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Digital Bandidos emerged last year as a new indie game publishing entity, launching at a time when many traditional publishers faced financial difficulties.
With leadership from industry veterans Steve Escalante and Lance James, the company has successfully attracted significant funding, stepping in to support indie game creators. This is a challenging endeavor, as approximately 17,000 new small games are introduced annually, while numerous game studios find themselves closing their doors.
In a conversation with GamesBeat, Escalante emphasized that Digital Bandidos aims to provide not only financial backing but expert advice to indie developers, positioning themselves as fierce advocates for this community—hence the moniker “Bandidos.”
Among their exciting projects is Let Them Come: Onslaught, a horror-themed survival game developed by Tuatara Games based in Denver, Colorado. It will debut at The Mix Kinda Funny Spring Showcase during GDC 2025 and will be available on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC later this year.
In Let Them Come: Onslaught, players are trapped on a hostile alien planet filled with monstrous threats and must utilize their arsenal wisely to ensure survival until they can call in a devastating nuclear strike. Every decision regarding weapon choice and enhancements directly influences the player’s survival odds in this high-stakes environment.
“Collaborating with Digital Bandidos has been a fantastic experience,” stated Klemen Lozar, Game Director at Tuatara Games. “Our previous partnership on a title in the Let Them Come series gives us confidence as we prepare to reach a large audience across various platforms.”
Tuatara Games is among the many studios that Digital Bandidos has worked with in the past. The publisher is reconnecting with previous partners, indicating the strong relationships built over time. Updates on this project and additional titles are anticipated soon.
“It’s always a hopeful sign when teams we’ve collaborated with before show interest in working together again,” Escalante noted. “Building relationships is vital in this industry; it has been the foundation of my 25-year career in gaming. We’ve initiated contracts with former collaborators like those behind Soulstone Survivors and added Let Them Come: Onslaught to our lineup. Each game not only offers unique gaming experiences but also complements each other, attracting shared audiences.”
Escalante remarked, “With years of publishing experience and deep industry insights, we are equipping indie developers to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.”
Understanding the trials faced by developers is paramount to Escalante. His aspiration is to cultivate a modern publishing practice capable of addressing contemporary industry challenges.
Established in August 2024 by former members of Versus Evil, including Escalante as founder and general manager, Digital Bandidos has recently expanded its leadership team with the addition of CFO Richard Iwaniuk, marketing lead Richard Iggo, and communications manager James Batchelor.
The company is gearing up to launch Town of Salem 2, a sequel to the popular social deduction game, on current-generation consoles like PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch later in the year. They are also preparing announcements regarding other projects slated for release in 2025 and beyond, including updates on Soulstone Survivors and several new titles in development.
Digital Bandidos offers comprehensive publishing services and is actively seeking PC and console game titles with development budgets up to $3 million. While the studio specializes in genres such as role-playing, strategy, and action, it remains open to projects across all genres and platforms.
Industry Challenges
“The atmosphere right now is noticeably different. Following challenges faced after the sale of Versus Evil last year, we are striving to understand the industry’s current needs,” Escalante stated. “The landscape is particularly tough for triple-A studios, with major layoffs affecting Warner Bros. and Ubisoft in 2025, despite hopeful forecasts for recovery. The last three years have seen an estimated 35,000 layoffs in the gaming industry.”
“Indie developers still face significant hurdles in securing funding, compounding the ongoing struggles within the industry,” he added. “Many developers are encountering severe financial difficulties.”
He pointed out that major game engine providers Unity and Epic Games are less visible this year at GDC, a trend that highlights broader issues in the market. “Publishers are disappearing, and developers are reclaiming their rights,” he mentioned.
The Need for New Publishers
On a more positive note, new publishers like Digital Bandidos and Acclaim Entertainment have arisen, which Escalante sees as essential. He believes that the fundamental roles of a publisher—such as funding, marketing, and development assistance—remain critical, even during downturns.
“Digital Bandidos is committed to providing resources and support to assist in these efforts,” Escalante remarked. “We are actively working on developing tools to facilitate this.”
Regarding industry insights, he stressed that user retention and post-launch support are paramount concerns. “First, funding is crucial, but many teams are ready to take on challenges independently. Discovery also remains a significant issue that is often overlooked.”
Digital Bandidos is putting considerable emphasis on enhancing discovery, retention, and post-launch support to drive greater sales. While distribution platforms like Epic Games Store and Steam offer some assistance, they cater to only a fraction of launching titles.
“Community engagement will become increasingly valuable in marketing,” Escalante explained, highlighting strategies that leverage platforms like Discord and grassroots outreach. “Indies must creatively market their games to create excitement and encourage early wishlists, ensuring they don’t become stale before launch.”
“In contrast, triple-A companies can rely on substantial financial resources for quick launches, while indies must depend on strategic marketing to gain attention,” he noted. “This has led to ongoing self-reflection on how we deliver value to developers.”
While there have been unexpected indie successes like Balatro and Animal Well, the competitive landscape remains daunting, particularly with nearly 19,000 games released on Steam in 2024 alone.
Differentiating Digital Bandidos
Digital Bandidos has expanded to a team of seven, embracing a small and flexible structure. With titles like Soulstone Survivors already achieving over a million sales on PC, the publisher is set to manage their console releases. Concurrently, Town of Salem 2 and the anticipated Let Them Come: Onslaught are on the way.
In a strategic move, Digital Bandidos plans to financially support developers in launching new titles while expected revenues from current projects materialize. Most of the new games are anticipated for release later this year and early next year, according to Escalante.
Escalante remains focused on established platforms with substantial user bases, like the PlayStation 5, while also exploring alternative avenues for titles such as Town of Salem on platforms like Telegram or Discord.
“I’ve always embraced opportunities that can enhance revenue, even modestly,” he commented. “If there is a feasible path to access these platforms, we should pursue it for long-term benefits.”
Motivation to Continue
Having entered the gaming industry around 25 years ago, Escalante recently experienced the loss of his friend and mentor, Carter Lipscomb, who played an instrumental role in his early days of self-publishing. As a tribute, friends plan to honor Lipscomb’s memory at the upcoming Game Developers Conference.
After a decade of leading Versus Evil, Escalante felt there was still valuable work to accomplish and engaged in discussions with numerous developers about their needs for support.
“Many developers expressed gratitude for our initiative, encouraging us to move forward,” Escalante reflected. “It validates our mission and reignites my enthusiasm for collaborating with teams to enhance their games. I feel fortunate to be in this position,” he concluded.
Source
venturebeat.com