Dontnod moves into third-party publishing

Dontnod has announced that it's moving into third-party publishing.

The Life is Strange developer will be partnering with Danish studio PortaPlay for its first publishing project.

Dontnod describes the partnership as a "co-production," adding that PortaPlay is "developing an original creation, which is in line with the editorial vision and values of Dontnod."

Head of development at PortaPlay Hans von Knut Skovfoged said that the studio feels "called to work on games with meaning," adding that they want to make "games combining solid game mechanics and storytelling -- about individuals in crisis, situations tackling moral dilemmas."

To support this move, Dontnod opened departments dedicated to publishing and marketing last year, the announcement noted.

Xavier Spinat, head of publishing at Dontnod, said: "As a publisher, we want to offer players experiences that are both accessible to the wider audience, while setting the bar high regarding themes and quality of design.

"From our first discussions with PortaPlay, it became clear to us that co-producing and publishing this original creation would allow us to expand our portfolio with a game complementary to our in-house productions, while remaining true to our DNA. We will be able to bring to our partner our know-how and our knowledge of the market, in line with our communities' expectations."

Dontnod CEO Oskar Guilbert told GamesIndustry.biz last November that the studio wanted to be "as independent as possible" going forward. The company's latest game, Twin Mirror, was the first title they self-published, having previously worked in partnership with Square Enix, Focus Home Interactive and Microsoft for previous titles.