No More Robots' nine-year journey to releasing its first self-developed IP – "This sounds so naive and stupid, but somehow it's working"

GamesIndustry.biz reports that No More Robots is about to release Cruise Control, the publisher’s first self-developed IP after nine years in business. The project began as a team-based online shooter built with Dan Foster, but that version was shelved after a prospective partner walked away, forcing the five-person team to rethink what it could realistically ship.

Rose says the pivot came from wanting something the studio could make quickly and sell into a PC genre it understands. Cruise Control started as a cruise-ship management game in the vein of Two Point Hospital, then shifted toward a more puzzle-led design inspired by Mini Motorways. For developers, the practical takeaway is clear: scope and market fit can matter more than preserving an expensive prototype.

The business case is unusually strong for No More Robots because it owns the game outright. Rose estimates each sale is worth roughly three to four times a normal publishing deal, which is why he sees the title as a major upside play if it lands. If it succeeds, the company may revisit the shooter in a scaled-back PvE form rather than trying to force a tiny studio into the PvP space.

Rose also frames the company’s survival as a product of staying small, keeping budgets mostly in the five-figure range, and avoiding the expansion trap that hit many teams during the COVID boom. That conservative approach has helped No More Robots weather the downturn, even as Descenders has gone on to pass $35 million in revenue and still accounts for a huge chunk of the label’s business.