By Vampire Survivors’ outfit Poncle began as a solo endeavor—designer Luca Galante pouring every ounce of energy into his dream roguelike. After the title’s explosive rise, which ignited a swarm of Survivors-style clones, the one-person shop evolved into a crew and added a publishing wing called Poncle Presents. Echoing ventures such as Among Us–backed Outersloth and Palworld-funded Pocketpair Publishing, Galante says he hoped to use his unexpected hit to “give back” and help more bedroom studios finish their projects.
Speaking to GamesRadar+, Galante—still adjusting to spreadsheets, contracts, and the rest of the corporate bustle—contemplates what it means to be a publisher in 2024.
“I run into plenty of publishers I don’t respect,” he starts. “That dislike basically sketches the outline of what I believe a decent publisher ought to be. Too many outfits chase short-term profit, treating storefronts like cash machines because, let’s face it, gaming is a multibillion playground. They’ll launch unfinished builds, leave early-access titles in limbo, or shove projects out the door and abandon them the moment earnings flatline. Broken, half-dead games clutter the catalogs.”
“My take is simple: start by funding something sincere—an experience that actually matters—and accept the reality that not every launch will become the next viral rocket. Continuous updates matter. Whatever the sales curve looks like, a cadre of players now owns your game, and that group, large or tiny, deserves respect. Robust post-launch support is non-negotiable in my book.”
So far Poncle Presents has shipped Doonutsaur’s Kill the Brickman—a five-dollar brick-breaking roguelike—and Nao Games’ Berserk or Die, a four-buck 2D brawler that optionally lets you hammer your keyboard to death. Neither exploded into the stratosphere, yet Steam reviews remain upbeat, and that suits Galante perfectly.
Galante admits he adores tiny, inexpensive experiences. Poncle intends to stick with micro-teams, so his radar often pings projects that nail a fuzzy “cost-versus-playtime” sweet spot—though the door stays open to bigger scopes when something exceptional appears. Above all he hunts for creators “who communicate openly with their communities and radiate raw, genuine affection for game making.”
“Regardless of projected numbers,” he says, “a publisher should amplify the developer’s vision, not twist it toward whatever appears most lucrative.”
“You’ve probably heard the horror stories,” he continues. “Execs demand seasonal passes, loot boxes, roadmaps stuffed with microtransactions. Call me idealistic, but I view publishing through a creator-and-player lens first, spreadsheet second.”
Galante began mulling a publishing arm months after Vampire Survivors blew up; each new hire to maintain the hit nudged him closer to pulling the trigger.
Interestingly, Poncle has chatted with both Outersloth and Pocketpair, “precisely because we share the goal of bankrolling fellow indies, even if we operate on different budgets.” (Earlier this year Pocketpair’s John Buckley told me the company received pitches “within minutes of Palworld’s launch,” some from triple-A veterans.)
“At the end of the day we struck gold with Vampire Survivors,” Galante says. “The g