On the Lookout for Games That Make You Feel Something: Raw Fury CEO on Game Publishing

Introduction

Hi there, I'm Pim Holfve. I joined Raw Fury as CEO just under two years ago, moving from a similar role at Flashbulb Games. Earlier this year, I also took the helm at Raw Fury's parent company, Combined Effect. Before that, I spent time at King and at Avalanche Studios Group, where I became CEO in 2015.

I was always impressed by the diversity and high standard of games that Raw Fury published, and I was aware of the talent held within the team internally. So when the opportunity was presented to me, it was really a simple decision to join and continue building on what the company had already achieved.

Game Publishing Then & Now

The biggest change for me is the sheer number of games released every month. So the challenge is finding the right game to connect with the right audience and break through the noise, which is where a publisher can really shine.

I would say publishing today is less about simply funding and launching games. It's more about understanding the landscape, developing awareness, building communities, and guiding developers through an increasingly complex process. In the last two years, the winners have been those who have established a clear identity and creative vision, and they aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets.

Looking back on my last two years in the indie space and my time as CEO of Raw Fury, I've been impressed by how many experts we have in this small company. We can truly act as a full-service publisher in a way I didn't expect. Honestly, it's been reassuring to see what we bring to the table: not only publishing their games, but also helping them find their audience in a landscape where visibility is increasingly hard to achieve.

Blue Prince's Success

Blue Prince is certainly an example of a game with a strong sense of creative vision. But it also doesn't need to over-explain itself. And it's that sense of discovery that players love and want to feel again and again. I would say it reinforced a lot of feelings that we already had as a publisher, rather than changing perspectives.

Players are hungry for original experiences, memorable moments, and authenticity in terms of how the game is presented to them. From a Raw Fury perspective, it's always satisfying when a game that takes creative risks gets a positive reaction from players and critics. Blue Prince ticked all those boxes.

State of Indie Publishing

Indie publishing is in a good place, bringing some of the best game experiences to players over the past few years. But it's not easy.

AI is the topic of the moment as the industry is wrestling with how much it should be used, if at all. But I don't think it changes the fundamentals. Players ultimately connect with creativity, design, and emotional experiences. Technology can support development in various ways, but it doesn't replace vision. And in terms of what we choose to release at Raw Fury, we only publish human-made games.

Scale and risk tolerance are the obvious differences between indie and AAA. But I would point to the speed at which indies can pursue ideas as a major strength. It's very hard for AAA to experiment within a large commercial strategy. Of course, AAA has the benefit of production value and scale, but indie games are more likely to surprise us with something genuinely original.

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing is not easy, but it can be a great option for some developers. I've self-published several games in my career, and I've learned how hard it can be, but also how rewarding it is when the team understands and masters development, player communication, and everything else you need to successfully publish a game. It's a tough balance, but if you can make it work, you should.

However, publishing is a full-time and full-on discipline in its own right, and there are significant responsibilities. My advice is for developers to think about their options early and learn as much as they can about the processes involved: marketing, platform relations, community, PR, events, and so on.

The more you can understand about publishing and connecting games with players, the better decisions you'll make when the time is right.

Publishing with Raw Fury

We believe that games are art, regardless of the genre. We actually don't care about genres. Instead, we segment our game portfolio into feels, which lets us not only position our games accurately so we can find players who will love them, but also forge a stronger connection with them.

When we sort the games into feels, we ask a couple of questions. First, we ask the developer: what do you want the player to feel? Then we ask the player: how do you actually feel while or after playing? We use that information, along with a few other things that we assess, to see where it would sit in our portfolio.

So, if you are a developer thinking about submitting, consider what feeling you would like the player to experience. We are mostly interested in original, artistic, and inventive games. If you look at our catalog, which has grown into an extensive list, you will see many types of games, and I am very proud of the high bar of quality that has put us on Metacritic's top 10 publishers list three years in a row.

We provide a lot of resources for developers on our website to use as a guide to pitch to us, or any other publisher a developer may wish to approach. We have always been as transparent as possible about the process. We want to be recognized as the best partner for indie devs, and being open and honest is the best way to start a relationship.

You can even read our publishing agreement and ask us questions about it. But there is no secret formula. We simply want to see authenticity and clarity of vision, so we can understand how we can connect the game to an audience.

Advice for Developers

I don't think there are any themes or genres that should be avoided. But the main thing we look for is a game that makes people feel something.

If you are developing in an already crowded segment, make sure you have something truly distinctive in that space. Focus on what makes your game unique, and execute on that as well as you possibly can.

I would also be wary of chasing trends. By the time something has become a trend, it's often too late for everyone else. So be authentic, be original, be bold.

Pim Holfve, Raw Fury CEO