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Tim Bender, the CEO of Hooded Horse, is issuing a stern warning to independent creators. Despite his role leading the publisher behind major strategy titles like Against the Storm and Manor Lords, Bender believes many indie developers should think twice before signing away their projects to third-party labels.
“I know some might take issue with this,” Bender admitted during a conversation with PC Gamer, “but a significant number of indie publishers are simply not the right partners for developers. The overarching structure of many such companies is, frankly, predatory and opportunistic.”
Bender maintains that Hooded Horse prioritizes the ethical treatment of its partners, but he is far from the only figure voicing concerns about unfavorable industry deals. Last year, Vampire Survivors creator Luca Galante highlighted a similar issue, criticizing publishers that exploit digital platforms for quick financial gain. This frustration inspired him to establish Poncle as a more developer-friendly sanctuary. Similarly, Palworld developer Pocketpair has recently utilized its massive success to create a safer publishing environment for other indie teams.
Bender describes a common pattern among subpar publishers: they sign a large volume of titles, focus their resources exclusively on the breakout hits, and effectively abandon the remaining games while siphoning whatever revenue they can via recoupment clauses. “Beyond that, many of them just aren’t particularly competent,” he notes. “They rarely provide significant value to the project.”
Ultimately, Bender’s advice to indie developers is to conduct rigorous research. “If there’s any doubt, self-publishing is a perfectly viable and often safer option in the current market,” he concludes.
His commitment to creative integrity extends to technology as well. The Hooded Horse CEO has previously taken a hardline stance against generative AI, banning AI-generated assets in their games and labeling the trend “cancerous” to the industry.
