Epic Games Joins Forces With Former ‘Little Nightmares’ Developers

So, Epic Games is collaborating with Section 9 Interactive to bring the indie studio’s upcoming sci-fi action adventure game to life! Further, Section 9 Interactive is a new team of former Little Nightmares developers! Little Nightmares, to be absolutely clear, is a phenomenal series that I can’t recommend enough!

We've entered a publishing partnership with @EpicPublishing! Our team is very excited, as they've been tremendous partners in helping bring our creative vision to life.

We appreciate everyone's support along the way, and can't wait to share more soon!#gamedev #UnrealEngine pic.twitter.com/PNlZn1DALY

— Section 9 Interactive (@section9int) November 26, 2024

Maybe I’ll let Epic Games itself speak on the incredible union, though! In a press release, the publishing juggernaut stated the following. “Epic Games will fund the development of and go-to-market expenses on their upcoming, unannounced sci-fi action adventure title.”

“Founded in 2020 and located in Malmö, Sweden. Section 9 Interactive is composed of veteran developers from Little Nightmares, Little Nightmares 2, and LittleBigPlanet PS VITA. Section 9 Interactive’s new, atmospheric sci-fi action game will be made with Unreal Engine 5 and will be released for PC and consoles.”

epic games funds the all-important indie arts

“’Working with the Epic Games Publishing team has been an amazing experience for us,’ says Gustaf Heinerwall, Co-Founder of Section 9 Interactive. ‘Ever since our first meeting with the team at EGP. We felt that this partnership was a perfect fit for our studio. They’ve given us incredible support and the freedom to fully explore our creative vision. Which is all we can ask for in a publisher. We are thankful for this opportunity, and excited for what comes next.’”

“In a publishing partnership with Epic Games, developers own their game’s intellectual property rights, receive funding for development costs, receive go-to-market support, and retain complete creative control of their work. After launch and once costs are recouped, developers will earn at least 50% revenue share.”

With Epic Games funding the studio, my excitement for whatever Section 9 Interactive has cooking has increased tenfold! As independent games grow in ambition, scope, and popularity, it only makes sense to put resources behind them! As I always say: Indie is the future of the games industry. It’s simultaneously an exciting time to be a gamer — and an existentially terrifying one in equal measure! However, with major publishers like Epic Games seeing the value of “smaller titles,” I feel confident that things will lean more “great” than “dire” for the industry!