The German YouTuber HandofBlood announced on December 23rd that his company Instinct3 will venture into the publishing of indie games. They plan to launch pilot projects in 2024. This is driven by his own enthusiasm for indie games and a general disappointment with the gaming market. With the influencers who are part of the agency, they aim to present a unique offer to indie developers.
Why indie games? In a video from December 23rd, HandofBlood (via youtube) explains his late love for indie games, which truly began in September 2021 when he turned away from Twitch, focused more on YouTube and gaming, and needed content to play and showcase:
- Until then, he had played many big games as an influencer: Stronghold, Crusader Kings 3, Dark Souls, the Settlers, Humankind.
- But then he discovered his love for indie games like BattleBrothers or Loiter. While he had always played indie games occasionally before, he got truly into them starting from September 2021.
- The Steam algorithm recognized this new love for indie games and suggested more and more content from that corner: These were “insanely great games” that he then also showcased as a content creator.
Why is he playing fewer AAA games now? The enthusiasm for indie games also comes from disappointment with AAA games and their publishers. Just what is happening at Activision Blizzard beyond the games is enough to turn him off, and before Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft had already fallen from grace.
There are even areas that I can no longer bear. Even on a moral level. If you look at what Activision Blizzard is doing. So outside of their games. Internally. Or before that, it’s Ubisoft, where similar scandals happened.
Moreover, the games of the big publishers have significantly declined, so HandofBlood says: “The AAA publishers have not delivered anymore,” he states.
If we are talking about disappointing games:
This is how it led to publishing: HandofBlood says it was an organic development. Smaller teams of developers approached him to see if he would like to act as a publisher.
At first, he was skeptical, thinking he was just an “influencer” who plays games and tries to entertain viewers, but over time, he warmed up to the idea.
He says that when they looked at this more closely within the company, which operates progressively, they saw that other influencers like Asmongold or Videogamedunkey are releasing their own games. So this innovative “5000 IQ” idea wasn’t so far-fetched after all.
He wants to be completely transparent: He cannot promise that they will be “absolute pros” and that “performance on Steam will skyrocket.” But they are eager to learn, and if someone needs marketing for their game, they should feel free to inquire:
“We want – maybe as a goal – an intimate, authentic, organic relationship and then have a needs-based cooperation.”
HandofBlood sees the advantage of their offer being that they “already have all the influencers here,” with whom studios can then “chat without needing to book them.”
Who is part of Instant3? The most well-known influencer represented by the agency is certainly HandofBlood himself. However, they also have some familiar faces like David Hain, Fabian Siegesmund, KalleKoschinsyki, or Simon Krätschmer (Rocket Beans) and people from the LoL area like Broeki, Maxim, and PowerOfEvil.
More about HandofBlood:
