Smilegate announced on the 29th (Monday) that it will enter the game publishing business through the indie game specialized platform ‘Stove Indie’ (from now on referred to as Stove Indie).
Stove Indie also unveiled two games that will signal the start of its self-publishing business. The main characters are ‘Don’t Overindulge 2: Summer Pocha’ from ‘Monster Guide’ and ‘If Sunset’ from ‘Polymorph Studio’. As a result, Stove Indie has been able to more actively support the growth of promising indie game companies by directly participating in the distribution and marketing of indie games. Smilegate has secured a diverse publishing lineup through several excellent indie games.
‘No Overindulgence 2: Summer Pocha’ (from now on referred to as No Overindulgence 2) is a game in the FMV genre that is currently proliferating. The previous work, ‘No Overindulgence 1’, gained much attention through word of mouth through video and streaming platforms based on its excellent story and quality. ‘Don’t Overindulge 2’ cast five attractive actors from various media, including girl groups, influencers, and movies.
We plan to raise users’ expectations by releasing cast member information sequentially. In ‘Don’t Overindulge 2,’ Monster Guide plans to strengthen the well-received story in the previous work while also mixing FMV with training simulation elements to showcase the refreshing romance unique to Monster Guide.
‘If Sunset’ is an adventure RPG that combines open-world elements with survival elements to allow players to enjoy a variety of gameplay. Players stranded on a cursed remote island can experience the fun of free farming and various crafting during the day and the thrill of survival by defending the base from monsters at night.
Polymorph Studio, the developer of ‘If Sunset’, is a company that produced CG for blockbuster movies such as ‘Along with the Gods’ and ‘The Sea of Silence’, and put its know-how into ‘If Sunset’. Despite its vastness, the beautiful graphics and movie-like directing provide a greater sense of realism and excitement. Based on its outstanding quality, ‘If Sunset’ attracted much attention by winning special awards and excellence at the ‘2023 Indie Craft’ and ‘2023 Room Indie Game Show’ last year.
Meanwhile, ‘Polymorph Studio’ has been selected as a participating company in the Seoul Pavilion of the 2024 Tokyo Game Show hosted by the Seoul Business Agency (SBA), and plans to introduce ‘If Sunset’ to the global indie game market. In addition, ‘Monster Guide’, the developer of ‘No Overindulgence 2’, has also received support from the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) by participating in the OP.GG marketing support program. Stove Indie has signed a business agreement with the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) for 2022. It plans to continue discovering excellent indie game developers in Seoul and cooperate to revitalize the game industry and support excellent global games.
Baek Young-hoon, CEO of Smilegate Stove Business, explained the significance of entering the publishing business, saying, “We have entered the publishing business to establish an organic commercialization model within the creative ecosystem in 2024 and support greater success for creators who have grown in the ecosystem.”
In addition, “Starting with this publishing, we will establish Stove Indie’s own global indie game distribution chain that connects Smilegate’s creative ecosystem to publishing and platforms, and link Smilegate’s know-how to the big picture of indie game creators growing into mid-sized companies. “We will draw it out,” he said.
Smilegate Stove Indie plans to expand its publishing business by expanding its lineup with excellent indie games sold on the Stove platform, starting with the two games for which it announced this publishing contract.
