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Hooded Horse CEO Urges Indies to Self-Publish, Calling Most Publishers Predatory

He argues self-publishing now outperforms most labels due to widely available analytics tools.

Overview

  • Tim Bender says the majority of indie publishers operate opportunistically, signing many games, prioritizing the few hits, and aggressively recouping from those that underperform.
  • He contends most developers can sell their games better than 95% of indie publishers by using resources such as GameDiscoverCo, How to Market a Game, and data services like Gamalytic.
  • Bender advises developers to research publisher track records and to default to self-publishing if uncertain, describing it as a viable path today.
  • Hooded Horse positions itself as selective and ethics-focused, planning roughly ten releases per year and emphasizing stable support over rapid expansion.
  • Bender reiterates a ban on generative‑AI assets in Hooded Horse titles and aligns his views with a broader push for safer publishing alternatives from successful indie creators.