Sumo Group sells publishing business Secret Mode for undisclosed sum

Sumo Group has sold its publishing business, Secret Mode, for an unknown sum to Emona Capital and Secret Mode's current leadership, Ed Blincoe and James Schall.

Whilst Emona Capital, a financial investor with "deep expertise in the gaming industry," already has a portfolio that includes Relic Entertainment and Amber Studio, Secret Mode marks its first investment in game publishing.

Secret Mode will reportedly continue to operate as an independent publisher, focused on supporting indie PC and console games. Secret Mode’s current leadership, Blincoe and Schall, "has the full backing of Emona and will remain at the helm, leading the company as it enters its next phase."

"Secret Mode is deeply passionate about the creativity and innovation within the indie space, and so we are thrilled to be partnering with Emona Capital and to fully focus on the independent publishing scene," Blincoe said.

"I also want to express our gratitude to Sumo not only for believing in Secret Mode’s original vision and overseeing our startup years, but for granting us this opportunity to become a fully independent entity."

Schall added: "By becoming independent, we can now put all our efforts into uncovering the indie gems that gamers never knew they needed in their lives. We are committed to bringing our players the very best indie titles; not just of the future, but also by helping them discover existing indie masterpieces that have undeservedly flown under the radar in years gone by. We are working hard to empower independent developers across the globe, and hope to make some exciting announcements on this front in the coming months."

Sumo Group launched its publishing division Secret Mode back in 2021 to handle internally developed games, plus projects from other independent studios. However, last month, Sumo Group announced it would be refocusing its business to cater "exclusively on development services for partners", resulting in a restructure and potential layoffs.