Plug In Digital
Plug In Digital is a French video game publisher and distributor. They were founded in 2012 and established two subsidiaries since then: Dear Villagers (formerly Playdius), who publish mid-market games for personal computers and consoles, and PID Games, who publish games of all varieties.
History
[edit]Francis Ingrand founded Plug In Digital in 2012 in Paris. Seven years later, they relocated to Montpellier. They initially focused on assisting studios and video game publishers with digital distribution.[1] They handle sales, marketing, and other distribution issues.[2] They expanded into China in 2019.[3] They acquired Black Shell Media's publishing operations in 2021 and took over their contracts.[4] They announced an NFT program in 2022 but canceled it due to a backlash.[5] In 2023, they acquired game development studio Celsius Online.[6]
Subsidiaries
[edit]In 2017, Plug In Digital established Playdius, a subsidiary specializing in publishing independent video games for personal computers, mobile devices, and game consoles.[7] Playdius was renamed to Dear Villagers in 2019, citing a desire to better communicate their focus on the core and hardcore demographics.[8] As part of this rebranding, Dear Villagers refocused on PC and consoles, though they said they may publish mobile ports of existing games.[9] New mobile games are published directly by Plug In Digital instead. Games published by Dear Villagers aim for an AA (mid-market) budget.[10] Hardcore Gamer described games published by Dear Villagers as having gameplay that is easy to learn but hard to master.[11]
PID Games was established in 2020. According to the brand manager, they have "no rules" and focus entirely on publishing any interesting video games, regardless of genre, nationality, or platform. Compared to Dear Villagers, they're open to such projects as publishing a new developer's first game or inexpensive mobile games.[12]
Games published
[edit]Plug In Digital
[edit]- Dungeon Souls[4]
- The Fan[13]
- Overture[4]
- Raining Blobs[4]
- SanctuaryRPG[4]
- Zombie Party[4]
- John Mambo[14]
Dear Villagers
[edit]- A Normal Lost Phone[2]
- Astria Ascending[5]
- Ashwalkers: A Survival Journey[15]
- Away: Journey to the Unexpected[16]
- BAFL: Brakes Are For Losers[17]
- Boiling Bolt[18]
- Born of Bread[19]
- Bury Me, My Love[10]
- Chroniric XIX[20]
- Dead in Vinland[21]
- The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos[22]
- Edge of Eternity[10]
- Fabledom[23]
- The Forgotten City[1]
- Fort Solis[24]
- Hover[10]
- Impulsion[25]
- Jengo[26]
- Mindcop[27]
- Naheulbeuk's Dungeon Master[28]
- Neurovoider[2]
- Old School Musical[29]
- Pankapu[2]
- Recompile[10]
- Revita[30]
- Souldiers[31]
- Somewhere: The Vault Papers[32]
- Spitkiss[20]
- ScourgeBringer[5]
- Splasher[33]
- Sports: Renovations[34]
- Star Overdrive[35]
- Stay[20]
- Strikers Edge[2]
- sU and The Quest for Meaning[2]
- Terra Memoria[36]
- The Land Beneath Us[37]
- Passing By - A Tailwind Journey[38]
- Vampire: The Masquerade – Reckoning of New York[39]
PID Games
[edit]- Abandon Ship[40]
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure[12]
- An Ankou[41]
- Alt-Frequencies (Switch)[42]
- Bibots[12]
- Blon[43]
- Cassiodora[44]
- Crypto Against All Odds[45]
- Elypse[12]
- Fireball Wizard[46]
- Ghost of a Tale (PS4 and Switch)[42]
- Gravity Circuit[12]
- Guardians of Elderon[47]
- Guild of Ascension[48]
- Healer's Quest[49]
- Heck Deck[50]
- Hellslave[51]
- Iris and the Giant (Switch)[42]
- Lempo[12]
- Let Me Out[52]
- Letters: A Written Adventure[53]
- Lords of Exile[54]
- Lost Eidolons (PS5, Xbox Series X/S)[55]
- Lost Words: Beyond the Page (iOS, And)[56]
- Machinika Museum[57]
- Mari and Bayu - The Road Home[58]
- Out of Space (PS4, Xbox One, Switch)[59]
- Paper Beast (Windows)[42]
- PictoQuest (Switch, Win, iOS, Android)[60]
- Pompom: The Great Space Rescue[61]
- Post Human W.A.R.[13]
- Roto Force[62]
- Run: The World In-Between[63]
- Saviorless[12]
- Sigma Theory (iOS, And, Switch)[64]
- Skábma: Snowfall[12]
- Tacape[65]
- Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion[61]
- Unmemory[42]
- Vernal Edge[12]
- My Museum: Treasure Hunter[66]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Takahashi, Dean (2021-11-24). "The Forgotten City publisher Plug In Digital raises $75M for indie games". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ a b c d e f Dring, Christopher (2017-03-08). "Plug In Digital forms indie publishing label Playdius". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Valentine, Rebekah (2019-02-14). "Plug In Digital raises $2.25 million for expansion to Asian markets". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ a b c d e f Dealessandri, Marie (2021-02-01). "Plug In Digital acquires Black Shell's catalogue". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ a b c Whitehead, Thomas (2022-02-25). "Plug In Digital Withdraws From Project Focused On Cryptocurrencies And NFTs". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Morris, Iwan (2023-03-15). "Plug In Digital acquires FTP developers Celsius Online". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Cowley, Ric (2017-03-08). "Plug In Digital launches indie publishing label Playdius for all platforms including Switch". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Taylor, Ivy (2019-02-28). "Playdius re-brands as Dear Villagers". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Chapple, Craig (2019-02-28). "Updated: Publisher Playdius rebrands as Dear Villagers". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ a b c d e Batchelor, James (2019-03-04). "Dear Villagers: 'We're trying to find the best indie games that could be AA'". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Soto, Fran (2019-05-07). "Dear Villagers Shows Us that Quality Development is About Fundamentals". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Dealessandri, Marie (2022-11-22). "PID Games: The 'punk' indie publisher giving small studios their first chance". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ a b Marks, Tom; Prescott, Shaun (2018-07-29). "Five new Steam games you probably missed this week". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "John Mambo". Jeuxvideo. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2021-03-14). "Ashwalkers: A Survival Journey launches April 15". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Cox, Matt (2019-02-05). "Wot I Think - Away: Journey To The Unexpected". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2018-04-03). "BAFL: Brakes Are For Losers for Switch launches April 19". