has a unique window into the online gaming audience, and that is reflective with their choice of UnderMine. Rogue-like games are a market with a huge audience, but nevertheless are a genre that’s largely separate from triple-A gaming. Most rogue-like games are smaller projects, as indeed is the case with UnderMine; Thorium Entertainment is a two-person studio, after all. However, as any rogue-like fan can attest, small studios can produce some very high-quality games. Certainly, UnderMine has already garnered a lot of attention. It was part of PAX East’s Indie Megabooth showcase earlier this year, for example. Plus, it was chosen for ‘Best Adventure’ in DreamHack Atlanta’s ‘Best Adventure’ Indie Category last year.
“We’re thrilled with the feedback we’ve received on UnderMine,” says Derek Johnson, one of the two members of Thorium Entertainment; “and can’t image a better publishing partner than Fandom, with their devoted fan base and vibrant gaming communities.”
Fandom will be publishing the game, of course, but are also providing additional support. As the operator of Gamepedia, Fandom will also be hosting an official UnderMine wiki, for instance. This will include guide videos and additional content to help players get into UnderMine, interviews with the developers, and plenty more.