Five Game Studios Unite to Form Developer-Led Holding Nova Assembly
Unfrozen, Sad Cat Studios, VEA Games, Game Garden, and Weappy join forces to share expertise while preserving creative independence as Nova Assembly.
Five independent studios have announced the formation of Nova Assembly, a new developer-led holding designed to foster collaboration without sacrificing creative autonomy. The initiative brings together Unfrozen, Sad Cat Studios, VEA Games, Game Garden, and Weappy, creating a shared structure focused on resource exchange, production support, and long-term sustainability.
Unlike traditional consolidation models, Nova Assembly is structured to allow each studio to retain full control over its projects while benefiting from shared expertise across development and marketing. The studios will operate independently while collaborating where it makes strategic sense, reducing reliance on outsourcing and strengthening internal capabilities.
The formation of Nova Assembly comes at a time when the games industry is experiencing ongoing layoffs, closures, and increased consolidation among major publishers. The studios describe the initiative as a response to those pressures, aiming to create a more resilient structure for independent developers.
"Within Nova Assembly, we have designed a carefully balanced system of motivation and mutual support between the studios. The goal is to ensure that collaboration strengthens everyone involved, while still preserving a strong incentive for each team to perform at its best.
In practical terms, this means that a portion of each studio’s returns is tied directly to its own success, while another portion is linked to the overall performance of Nova Assembly as a whole. This creates alignment across the group, encouraging studios to support one another, while maintaining full ownership and responsibility for their individual projects.
As for recruiting, with 10 projects currently in development across different genres, we are always interested in connecting with talented developers. At the same time, one of our key principles is cost efficiency. We are not looking to scale headcount indiscriminately, but rather to grow thoughtfully, bringing in the right people where they can have the most meaningful impact."
- Denis Fedorov, CEO of Nova Assembly
Collectively, the five studios bring a substantial development pipeline and proven track record, with Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era alone sitting at over 1 million wishlists already.
- 10 upcoming games across multiple genres
- 3+ million wishlists across titles in development
- 10+ million video views tied to upcoming releases
A core principle behind Nova Assembly is maintaining independence while enabling shared growth. Instead of merging teams or consolidating pipelines, the holding allows studios to:
- Share production knowledge and workflows
- Support each other across development and marketing
- Reduce external outsourcing needs
- Retain distinct creative identities
For more info, you can visit the Nova Assembly website. Also, make sure to subscribe to our Newsletter, join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
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