Secret Mode, the UK publisher of games like Still Wakes the Deep and A Little to the Left, has purchased its independence from Sumo Group, which, in turn, is a subsidiary of Tencent. Secret Mode's current leadership team, including co-founder James Schall and VP of publishing, Ed Blincoe, partnered with investment firm Emona Capital to get the deal done.
Founded in 2020, Secret Mode's investment portfolio includes some other compelling indies, including Dear Esther, Parcel Corps, and Eternal Threads (thanks, VGC). Schall and Blincoe will continue to lead the company: "By becoming independent, we can now put all our efforts into uncovering the indie gems that gamers never knew they needed in their lives", said Schall.
Sumo Group was wholly acquired by Tencent in 2022 and, like many others, was hit by a big round of layoffs in 2024. The monetary sum Secret Mode paid for its independence was not disclosed.
What do you think of Secret Mode charting its course? Are you a fan of its particular curation of compelling indie games? Let us know in the comments section below.
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 8
This is good news and I wish the best for them. I really liked Still Wakes the Deep and Dear Esther.
Seems like the safest thing you can do in the industry today, to survive as a studio. It's brutal what these large companies have been doing. RIP Monolith, Arkane Austin 😔
You'd think that being a part of a big company, especially a conglomerate like Tencent, would be a more secure path than being an independent studio.
Yeah. If only.
Good on these guys for getting out of the shackles of Sumo Digital and Tencent. I hope the best for them.
Still wakes the deep was quite overlooked. Fantastic horror game. Glad they went independent. Now it's on us to support them.
Wish them luck. Still Wakes the Deep has some of the most authentic writing and voice acting I have heard in ANY game. Everything else feels like written videogame dialogue by comparison, whereas SWtD feels like a real conversation.
I really need to try out Still Wakes the Deep
Still Wakes the Deep was excellent. Hope this buyout works out. It can go one of two ways…
Excellent news! And best of luck going forward, now if we could just get the irn-bru DLC for still wakes the deep.... 😂
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