Midwest Games Announces New Support Model, Shadow Publishing

Green Bay, WI (January 27, 2025) – Midwest Games—an industry veteran-led publisher whose mission is to support and showcase abundant talent across the Midwest of the United States and other underrepresented regions—is proud to introduce a new service support model, shadow publishing.

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Extending the publisher’s expertise into a services model addresses a critical gap in the games market that’s currently underserved. More games entering the market and fewer traditional publishing deals available leaves studios with the daunting task of self-publishing. Midwest Games will offer both à la carte and full-service support on a work-for-hire basis, allowing developers to retain future revenue and IP rights.
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Midwest Games shadow publishing offers services before, during, and after launch for PC and console games of all genres. The company touts its location as an advantage in pricing to keep publishing support accessible and allow more funds to go directly into each game. Services will cover the full needs of bringing a game to market, including Business & Publishing Strategy, Platform Management, Marketing and PR, and Developer Services.
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As part of this new initiative, Midwest Games proudly welcomes games industry veteran Elizabeth Howard as Chief Advisor - Services. Howard, who most recently served as Vice President of Production at Bungie, brings 20 years of experience in business development, publishing, production, and portfolio management. She will lead the team in delivering tailored publishing solutions that empower game developers and bring incredible experiences to players. Under CEO & Founder Ben Kvalo, Howard joins the current leadership of Jennifer Corbett, CMO, and Chris Klimecky, CPO.

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“The games market has evolved. To succeed, games need to hit all facets of publishing throughout the entire development lifecycle, yet many studios lack the resources,” Howard stated. “While flexible models exist for development, that same flexibility has been missing in publishing—until recently. Midwest Games shadow publishing provides a scalable solution that integrates strategy and execution so studios can focus on making great games.”

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Midwest Games’ Shadow Publishing presents a few key differentiators:

• Comprehensive Services: This is one of the first full-service offerings worldwide that aligns strategy, production, and marketing in one vendor for those who want to enlist a full suite of capabilities.
• Flexibility: Unlike traditional publishing partnerships, this model provides the studio with options in scaled support, pricing, and service timelines.
• Retained Ownership: Game owners retain their IP and full revenue while having full say over publishing decisions.

CEO Ben Kvalo shares, “By empowering partners with the right knowledge and resources, Midwest Games can help studios navigate a competitive and fragmented publishing landscape while retaining the value of their game and years of hard work for the long term. We’re incredibly excited to bring Elizabeth’s leadership in publishing and developer services to spearhead the initiative to support more games.”

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A full press kit with all info and images is available here: https://uberstrategist.link/Midwest-Games-Press-Kit.

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