Scottish megadev 4J Studios, of the Minecraft console ports fame, has announced that they’ll be taking a bold stride into the realm of publishing as of next year.
Backed by the company’s investment fund, Chroma Ventures, 4J will be “Investing significantly in the rising stars of the Scottish games industry”, in the words of co-founders Chris van der Kuyl and Paddy Burns.
Skye’s the Limit
The first of these stars to take flight is, appropriately enough, Skye Tales, an exploratory puzzle game designed to be a relaxing, stress-free experience for players. The game has been in development for around 7 years, and now, thanks to 4J’s backing, it has a launch date of 2023 secured on the Nintendo Switch.
New Horizons
Skye Tales is just the beginning, however. 4J is planning to publish a range of games from Scottish developers, including StormCloud Games, Ant Workshop, and even 4J itself.
“We have more new games scheduled for release in 2023 – a mixture of original games from 4J Studios and titles from studios we are invested in through Chroma Ventures. Our ambition is to establish game brands we are close to, and believe in, and help them evolve into successful franchises.”
The next wave of 4J-published titles is set to be announced next year.