Private Division: PS5 And Xbox Series X/S Transition 'Less Painful' As Publisher Inks Four New Deals

ign.com:

Private Division announced four new publishing partnerships today, adding to a group of developers that includes the studios behind Kerbal Space Program and OlliOlli World.

They include Yellow Brick Games, the Quebec-based studio founded in part by Mike Laidlaw, who is best-known for his work on the Dragon Age series. Private Division also signed agreements with Piccolo Studio, the Barcelona-based outfit behind Arise; Evening Star, which is working on a "fully original 3D action platformer," and Die Gute Fabrik, which most recently produced Mutazione.

The new agreements mark Private Division's steady evolution from an indie publisher into what it hopes will be something of a prestige label. According to Vice President of Marketing Tom Bass, Private Division is motivated to work with "some of the greatest creative talent in the industry."

Evening Star is emblematic of the studios that Private Division is seeking to work with in 2022. The studio is a darling among retro fans, having been founded by several key members of the Sonic Mania development team, including Australian programmer Christian Whitehead. The studio is using a more powerful version of Whitehead's pixel art game engine, which Sonic Mania helped make famous.

Meanwhile, Bass says that Private Division was drawn to Yellow Brick Games because "we really wanted another RPG," calling it a gap that needed to be addressed. Yellow Brick Games is currently working on an action RPG in a fantasy setting with an emphasis on "emergent systems" that will help it create a "rich, interactive world."

As for Piccolo Studio, it drew Private Division's attention because of the strong word-of-mouth afforded Arise: A Simple Story, "an emotional journey of losing the love of one's