Dontnod to Publish Third-Party Games, Starting With a New Title from PortaPlay

Dontnod is embracing a new direction: it’s amping up its publishing arm so it can publish games made by other studios, beginning with a new title from PortaPlay.Today, the Life is Strange developer announced it would be publishing a brand new game from the developer of drunken zombie fighting game Broken Lines. Details about what this new game is have yet to be revealed, though PortaPlay head of development Hans von Knut Skovfoged said in a statement that the studio felt “called to work on games with meaning” with a focus on storytelling “about individuals in crisis situations tackling moral dilemmas.” A bio sent with the announcement press release describes PortaPlay as a studio that makes games about “war and conflicts, told from the perspectives of the men and women enduring them.”

This announcement comes after statements last year from Dontnod CEO Oskar Guilbert, who said then that the developer was building a publishing and marketing arm to self-publish its own games, intending to be “as independent as possible” in the future.

In a statement, Dontnod head of publishing Xavier Spinat indicated that this was by no means the end to internal development at Dontnod:

“As a publisher, we want to offer players experiences that are both accessible to the wider audience, while setting the bar high regarding themes and quality of design,” he said. “From our first discussions with PortaPlay, it became clear to us that co-producing and publishing this original creation would allow us to expand our portfolio with a game complementary to our in-house productions, while remaining true to our DNA.”

Dontnod most recently released two of its own games last year: Twin Mirror and Tell Me Why. Our review called the former a “frustratingly uneven adventure,” but Tell Me Why told “a good story in a charming world” and received praised for its main character Tyler, the first playable transgender video game hero from a major studio.

It is unknown what Dontnod might be working on next itself. Earlier this year, Tencent purchased a minority stake in the studio to help it create a new IP, and at least for now Dontnod’s acclaimed Life is Strange series appears to be in the hands of Deck Nine for the next entry, True Colors.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.