New mobile publisher ChargeUp Games looks to shake up the "broken model"

A new mobile publisher has launched today with the aim "bypassing the exploitative business practices common from many mobile publishers."

Pitched as a "new breed of mobile publisher," ChargeUp is the result of a partnership between business development consultancy firm Mobile Games Partners, and talent agency Digital Development Management.

The mobile segment continues to dominate the games industry, with global revenues of $70 billion and 25% year-on-year growth.

Despite this, ChargeUp claims that more developers are going out of business, and that "external publishing deals are predatory."

ChargeUp states that "fairness and transparency" are core principles to the company, which is a hybrid between self-publishing and full-service publishing. In addition, developers will retain complete control of their game.

The publisher also claims to differentiate itself from others in the space with a "quality over quantity" approach, working with only a small number of clients.

"Too often mobile publishers have preyed on developers," said ChargeUp in a statement. "ChargeUp Games aims to shake up the business model and create a fair deal between developer and publisher.

"Today, a mobile publisher may take 40 or 50% of a game's profits plus long-term rights into the IP and the franchise, even though the developer has funded the entire project and the publisher doesn't guarantee anything.

"ChargeUp Games is cutting through that broken model and working with fair terms on a limited number of titles. Others may throw dozens of games against the wall to see what sticks; ChargeUp works as a partner with the developer to improve the game day after day."