Devolver Digital has released a lot of great games and is looking to spread that magic into licensed content. The company just announced a sublabel called Big Fan Games, which will focus on developing indie titles based on existing IP.
Devolver Big Fan Games explains: “It’s a new label that gives developers the license to create original games using iconic worlds and characters from film, television, and comics.” To that end, the team includes companies like Disney and Dark Horse Comics. We are staffed by industry veterans who have worked with us.
Presentation time.
Today, we are launching Big Fan ( @BigFanPresents ) – A new label that gives developers the license to create original game adaptations using iconic film, television, and comic book worlds and characters. pic.twitter.com/A6h3IGOk3p
— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) October 1, 2024
The label already has several games in its library, all based on existing IP. These titles include Reigns: Game of Thrones, Hellboy Web of Wyrd, and John Wick Hex. These games had already been released before being moved to a new label. For example, Reigns: Game of Thrones came out six years ago and was published by Devolver at the time. John Wick: Hex came out in 2019, and Hellboy: Web of the Wild hit digital stores last year.
Today’s announcement doesn’t bring any new games, but the company’s website does feature a large “Coming Soon” tab, although it’s currently empty. We hope that something will be revealed in the near future. Big Fan Games wrote in a press release that its goal is to “foster fun, original games that can stand on their own, rather than serve as a marketing partnership for other media releases.”
Since the dawn of modern gaming, licensed games have been hit and miss. For every DuckTales, there is a Superman 64. However, recent releases have received positive reviews. Respawn’s Star Wars games were bona fide hits, as was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
We don’t know what Devolver and Big Fan Games have in store, but we do know that they have some licensed games in the future. MachineGames is set to release Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on December 9th, and Arkhan Lyon is busy developing a game based on Marvel’s Blade.
Personally, I think it’s really great that Big Fan Games is giving indie developers the opportunity to work on licensed properties. To that end, the company is encouraging developers to submit ideas for licensed games. “Do you have a favorite game you’ve dreamed of rebooting, or a cult classic movie or book you’d like to see turned into a game? We’d love to hear from you,” the studio writes on its website.
