Dunkey announces Bigmode Games publishing company

The publishing company is also a place where developers can network, uploading portfolios and connecting with others.

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The man behind your favorite funny video game reviews has announced Bigmode Games, a new publishing and networking company for developers. No longer will Dunkey be sitting on the sidelines reviewing games, he’ll be in the thick of it, helping developers deliver their vision.

What other way would Dunkey chose to announce a major development than with a YouTube video? On September 21, 2022, such a thing occurred. The video, which you can see above, has garnered a lot of attention as viewers chime in with their support.

“Bigmode will be all about building up the games and the developers,” Dunkey says in his announcement video. “We’ve put a lot of effort into making the most developer-friendly contracts possible.” Dunkey goes on to state that his videos tend to focus on the indie games, the gems out there that stand out to him. With Bigmode Games, Dunkey wants to “help good games succeed”.

Developers can go to the publishing arm of the Bigmode site and apply. For developers that are looking for a home, Bigmode offers a networking option, allowing creators to upload a portfolio and connect with like-minded individuals.

What an exciting and out-of-left-field announcement. Dunkey has always been a staple in many gamers’ lives as they eagerly await his latest reviews and now we get to see him pay it forward. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date on what games wind up under Bigmode publishing.

Head of Guides

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as Head of Guides. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler 

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    September 21, 2022 6:50 PM

    Sam Chandler posted a new article, Dunkey announces Bigmode Games publishing company

    • reply
      September 21, 2022 5:28 PM

      Dunkey starts his own game publishing company:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEt27Jgp8gs

      • reply
        September 21, 2022 5:30 PM

        Not a joke !?!
        https://bigmode.com/

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 5:56 AM

          Please note: We are not accepting any games that use NFTs, crypto or blockchain.

          Sounds pretty serious to me!

      • reply
        September 21, 2022 8:42 PM

        I watched the full thing and clicked on the website and I still don't know if it's legit or not

      • reply
        September 21, 2022 8:46 PM

        Being a youtube video content creator is so lucrative that one can become a publisher??

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 8:35 AM

          Every video dunkey posts gets millions of views and he's been doing it for over a decade. Yes, being a successful content creator gets you good money.

      • reply
        September 22, 2022 3:40 AM

        i kept waiting for a punchline too.

        on one hand good for him, if he has money might as well give it to developers he believes in.

        on the other hand, "good taste" is about 4% of a publisher's job

      • reply
        September 22, 2022 4:30 AM

        Doesn’t this introduce a huge conflict of interest with his future videos ?

        And if the reasoning’s in his video are supposed to be a joke, it comes across badly and unprofessionally.

        Best of luck to him but I’m very curious if he understands the real work a publisher needs to do to be successful.

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 5:37 AM

          I don't think this sounds like physical publishing, which simplifies a lot. He wants to help titles that were already on track to go self-published digital (as through Steam) to help them in the mid-stages of development to tighten their game, and then provide the bullhorn to help their game get noticed as it nears release. Possible help in terms of single-digit-thousands of dollars in financial support if needed or in terms of publishing fees, etc.

          I am sure that if he talks about said game on his channel he would mark it to be demonetized to avoid the COI.

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 5:57 AM

          If it’s anything like the same concerns of conflicts of interest when Penny Arcade got into game development (while making fun of game developers) it’ll basically be a big nothingburger.

        • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          September 22, 2022 9:05 AM

          Dunkey is not a journalist.

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 9:24 AM

          Nah he’s not a professional game reviewer he’s just a YouTuber

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 12:36 PM

          Dunkey's got a huge audience, so any indie gamer with good ideas would get a huge marketing boost by association with Bigmode. If Dunkey's team picks interesting game ideas and helps make them happen, then the number of good games increases - or obscure-but-brilliant games get more notice.

      • reply
        September 22, 2022 5:34 AM

        [deleted]

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 5:37 AM

          It is a bit exaggerated from his normal voice, but not far from it. Everyone thought he was black until we found out he's Caucasian.

      • reply
        September 22, 2022 6:14 AM

        dunkey figured it out, just publish the good games, why haven't other publishers realized this easy trick

      • reply
        September 22, 2022 7:55 AM

        Have any game critics successfully done this? Seems like a movie critic thinking they can make the best movie. I'm skeptical.

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 8:05 AM

          Not really the same deal, but Greg Kasavin from Gamespot pivoted well into game development. I feel like a lot of people who work for video game publications end up going into some sort of writing or creative position in game development. But youtubers who ambiguously present their video game opinions as serious or jokes, depending on whichever lands better? I don't think quite so much...

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 8:30 AM

          [deleted]

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 8:46 AM

          Tommy Tallarico did the opposite - he worked on games, and then later co-hosted a show where he reviewed them.
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Tallarico

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 10:41 AM

          a ton? it used to be kind of a problem actually, game jounos used to use that job as a springboard into an industry position. i think like half the journos that used to do 1up podcasts ended up with industry jobs, some of them quite successful/influential.

      • reply
        September 22, 2022 10:32 AM

        Saw a lot of threads last night saying something to the effect of "Dunkey about to learn a lot of hard lessons"

        • reply
          September 22, 2022 12:51 PM

          it's a fair point, but it's true for many people in many situations, and also very much not a reason to avoid trying your hand at stuff

      • reply
        September 22, 2022 10:34 AM

        Cool, best of luck.

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