Berlin-based creative agency, Instinct3, has launched Sidekick Publishing, a new full-service publisher for indie and AA studios.
Helmed by Instinct3 CEO, Jasmin Oestreicher, and product lead for publishing, Melvin Frank, Sidekick Publishing aims to “fill a gap in the competitive publishing landscape,” by leveraging Instinct3’s experience in “community-building, creator-driven marketing, and authentic storytelling.”
The new publisher’s first confirmed game is Pixelsplit’s zombie roguelike, Deadly Days: Roadtrip, which will be showcased at Gamescom 2025 before being released later this year.
Instinct3, which has published titles such as 9 Kings and TerrScape, was already confirmed to publish the game, but it seems Sidekick Publishing will take over that role.
“Over the past year, we’ve worked on a variety of releases – each one teaching us
something new about what works, what connects, and what lasts for our concept,” said Melvin Frank, now co-CEO and co-founder of Sidekick Publishing.
“Sidekick is our way of taking all those lessons, combining them with our unique creator and community expertise, and raising the bar for how we support indie developers. The goals are simple: focus on games that resonate well with our approach and make every next launch our best one yet.”
Sidekick Publishing is among several new publishers launched this year, with other new additions including Lyrical Games ,Six One Indie Publishing ,The CoLab, and even a resurrected Artex.