Humble Games' Former Bosses Buy the Studio's Back Catalog

Source: Slashdot

Acquisition and Relaunch

Former Humble Games executives have reacquired the publisher’s catalog of more than 50 indie titles from Ziff Davis and relaunched their company as Balor Games.

“For the developers we have worked with over the years, this moment is a reunion,” Balor Games CEO Alan Patmore wrote in a statement. “[It has] the same leadership and the same commitment to thoughtful publishing remain in place. What changes is our scale and our focus. Balor Games is built for inventors and backed by believers. To that end, it exists to be a seal of quality for independent games.”

Engadget reports that the Humble Games lineup includes (among others):

• Slay the Spire
• A Hat in Time
• SIGNALIS
• Forager
• Coral Island
• Monaco
• Wizard of Legend

Separate from the Humble transaction, Balor also bought the complete catalog of Firestoke Games (which shut down last August) and the publishing rights to Fights in Tight Spaces. In total, the young studio now owns the publishing rights to over 60 indie titles.

Note: Humble Games is separate from the Humble Bundle storefront, which remains owned by Ziff Davis.

Balor Games Vision

The founders view the newly anointed Balor as a developer‑friendly publishing house. The name Balor comes from a supernatural being in Irish mythology, sometimes depicted with three eyes—hence the “triple‑eye, triple‑I” wordplay.

The “triple‑I” moniker has become a recent addition to the gaming lexicon, typically describing games defined by indie creativity and passion, with budgets higher than a tiny two‑person project but lower than AAA titles. Balor describes its focus as “high‑quality, impactful games.”

You can learn more about the company’s vision in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.