In a recent blog update on it official website, Epic Games has announced that it will be partnering with indie studios Spry Fox and EYES OUT to publish the developers’ upcoming games.
“We entered the publishing space to support creators and teams of all sizes, pursuing games and experiences within different genres,” said Hector Sanchez, Head of Epic Games Publishing. “The worlds EYES OUT and Spry Fox are creating, and the teams themselves, are perfect examples of this. We want to serve them by giving them full ownership of their IPs and creative freedom with best-in-class financial terms and publishing support. We’re fortunate to be partnering with the best talent in the industry.”
EYES OUT is a new Los Angeles-based studio founded by Spec Ops: The Line developer Cory Davis and, interestingly enough, Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck. The studio is currently working on an unannounced cosmic horror multiplatform game. The game will be using Unreal Engine (presumably UE5).
“Working with the team at Epic Games Publishing has been an invaluable experience for us,” said Davis. “Ever since that first glimpse of the existence and anatomy of EGP, we aspired to partner with them. It was made obvious that they were impassioned to fuel and to maximize the developer’s vision. That support and encouragement from a publisher to push us further into the unknown, while honing our original vision, is a dream come true.”
Spry Fox, meanwhile, has previously shipped Cozy Grove to critical acclaim and is currently working on its “most ambitious project to date”. Spry Fox’s next game will be non-violent in nature, and aims to bring people together and reduce loneliness. It will also feature cross-play and cross-progression across platforms.
“Epic understands what we’re making and why it’s so special,” said David Edery, Co-Founder and CEO at Spry Fox. “They see the opportunity to make something beautiful and non-violent that’s broadly appealing to, and can bring together, millions of people. It was clear from the start they believed in us and were willing to provide the support that we needed to tackle something this ambitious. They’ve been a pleasure to work with!”
Of course, this partnership involves EGS exclusivity for both studios’ games. That being said, it’s certainly great to see a giant like Epic Games devoting its resources towards smaller developers. Fans will have to wait for some time before more details on these games crop up, but we’ll keep an eye out, so stay tuned.