Devolver Digital has supported some great indie hits such as Melbourne-made Cult of the Lamb and the newly-released Neva. Cult of the Lamb-themed events were one of the highlights of PAX Aus 2024, with the afterparty quickly selling out and many visitors coming to the Massive Monster booth. The final day was topped off with two actual Cult of the Lamb-themed weddings.
Checkpoint Gaming managed to sit down with Graeme Struthers, one of the co-founders and COO of Devolver Digital, to talk about some of their successes and publishing methodology.
We asked about the success of Cult of the Lamb and whether they anticipated how popular it would be. Graeme replied that they believed Cult of the Lamb would be successful, but didn’t expect the level of global support.
“We saw the reactions to the trailers, early content, and social media posts. You never know what will be a global hit, but you can see what people are saying. If they like what they see and keep talking about it, it’s a good sign the game will be successful.”
Graeme talked about how video games are a complex medium that is easily misunderstood. Lots of work goes into creating them and they take a long time to produce. Every developer works hard to make their ideas a reality and not every publisher is the right partner. Devolver Digital does its best to see if they are a good fit for the developer and if they can be part of bringing that idea to life. Not every game is going to be a fit and you can’t guarantee success, but it has to be something Devolver wants to work on.
“There has to be something we can help them with. If a developer knows what they need and what they don’t have, that’s better for us. We can help set them up with the resources to produce their game. We’re not looking for people who can do everything. We want people who know their limits and need help in bringing a good idea to life.”
Another good example of a game Devolver liked working with is Neva. It’s an amazing game with two strong emotional endpoints that the publishing team enjoys. While discussing Neva, Graeme mentioned what they look for when developers come to them for help. There are two criteria in his view:
- The technical perspective concerning the capabilities you do and don’t have.
- The artistic vision, where you lay out your strengths and your plan to stand out.
He noted that it is also important for a developer to have a good work-life balance, knowing their limitations. Pushing yourself or faking your true capabilities isn’t a recipe for success; he said it’s important to be honest about what you can do and publishers provide better resources to make your game a reality.
Talking about Devolver Digital’s success, Graeme points to their global PR network as a crucial component. The developer talks about what they do and their goals, which the PR team uses for marketing purposes. Having good PR has helped Devolver’s projects reach more audiences, getting them to build attention for a game. From there, Devolver looks at the market reaction and monitors whether a game is going to be successful or not. Considering some of the wild PR ideas Devolver has come up with in the past, it’s no surprise that people consider them the “rebels” of video game publishing.
You can never guarantee that audiences love your game as much as the developers making them. But it’s great to hear from a publisher as savvy as Devolver Digital about what they look for in the projects they support. Knowing the criteria a publisher looks at and how they consider your contributions goes a long way towards acquiring the help you need.
You can check out the latest Devolver Digital projects on their website.
About the Author
Victor Tan
He/Him
Victor spends his time trying to help players out of tricky situations and give them the guidance they need to succeed. Outside of the video game world, you can find him training at the gym or doing simple improv activities.
