Indie Game Publishers Accepting Submissions in 2026 (and How Much They Take)
I have sat on both sides of this table: pitching as a studio CEO and reading pitches as a publisher. This is the list I would work from today, what each label actually looks for, how the money in a publishing deal really moves, the clauses that hurt later, and how to write a pitch that gets opened.
Founder, Mad Octopus
Should you even get a publisher?
A publisher is worth a share of your game for exactly three things: money to finish it, reach you cannot buy (press relationships, platform holders, a creator network, console ports) and a launch team so you can keep building. If you need none of those, self-publishing on Steam in 2026 is a paperwork problem and a marketing problem, and most of the marketing tools are free or cheap. If you need one of the three, read on.
Publishers with open submissions
Every label below had a public pitch form or submissions address when this was written (September 2026). Publishers close and reopen submissions all the time, so treat the links as a starting point and the focus column as the filter: a strategy publisher will not read your platformer, however good.
| Publisher | Looks for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Devolver Digital | Distinctive, high-concept indie games of any genre | Public submissions inbox. Very selective; they answer, sometimes months later. |
| Raw Fury | Art-forward indies, strong identity over genre | Pitch form on the site. Likes a playable build and a clear hook. |
| Team17 | Broad indie catalogue, sims, co-op, strategy | Submission form; larger organisation, more process, real marketing muscle. |
| Coffee Stain Publishing | Simulation, sandbox, systems-heavy games | Pitch page. Home of Valheim and Satisfactory publishing; wants games with long tails. |
| Hooded Horse | Strategy, management, tactics, 4X | Open pitch page and unusually transparent about deal terms in public talks. |
| tinyBuild | Mid-size indie across genres, franchises they can grow | Submission form; portfolio skews to games with sequel potential. |
| Curve Games | Premium indie, PC and console | Pitch form. Expects a vertical slice and a market case. |
| Fellow Traveller | Narrative games, unusual mechanics | Open submissions; if your game is about something, this is the list to start with. |
| Playstack | Small teams with unusual hooks (Balatro's publisher) | Pitch form. Went from mobile to one of the most-watched indie labels. |
| Secret Mode | Curated indie, PC and console | Sumo Group's label, open submissions. |
| Yogscast Games | Streamable, cosy, co-op and simulation games | Pitch form; the creator network is the pitch. |
| PLAYISM | Japan-facing and Japanese indies going west | Submissions page; strong localization and JP market access. |
| Neon Doctrine | Asian indie games and western games entering Asia | Open pitch. Small, hands-on. |
| Firesquid | Simulation, management, strategy | Pitch form; Lyon-based, focused catalogue. |
| Assemble Entertainment | Simulation, strategy, narrative | German publisher with a public pitch form and a slow, thorough process. |
| indie.io | Broad indie catalogue, formerly Freedom Games | Submissions form; high volume label. |
| Akupara Games | Small, polished indies, ports | Open submissions; also does ports and QA as services. |
| HypeTrain Digital | Roguelikes, action, systemic games | Pitch form; Eastern European roots, PC-first. |
| Headup | Mid-size indies across genres | Submission form, German, long track record. |
| Goblinz Publishing | Strategy, roguelike, management | Open pitch; dev-run publisher, so they read builds. |
| Future Friends Games | Cosy, warm, small games | Pitch page; marketing-first publisher, very good at the launch week. |
| Whitethorn Games | Cosy and accessible games | Open submissions; accessibility is part of the brief. |
| Toge Productions | Narrative and Southeast Asian indies | Open pitch, Indonesia-based, hands-on. |
| PQube | Anime-adjacent, Japanese and western indies | Submission form; strong on console ports. |
| Untold Tales | Narrative, atmospheric games | Pitch form; Polish publisher, small catalogue. |
| Iceberg Interactive | Strategy, simulation, sci-fi | Open submissions since forever; Dutch, steady. |
| Thunderful Publishing | Curated indie, PC and console | Restructured in 2024, still publishing; check the current pitch page. |
| Kwalee | PC and console indie, formerly mobile-first | Pitch form; data-driven, fast decisions. |
| Mad Octopus | Steam indie games that need a launch, not an advance | No upfront fee, 100% of revenue to you until 1,000 copies, then 10%. Not a fit if you need funding. |
Missing from the list on purpose: labels that stopped taking submissions or wound down publishing in the last two years, and the big publishers whose indie labels are invite-only. If you know a label with an open form that should be here, tell us on Discord and it goes in the next update.
Funds that are not publishers
If the only thing you need is money, a fund is a better trade than a publisher: you keep the launch, the IP and most of the upside.
