You know how it goes when a media company decides to dabble in something new? Well, that’s happening with Lyrical Media. They’ve set up this indie branch they’re calling Lyrical Games. Clever name, right? I didn’t come up with it—but hey, fits the bill. Anyway, leading the charge is this guy, Blake Rochkind. Used to be with Private Division in some fancy-sounding business development role. Isn’t it funny how people jump around in this industry? One minute they’re here, the next—poof! New gig, new title.
So, a few other folks from Private Division jumped ship too. Plus, some came over from Devolver, Humble, and Microsoft. Kind of like an all-star team of gaming veterans, or maybe more like a hodgepodge of folks who know their stuff. Lyrical has their fingers in three mysterious pies right now, games we aren’t supposed to know about yet. But here’s a hint: Blackbird Interactive is involved. They’re the brains behind Homeworld 3. Bet you didn’t see that coming!
Rochkind’s got some big ideas—developers should be the bosses of their games. Makes sense, but really, how often does that truly happen? There’s so much chaos in the game world today, so the logic is not everyone needs a publisher. Then again, some do, and Lyrical Games wants to be that cool publisher no one fights over.
Don’t you love buzzwords like “new normal”? Anyway, Rochkind is all about making sure they’re on the same page with developers from the get-go. And not just about the game itself, but who it’s for and how to get it out there. High-end indie games, or triple-i—heard of that before? They think they’ve got the juiciest deals for developers. But not just anyone—partners who want their games spotlighted the right way.
Oh, and developers keep all their IP rights. Partnerships are key—a nice ideal, right? Transparency, collaboration, yadda yadda. Let’s see if they pull it off.
