Video game critic and reviewer Dunkey, aka Jason Yevgeniy Gastrow, has introduced a new company he's opening with his wife to publish indie video games. The announcement was made in a recent video in which he details his reasons for opening the company and how it ties to his history with video games.
Some of the greatest hits of the last many years have been indie titles, with games like Hades taking home the Game of the Year award at multiple awards shows. However, not every indie game is a major hit, and not every indie developer gets the support they need, and this is where Dunkey hopes to come in.
Videogamedunkey has revealed Bigmode Games, a new publishing company that will focus on indie titles. In the video, Dunkey explains that after 11 years on YouTube as a video game critic and content creator, he and his wife Leah have chosen to open this publishing studio in an effort to support the indie game creators who deserve it, and to bring more attention to the titles that are actually good. As his video puts it, picking up an indie game is similar to purchasing a loot box, in that the player can potentially stumble across a gem, but also come across disappointment, as the quality of indie games can vary wildly.
Dunkey emphasizes that he wouldn't do anything to besmirch his reputation about being honest about how he feels about games, and that will continue through this development. Dunkey and Leah are interested in supporting developers with fresh ideas and passion for their projects, and are actively inviting game developers to apply, whether they're well along the development path or only in the planning stages. Dunkey also notes that the company has created as fair a contract as possible for developers, and isn't interested in having creative control over projects. Ultimately, Dunkey and Leah want to support games (and the developers behind them) that have gained their seal of approval.
Dunkey has a long history of promoting indie games, though he doesn't shy away from reviewing AAA titles, either. Several major hits of recent years in the indie gaming scene have been highlighted on his channel, like Celeste, Untitled Goose Game, Undertale, and Cuphead. He's talked about these games on his channel to praise and help bring attention to them, and now his company will be continuing and expanding upon that work.
Those who enjoy Dunkey's videos may be concerned about what's going to happen to his usual content going forward. However, Dunkey has noted that Bigmode Games will be a "harmonious continuation" of his channel and videos. While it's likely that Dunkey's main channel will be used to promote some of the games Bigmode Games eventually acquires the publishing rights to, the content fans have already come to enjoy likely isn't going anywhere.
Source: Bigmode Games