"There is no easy answer anymore, there's no kind of playbook" – Secret Mode is hedging its bets with two very different pillars

GamesIndustry.biz says Secret Mode is carving out a two-pillar publishing strategy after splitting from Sumo Digital and Tencent-backed ownership last year. Chief publishing officer James Schall says the company has seen “phenomenal growth” and hit its 2030 business-plan targets within months, helped by Emona Capital and a relatively smooth separation.

The first pillar is traditional indie publishing; the second is a higher-budget, long-tail model built around games that already have traction. Star Wars: Galactic Racer, due October 6, is the clearest example, with Secret Mode backing Fuse Games and treating the project as a major bet. The publisher is also supporting Escape the Backrooms and Chained Together, both of which continue to sell steadily and justify ongoing content work.

That support now includes external development partners and an internal studio in Sheffield, which will help produce new content for live communities. Schall frames this as “caretaker development”: stepping in when original teams want to move on, while preserving and extending games that still have an audience. It’s a practical response to a market where even strong games can struggle to break through at launch.

The broader takeaway is that Secret Mode sees the old launch-and-forget playbook as obsolete. Schall argues discoverability is increasingly algorithm-driven and unpredictable, so publishers need to create their own momentum through smart funding, community support, and post-launch iteration. For developers, that points to more opportunities to revive stalled projects or extend...