When it comes to publishing pillars in the indie game field, you always hear the usual suspects. Annapurna. Devolver Digital. tinyBuild. Raw Fury. Puppet Combo. So, do you know which publisher/developer combo deserves its flowers? Team17! Yes, the Worms folks. No, that’s not all they’re good at (but they are really good at Worms, it’s true). In the Steam Next Fest chaos, one game singled itself out to me as if I were sitting at a bar and it invited itself to buy me a drink. Rockbeasts. An upcoming indie story-based rock band management RPG. Which is also the coolest goddamn premise I’ve ever heard.

“A dark comedy story featuring the legendary Iggy Pop, crafted by the writer of Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Blood of Dawnwalker. Rockbeasts is a role-playing management game that puts you in the shoes of a manager in the age of MTV, rock anthems, and bad haircuts.” That? We in the business call that a “perfect elevator pitch.” This is distilled indie goodness. Rockbeasts, I’m ready for you to rock (haha) my world! You can also wishlist the game here (which helps give it some needed visibility — ideal indie support)!

“The road to success is a tricky one, and being a manager is a complex task. Will you help your band become rock rebels or sellouts? The choice is not always easy. ROCKBEASTS is set in the 90s United States, a time of grunge rock, raging capitalism, and music television.” …Wait. We don’t currently live in an age of raging capital–

‘rockbeasts is the indie star we need and deserve, and team17 and developer Lichthund are leading the charge

Seriously, though, when did Team17 become indie gods? Let me explain. From last year to right now, here’s a small sampling of the indie games Team17 has represented as a publisher.

• Date Everything! (Not my first Team17 love, but certainly the one who has my heart at the moment!)
• Sworn (An undeniable winner of an action roguelike.)
• Headbangers: Rhythm Royale (I’ll never forgive the gaming masses for sleeping on this indie banger.)

And so many more hits! They’ve been publishing games for quite some time, but in recent years? The overall quality of the games they represent has only gotten better! Rockbeasts is an insta-Day One deal for me, by the way. Matter of fact, here, educate yourself. Scroll through Team17’s work, and I dare you to find an indie game in the roster you don’t love!