Playdius re-brands as Dear Villagers

As it prepares to reveal a host of new titles, French indie publisher Playdius announced today it has re-branded as as Dear Villagers.

The publisher is best-known for its BAFTA-nominated game Bury me, my Love, along with a Normal Lost Phone, and JRPG Edge of Eternity,.

Dear Villagers is the publishing arm of indie game distributor Plug In Digital, which recently raised €2 million investment from asset management company Inter Invest Capital.

The funds have been used to help update Playdius and establish a new publishing strategy under the Dear Villagers brand.

This will see the publisher expanding its scope, building a catalogue of mid to hardcore games for PC and console.

"With Playdius we built a very eclectic lineup from mainstream narrative games on mobile to hardcore RPGs on PC and console," said head of publishing Guillaume Jamet. "We are proud of what we have accomplished but we also think our message wasn't clear enough.

"As our company grows, we decided to roll out a new ambitious publishing strategy based on a strong new brand, that clearly identifies as a provider of mid to hardcore games on PC and console.

"Dear Villagers is a warm hearted invitation to join us in the little unusual neighbourhood we are building within the gaming industry, a place where talented studios can unleash their creativity and where players enjoy distinctive and audacious games."

Next week the publisher will be announcing its first wave of new titles which will be playable at GDC.