Innersloth co-founder warns devs: ‘there are some very bad deals out there’
By The increasing wave of indie creators transforming into indie game publishers and investors has proved to be a captivating evolution for the realm of video game negotiations. While all of these minor studios could justifiably retain their profits and solely finance internal initiatives, several have opted to thoughtfully distribute their resources, providing agreements that enhance financial competition in the sector of independent game creation.
This wave of publishers has brought forth a fresh assortment of seasoned creators into the domain of term sheets, discussions, and revisions—and during the past year, developers-turned investors conversing with Game Developer have portrayed their experiences as something reminiscent of a horror story. Innersloth co-founder and programmer Forest Willard, who also manages the company’s Outersloth fund, is one of those founders taken aback by the circumstances his colleagues are facing.
Now he is (cautiously) sounding the alarm for other creators. In a dialogue at Seattle Loves Indies Creator Expo (SLICE) 2026, Willard supplied Game Developer with an overview of Outersloth’s funding activities, along with some candid reflections regarding the negotiation atmosphere for game creators. He mentions that he has examined several contracts other developers are signing to produce their games and asserts there are “truly dreadful deals for games that do not warrant that.”
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“I wouldn’t ever fault anyone for accepting that kind of agreement,” he expressed, recognizing that for some developers, simply achieving the opportunity to create their ideal game represents a “degree of success.” “And in that respect, I can hardly blame individuals for [offering] that type of agreement.” However, there exists another level of achievement that he “wishes and hopes for everyone:” to truly generate income from a game post-release.
“Some of these agreements are not supportive of that,” he stated. “There are some really terrible deals—I can certainly reproach individuals for presenting those.”
Willard did not provide any particular instances, but he did acknowledge that he has witnessed some developers continue collaborating with those publishers after accepting such exploitative terms.
