Indie newsletter and resource hub Pantaloon has expanded its operations by launching a new publishing label focused on supporting "unusual and experimental games" in the micro-indie space.
The company aims to provide a platform for "quirky and offbeat games" that might not find homes with traditional publishers. According to the Pantaloon website, the label will focus on "small games with big hooks" with development budgets typically ranging from $30,000 to $100,000, though they emphasize flexibility in their funding approach.
"We want to explore uncharted genre-waters and find new combinations of systems that haven't been brought together before," explains Pantaloon's mission statement. The label isn't tied to specific genres but instead looks for games with an "intangible offbeat quality" that makes them stand out as unique or bizarre.
Pantaloon is offering developer-friendly terms designed to "restore the broken power balance in the indie publishing world." These include a standard 70/30 revenue split favoring developers, with the company willing to take an even smaller percentage in some cases. Developers also maintain full ownership of their intellectual property and benefit from open termination clauses that prevent them from being locked into unfavorable contracts.
Label founder Jamin Smith acknowledges that the industry "probably doesn't need another indie publisher" but believes Pantaloon's different operating principles will help it succeed. "With an existing awareness platform and terms that give novel agency and security to development partners, we then seek to actively court risk," Smith said.
The publishing label's current lineup includes games from various international developers: Sub-Verge from New Zealand-based Interactive Tragedy, Occlude from UK studio Tributary Games, and they will also handle the Steam release of Puzzletrunk.
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