Publisher Secret Mode, known for horror Still Wakes the Deep, has now gone independent and will continue to search for indie gems

British indie game publisher Secret Mode, known for projects such as Still Wakes the Deep and A Little to the Left, has officially gone independent after being bought out by Emona Capital in collaboration with the studio's management.

Here's What We Know

Secret Mode was founded in 2020 as part of Sumo Group and has been showing good results. Among its achievements are the UKIE Best UK Publisher Award in 2024 and the win in the Best Influencer Marketing category at the Debug Indie Game Awards.

After the buyout, the company will operate as an independent publisher, focusing on supporting indie developers around the world. Secret Mode's CEOs, James Schall and Ed Blinko, will remain in their positions and continue to run the studio in partnership with Emona Capital.

James Schall emphasised the importance of independence for further development:

"By becoming independent, we can fully focus on finding indie gems that players didn't even know existed. We want to help them discover not only future hits, but also the masterpieces of the past that have been unfairly overlooked."

Emona Capital, which has previously invested in Relic Entertainment and Amber Studio, has invested in the publishing business for the first time. Partner Michael Moriarty said: "This collaboration strengthens our portfolio and adds expertise that perfectly complements our existing studios."

Sumo Group, which has been owned by Chinese giant Tencent since 2022, has decided to focus on contract work and stop developing its own IP. This decision was a prerequisite for the sale of Secret Mode.

Source: VGC