- Wings Interactive Funding for games by underrepresented developers; investment, not publishing.
- Outersloth Innersloth's fund for small teams; money and advice, you keep control.
- Kowloon Nights Development financing against revenue share; you self-publish.
How much publishers take
The number people quote ("publishers take 30%") is not how deals work. A typical indie publishing deal in 2026 has three layers, and the order matters more than the percentages:
- Platform cut first. Steam takes 30% (25% above $10M). Everything below is a split of what is left, the "net".
- Recoup second. The publisher takes 100% of net until it has recovered what it spent: the advance you received, marketing, porting, localization, QA. Some contracts recoup at 100% of spend, some at 120-130% (a "recoup premium"). Ask which, in writing.
- Split third. After recoup, net is shared. 50/50 is the most common for a deal with a real advance; 60/40 or 70/30 in the developer's favour when the publisher funds little and mostly markets; 30/70 against the developer in older or worse deals. A launch-services deal with no advance should sit at 80/20 to 90/10 for the developer.
Worked example: a $30,000 advance, $20,000 of marketing, a 50/50 split. Your game earns $200,000 gross on Steam. Net after Valve is $140,000. The publisher recoups $50,000 first, leaving $90,000 to split: you get $45,000 plus the $30,000 advance you already received, $75,000 in total, or 37.5% of gross. That is a fair deal if the publisher's work is why it earned $200,000 instead of $60,000. It is a bad deal if you had 30,000 wishlists before you signed.
For scale: the Mad Octopus publishing deal is 100% of net to the developer until 1,000 copies, then 10% to us, no advance and no recoup, because we built the launch tools once and reuse them. That is not better for everyone, it is better for games that need a launch rather than money.
Clauses to watch
- IP ownership. Modern deals leave the IP with the developer and license it to the publisher for the term. If the contract transfers IP, you are selling the game, price it that way.
- Term and reversion. Three to five years is normal, perpetual is not. Rights should revert if the publisher fails to release, stops selling, or misses a marketing spend minimum.
- Cross-collateralization. One line that lets the publisher recoup game A's losses from game B's revenue. Strike it or price it.
- Sequel and next-game rights. First refusal on your next game is a discount you are giving; a matching right is worse. Limit it in time and scope.
- Marketing commitments. A spend floor in dollars and a named launch plan. "Commercially reasonable efforts" is not a plan.
- Milestone acceptance. Who decides a milestone is done, in how many days, and what happens to the payment if they are late.
- Reporting and audit. Monthly statements with the raw platform reports attached, and the right to audit. You cannot check a recoup you cannot see.
- Keys and bundles. Who controls Steam keys, discounts and bundle participation. A publisher that blocks a bundle with a friend's game is costing you sales for no reason.
How to pitch so you get a reply
- A playable build, even ugly. Publishers read hundreds of decks; they play dozens of builds. The build is the pitch.
- One page: the hook in two sentences, three comparable games with their Steam review counts, current wishlists, team, budget and the amount you are asking for, platforms, the date. Attach a 60-second gameplay video.
- Traction beats promises. A Coming Soon page with 3,000 wishlists and a Next Fest demo with a 60% median playtime is worth more than any market-size slide. Get the page up before you pitch; the launch checklist covers the order.
- Pitch the right five, not fifty. Match the focus column above. Mention why them, in one sentence, with a game from their catalogue you actually played.
- Follow up once after three weeks, then move on. Silence is the answer more often than a no.
- Keep launching meanwhile. Wishlists, a bundle partner, creator keys: everything in the Dev Hub works whether or not a publisher signs, and a growing page makes the pitch stronger every week.
FAQ
How much do game publishers take?
After the platform's 30% and after recouping their spend, typically 50% of net for a funded deal, 30-40% for a marketing-heavy deal, 10-20% for launch services with no advance. The recoup terms matter more than the split.
Do publishers pay upfront?
Funded deals pay an advance against milestones; the advance is recouped from your share later. Launch-services deals pay nothing upfront and take a smaller cut.
Can an indie game have a publisher and still self-publish on Steam?
Yes. Many deals keep the Steam account in the developer's name with the publisher listed on the page; some publishers insist on their own Steamworks account. Ask which before signing.
When is the best time to pitch?
With a vertical slice and a Coming Soon page, 9 to 18 months before your target release. Later than six months out, most publishers cannot add much to the launch.
Is Mad Octopus a publisher?
Yes, for Steam games that need a launch rather than an advance: no upfront fee, 100% of net to you until 1,000 copies, then 10%. And the Dev Hub tools we use for our own launches are free for any studio.