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2017-11-23). "Shoot 'em up Boiling Bolt launches December 5". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2023-08-30). "Born of Bread delayed to fall". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ a b c Robertson, Kieran (2019-07-25) [2018-08-24]. "Playdius is releasing Chroniric XIX, Stay, and Spitkiss this year and they look brilliant". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Fuller, Alex (2018-03-06). "Dead in Vinland to Release in April". RPGamer.com. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2021-03-11). "The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos coming to PS4, Xbox One, and Switch this summer". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2023-03-29). "Fabledom launches in Early Access on April 13". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2023-06-27). "Fort Solis launches August 22". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ "Impulsion". IGN. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Stevens, Colin (2018-03-30). "GDC 2018: Playdius' Musical, Nordic, Jolly, Exceptionally Eclectic Line-Up". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Mayhew, Lindsay (2024-09-05). "Dear Villagers will be publishing non-linear whodunnit detective game Mindcop". Digitally Downloaded. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ "Naheulbeuk's Dungeon Master Announced". Blue's News. 2023-06-11. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2018-08-16). "Retro rhythm game Old School Musical for Switch, PC launches September 13". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2022-03-11). "Revita launches April 21 for Switch, PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2022-05-06). "Souldiers delayed to June 2". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ "Somewhere: The Vault Papers". Adventure Gamers. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ "Splasher". Gamepressure. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2024-08-19). "Renovation simulator Sports: Renovations to be published by Dear Villagers for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2024-08-27). "Sci-fi open-world action adventure game Star Overdrive announced for Switch". Gematsu. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Fuller, Alex (2023-06-10). "Turn-Based RPG Terra Memoria Announced". RPGamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "The Land Beneath Us Released". Blue's News. 2024-05-13. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ "Take to the skies with Passing By - A Tailwind Journey". Adventure Gamers. 2024-02-17. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2024-09-03). "Vampire: The Masquerade – Reckoning of New York launches September 10". Gematsu. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Dellosa, Catherine (2022-04-13). "Abandon Ship, the popular naval strategy game on PC, is coming to mobile with pre-orders now open". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Fuller, Alex (2023-08-05). "Action Roguelike An Ankou Coming to Steam Early Access This Month". RPGamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ a b c d e Romano, Sal (2020-11-05). "Plug In Digital announces new games label PID Publishing". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Nelson, Jared (2021-08-10). "Charming and Robust Auto-Running Platformer Blon Available for Pre-Order Ahead of September 7th Launch". TouchArcade. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Cassiodora". IGN. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Crypto Against All Odds". Jeuxvideo.com. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Dellosa, Catherine (2023-06-21). "Fireball Wizard lets you hurl magic at foes across a retro platformer, out now on mobile and Steam". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Guardians of Elderon". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Fuller, Alex (2021-09-22). "Guild of Ascension Out Now". RPGamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Fuller, Alex (2021-02-08). "Healer's Quest Launching on Switch". RPGamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Botadkar, Tanish (2021-11-11). "Heck Deck is an ambitious hybrid of a card game and bullet hell shooter, available now for pre-registrations on Android and iOS". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Fuller, Alex (2022-05-15). "Dungeon-Crawler Hellslave Launching This Month". RPGamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Let Me Out". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Letters: A Written Adventure". IGN. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Lords of Exile". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2023-08-03). "Lost Eidolons for PS5, Xbox Series launches August 24". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Dellosa, Catherine (2023-03-09). "Lost Words: Beyond the Page will soon let mobile gamers experience its emotional tale when it launches on May 9th". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Dellosa, Catherine (2022-05-04). "Machinika Museum adds new puzzles and more in latest content update for the machine-themed mystery puzzle game". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2023-02-16). "Mari & Bayu: The Road Home for Switch launches March 9". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2020-11-06). "Out of Space: Couch Edition coming to PS4, Xbox One, and Switch on November 25". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "PictoQuest: The Cursed Grids". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ a b Dellosa, Catherine (2023-01-02). "Pompom: The Great Space Rescue lets you control the platforms instead of the hero, now open for pre-registration". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Donlan, Christopher (2023-07-20). "Roto Force review - a frantic twin-stick bursting with imagination". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Run: The World In-Between". IGN. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Madnani, Mikhail (2022-10-18). "Tactical Espionage Game 'Sigma Theory' From Mi-Clos Studios Is Out Now on iOS". TouchArcade. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Dellosa, Catherine (2023-03-01). "Tacape is a new roguelite card battler that's out now on iOS and Android via PID Games". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "My Museum: Treasure Hunter". IGN. Retrieved 2024-07-28.