Secret Mode hedges bets with Star Wars racer and experimental indies after breaking free from Tencent

Secret Mode, the UK publisher that separated from Sumo Digital and its parent company Tencent last year, is charting a deliberate course by investing in two very different types of games. Chief publishing officer James Schall told GamesIndustry.biz at Gamescom that the publisher has experienced "phenomenal growth" over the past 18 months, achieving business targets set for 2030 in approximately four months.

The separation from Tencent was remarkably smooth. Schall explained that when Tencent acquired Sumo in early 2022, the Chinese conglomerate found itself managing a sprawling portfolio. "[They] didn't need 18 different publishers, right?" Schall said. With backing from investment firm Emona Capital, Secret Mode extracted itself from Sumo's structure. "I couldn't believe how quickly the deal was done to extricate us from Sumo, and how positive that experience has been for everyone," Schall added.

Secret Mode's publishing strategy now rests on two pillars. The first involves "pure indie" titles with experimental appeal. The second targets higher-budget games like Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which launches October 6. CEO Ed Blincoe described the racing game as "exceptional when we played it for the first time over 12 months ago, and it's only got better as we've gone through that period of time." The game, developed by new UK studio Fuse Games, has generated strong interest on Steam, with Schall noting the wishlists are "phenomenal."

The rationale behind this dual approach reflects brutal market realities. Schall stated that in the current environment, "it's almost impossible to sell a mediocre game", and selling even a "very, very good game" remains exceptionally difficult. "There is no easy answer anymore, there's no kind of playbook. You just have to try and make yourself lucky by making the right decisions," he said.

On the indie side, Secret Mode is taking on publishing and ongoing development duties for two cooperative titles. The publisher acquired Fancy Games' Escape the Backrooms, which launched in Early Access in 2022, and Anegar Games' Chained Together from 2024. These co-op games appeal to players accustomed to socialising online, Schall explained. "They grew up during COVID, they're used to interacting on Twitch, and that's where they're hanging out with their mates." Both titles reportedly sell well each month and fund their own development. Secret Mode has established an internal development studio in Sheffield to create additional content for these games, working alongside the external studio Blackbird Interactive.

This arrangement reflects an emerging "caretaker development" model where publishers support existing successful games while original developers pursue new projects. Secret Mode has precedent with Wobbledogs, created by Tom Astle, which had stalled in Early Access. "It was just him and a couple of artists, and [he] didn't know how to move it on. And we came along and went, 'we'll release it'. And now he's got the creative freedom to go and make something completely different," Schall said.

Schall, who spent 13 years at Sega, recognises that many games benefit from what he calls the "long tail" approach rather than launch-day peaks. He cited examples where Secret Mode acquired games with modest initial sales that became highly profitable within six months. "So I knew that there was an opportunity within games that were either in Early Access or had launched and not hit their potential," he said.

However, identifying and nurturing those opportunities hinges on solving one of gaming's most intractable problems. "Discoverability is one of the biggest challenges this industry faces," Schall said. Algorithm-driven platforms tend to recommend the same content to everyone, making it difficult for distinct titles to find their audience. Sometimes discovery relies on luck, such as an influencer picking up a game organically.

The old publishing playbook no longer applies either. Schall noted that individual developers can now build massive audiences by uploading games to Roblox or Itch.io without industry involvement. "They don't know what a publisher is, and they're sitting down being a massively successful developer. Some of them haven't even got business accounts," he said. "They don't even know the industry, and they're disrupting it."

As visual fidelity reaches photorealism, Schall observed that the industry is shifting priorities. "I think as an industry we can learn a lot about that by finding our way to the fun first," he said. While visually polished titles like Star Wars: Galactic Racer remain important, Secret Mode is equally focused on finding and nurturing games with distinct identity and genuine fun mechanics, regardless of their graphical ambition.