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DARK SECRETS: Tim bender - The Real Truth

Game devs should avoid indie publishers, indie publisher says

Hooded Horse CEO warns of "predatory and opportunistic" industry.

Creative Bloq

"People can hate me for this if they want": Manor Lords publisher says most indie publishers are "predatory and opportunistic," and "not particularly competent either"

"It is very viable to self publish these days"

GamesRadar

Manor Lords, Might and Magic publisher says "we will f**k it up," but will try and "guard against" AI being part of its games "in every way"

"Players don't, by and large, want gen AI"

GamesRadar

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Indie devs should avoid 'most indie publishers' says Manor Lords indie publisher Hooded Horse: 'The vast majority of indie publishers are predatory and opportunistic'

"People can hate me for this if they want."

PC Gamer

'We will f*ck up': The publisher of Against the Storm and Manor Lords is committed to keeping generative AI out, but it's easier said than done

It's everywhere and unavoidable; it's probably going to slip in.

PC Gamer

CEO of Manor Lords publisher Hooded Horse wants it to be 'a positive influence and a great company for 100 plus years' by fighting AI and treating devs ethically

The indie publisher keeps striking gold, but CEO Tim Bender is still "fundamentally unambitious", prizing stability and ethics over massive growth and profits.

PC Gamer

Manor Lords' dev is experimenting with a new trading system that allows for 'deliberate economic strategies', including establishing monopolies on resources

"You could, for example, attempt to monopolise Iron Slabs by hiring all Merchants on routes that export them."

PC Gamer

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'I f**king hate gen AI art,' Hooded Horse chief says: 'If we're publishing the game, no f**king AI assets'

Tim Bender, the CEO of Manor Lords publisher Hooded Horse, says generative AI is "cancerous" and he doesn't want to deal with it.

PC Gamer

"If we're publishing the game, 'no f***ing AI assets'": CEO of Manor Lords publisher Hooded Horse bans gen AI art and calls it "cancerous"

"We recommend they don't use any gen AI anywhere in the process"

GamesRadar

CEO of Manor Lords and Against the Storm publisher says publishers should not be trying to 'break even at the expense of developers' and should be willing to take a loss because they can afford to 'spread the risk'

"Large corporate entities that can absorb risk should expect some losses to be balanced out by other gains."

PC Gamer

"There is no platform that matches Steam's excellent discovery system" according to Heroes of Might and Magic publisher, the real problem is "some games should not be made"

Hooded Horse's CEO doesn't think there are too many games on Valve's store

GamesRadar

As Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era soars, Hooded Horse boss Tim Bender says passion-publishing trumps chasing money: "Why would anyone want to work with you if not for total lack of choice?"

Interview | "Big viral hits don't really define what an indie publisher is"

GamesRadar

Manor Lords publisher says game devs and big corpos don't get on because making games is "fundamentally unpredictable"

Hooded Horse's execs think self-publishing is a pretty good idea

GamesRadar

"If I had a game, I would not sign with 90% of publishers": Manor Lords publisher thinks "self-publishing is a fine way to go"

Developers could do "90% better" than "90% of publishers"

GamesRadar

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GamesRadar

Manor Lords publisher says "so many games fail" because of bad contracts where publishers insist on making all their money back before devs get a bite of revenue

He calls most publisher deals "terrible"

PC Gamer

Manor Lords publisher doubles down on protecting devs as CEO says 'developer sustainability' is more important than 'any perpetual growth'

"We can prioritise other things over profits, like artistic integrity and fair treatment."

GamesRadar

"Don't bank on being the next viral hit": Manor Lords publisher urges other studios to "take care of all the devs" instead of hunting for their golden goose

Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender says chasing viral hits is "opportunistic and predatory"

Inverse

The CEO Behind 2024's Best Strategy Game Just Debunked Gaming’s Unhealthiest Trend

The CEO of 'Manor Lords' publisher CEO has responded to criticism of the game's update schedule with words everyone in gaming should take to heart.

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news in one place.

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GamesRadar

The Long Dark creator apologizes to Manor Lords team after criticism of the hit city builder's early access cadence draws comparisons with his cult survival game

The Long Dark released in 2014 and is still waiting on its latest story mode chapter

PC Gamer

Hooded Horse CEO hits back at claims that Manor Lords slipped up in early access: 'Not every game should be aimed at becoming some live service boom or bust'

"Success should not create an ever-raising bar of new growth expectations."

GamesRadar

Manor Lords publisher argues "not every game" needs to be a live-service, and developers should never be "forced to run until their mental or physical health breaks down"

CEO Tim Bender wants a more sustainable way forward for developers

GamesRadar

Manor Lords publisher thinks it's "a little unfair to judge us" on the massive city-builder success because "publishers shouldn't be judged by their biggest hit"

"Look at what happened when something didn’t go perfectly”

PC Gamer

The idea that the Manor Lords dev should 'just hire 50 people' to update it faster is 'fundamentally not the way things work,' says publisher

"The best growth is very slow. It's keeping the core vision intact."

PC Gamer

Taking a lesson from Manor Lords, Hooded Horse delays Norland to July

The extra development time will enable developers to "ensure we deliver a well-functioning game."

PC Gamer

Manor Lords publisher says the game's success is 'well beyond what we could have hoped'

"But ultimately Greg's making the decisions and driving the development: he is the developer."

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