UNLEASHING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION: OFFBRAND GAMES REVOLUTIONIZES GAME PUBLISHING

It’s a huge leap forward for an industry built on thinking outside the box and fostering a frictionless workflow between the two. With Offbrand Games, the creator-focused production house has gamified the cycle, and put itself on the frontlines of a seismic shift in the way games are made and sold. With a visionary team and a rewarding business model, they’re not simply skewing the gaming superstructure – they’re redesigning it.

THE VISION BEHIND OFFBRAND GAMES

Behind Offbrand’s vision, Nick Allen – the CEO and cofounder of Offbrand – explained what the company is attempting to do. They believe Offbrand is unique because they try to “bring a vision to life”. Offbrand Games starts with their relationship with the creator of a game and builds from there. They’ve deliberately set out to foster deeper relationships with game developers and creators so that games can be made collaboratively, but with exceptional results. This didn’t come out of nowhere. They’ve been working on all this for more than a year now.

MEET THE STRATEGIC MINDS BEHIND THE MOVEMENT

Initially, Offbrand was the brainchild of Nick Allen, Ludwig Ahgren and Nathan Stanz, and it’s gathering steam as Jason Thor ‘PirateSoftware’ Hall comes on board, who is a name to know in the world of videogame art, design and development, as well as cybersecurity exploits. (Hall is now the director of strategy for Offbrand Games.) His next game jam, on 17 July 2024, should be a great opportunity to see what the future looks like under this imprint.

OFFBRAND GAMES’ INAUGURAL TITLE ANNOUNCEMENT

And that’s just strategic partnerships. Offbrand Games announced the first game under its label is a sequel to Rivals of Aether, the 2017 hit in the 2D platform fighting genre, developed by Aether Studios. It’s known as Rivals 2, and it will release in Q4 of 2024; not coincidental, a year after Offbrand launches. It’s a project with everything going for it. At the very least, it’s a proof of concept of game-friendly infrastructure. The creators of Rivals – one of whom is also playing in the Kickstarter for Offbrand – had deep roots in the Super Smash Bros community, as do many of the Offbrand team. It’s not a coincidence Ludwig will host the game’s first-ever tournament in November 2023.

WHY BACKING RIVALS 2 MAKES PERFECT SENSE

Publisher them – deliberately – under the name Offbrand Games, with Rivals 2 as the first title. By doing so, they cement and formalise the interdependence they enjoyed as individuals. Trust between the creators and their audiences is already strong, and the Rivals 2 game stands to benefit from that trust.

OFFBRAND: A MODEL OF WORKER EMPOWERMENT

It is not only Offbrand’s promised creative effort that makes it stand out from its competitors, but its innovative approach to how it runs its business, specifically by transforming into a worker co-operative. Once restructured, Offbrand intends to become an example of how business can work for rather than against empowerment and equity. Every full-time employee in the business has a say in its direction and also shares in its profits equally. This overall approach not only motivates the team but also attracts talent to join and contribute to creating a business that innovates through the thriving combination of a dispersed, skilled workforce.

THE FUTURE OF GAMING WITH OFFBRAND

Will Offbrand Games prove that it can scale? No one knows for sure. But with a portfolio of successful creative partnerships, a unique and transparent business model, and a world-beating product vision, Offbrand is well positioned to be a major player in the games market of the future. In fact, it looks like the creators, leadership and Overcooked are synergising in their own unique way to create a proper game enjoyment ecosystem.

UNDERSTANDING THE ESSENCE OF SENSE IN OFFBRAND’S STRATEGY

Ultimately, it’s about making this difficult balancing act between devs and creators seem rational, through the way Offbrand structures its business, its partnerships, and its curation of games into one world where everything – every choice, every action – is driven by a mutual interpretation of self-interest and shared success. Because, at its root, that’s what Offbrand is selling: a vision of the future where creativity and innovation and community share space in the gaming industry.

All in all, Offbrand Games is not just releasing a publishing label; it’s setting a new standard for game design, development and celebration that could transform the industry. Combining community, collaboration and artistic freedom, Offbrand serves as a groundbreaking example of a company dedicated to reshaping the gaming landscape. And, as Offbrand releases new games this year, let’s hope that the buzz surrounding the company today was a hint of things to come.