Dontnod Entertainment, also known as DON’T NOD, is busy! The French indie studio based in Paris and Montréal is the developer behind several popular but unique games, such as Vampyr, Twin Mirror, and Tell Me Why. Though the company was founded in 2008 by experienced staff from well-known companies such as EA, Ubisoft, and Criterion Games, Dontnod hit its stride with Life Is Strange, which was published by Square Enix in 2015. Ever since, the company has made a name for itself as a developer that creates story-rich, narrative-driven games that combine innovative gameplay with emotional depth. It’s an awesome position to be in as creators, and now that Dontnod has moved into publishing as well, there are more games heading our way.
A Tweet by @Nibellion has shared a link to Dontnod Entertainment’s 2022 half-year results where the company has announced it has eight total projects in the works. Now that the company can publish its own games, it can truly march to its own drum and will be self-publishing five new titles. Though the Life Is Strange franchise is now being handled by Deck Nine, there may be some hope that at least one of these new games will be a “spiritual successor” to the popular games.
In addition to these self-published games, Dontnod will be co-producing a game with Focus Interactive. There’s some speculation that this may be a sequel to Vampyr but no official announcement has been made. Finally, two games will just be published by Dontnod while working with developing studios Tolima and Tiny Bull. The company published its first game earlier this year when it released Gerda: A Flame in Winter. The narrative RPG-lite game was developed by PortaPlay, but it had the same heart that DON’T NOD is known for. We’re excited to see what Tolima and Tiny Bull will bring to the table.
Even more great news, we may not have to wait a decade before we see all of these projects. The current project deadlines aim for everything to be released between 2023 and 2025. You can find the original Tweet below.
Dontnod Entertainment was able to begin its publishing arm due to an investment from the Chinese conglomerate Tencent Holdings, Ltd. As one of the largest video game companies in the world, Tencent’s investment is a boost to the highly creative developer and publisher. DON’T NOD’s website clearly lays out the types of games they intend to continue to develop and publish. As a company that refuses to “nod along to everyone else’s tune,” it will continue to create games with meaning by continuing to embrace “the idea of caring about one another” as its gaming philosophy. Keep an eye out for these games if you’re interested in games with heart.
