OTK Launches Creator-Led Publishing Label Mad Mushroom

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Creator-owned media company One True King (OTK) has launched its own publishing label, Mad Mushroom, at its second annual OTK gaming expo. With in-game personalities and crossover content, Mad Mushroom will provide independent game developers with unparalleled exposure.

Although some creators got into both game development and publishing, they were usually started by a single personality. In contrast, Mad Mushroom has access to several top creators and their 38 million cross-platform social followers.

Although the company has not yet signed its first developer agreement, executives have indicated that they are close to signing their first agreement. The company plans to hire 10-15 employees initially and then expand its line of games as it expands.

Unlike other publishers, Mad Mushroom has the advantage of working with many of the game's most prominent personalities. Streamers have propelled games like Among Us and Dark and Darker from obscurity to center stage.

Mad Mushroom plans to give creators a voice early in development to help games resonate with viewers. Developers signed on will have access to top-tier creators across multiple genres to gain a variety of perspectives.

In fact, creating games that appeal to its streamers is the central philosophy of Mad Mushroom. There are no plans to specialize in any particular genre. Instead, Mad Mushroom prioritizes replayability, audience participation, and games that create engaging content, in addition to commercial viability. Also, developers with a unique story or background are a plus.

Compared to other publishers, Mad Mushroom is in a unique position because of its relationship with these creators.

“Since the death of retail, the value and importance of marketing has exploded for developers, especially indies. One of the costliest aspects of this is influencer marketing,” said said Tips Out, co-owner, founder and CEO of OTK, "Having a team of creators who will play games at little or no cost gives us an edge over other publishers. This allows us to invest the money that we would have allocated to influencer marketing in other types of marketing. »

OTK has launched other related activities that will also take advantage of this flywheel. OTK launched its Starforge Systems PC line in 2022 and its Mythic Talent agency earlier this year.

"OTK's vertical integration makes us extremely efficient. We have streamers to market PCs to and now we'll also have games to promote. It's a natural addition to our umbrella," said Zack "Asmongold Hoyt, co-owner and founder of OTK.

In addition to the business benefits, the relationship between these creators and their audience is valuable to Mad Mushroom. This personal touch will help Mad Mushroom build a deeper relationship with fans.

"It's exciting for the community as a whole, as feedback gets to developers quickly. The community wants developers to listen and we can act as a conduit to make that happen. That's a huge plus for us. added Asmongold.

As a collective of creators, OTK understands that building a strong relationship with its audience underpins its operations. Of course, maintaining that trust is paramount to OTK and Mad Mushroom. As such, the publisher seeks to create mutually beneficial agreements between itself and independent developers.

"Historically, agreements between publishers and developers have been somewhat predatory, especially when dealing with smaller independent developers. Many modern publishers take intellectual property rights and have unfavorable revenue shares between developer and publisher," said Tips Out. "We know we can spotlight our games and that gives us a huge advantage. We have the luxury of being able to give that freedom and flexibility back to developers. , we're all public figures. If we don't give people a good deal, it's going to come back to haunt us."

Part of this is creating "aggressive" revenue allocations in favor of the developer and committing to transparency. The company plans to make its standard agreement available to the public soon. While details are still being worked out, the Mad Mushroom executive...