French publisher Playdius, responsible for Nintendo Switch titles such as Bury me, my Love and A Normal Lost Phone, has announced it’s changing its name to Dear Villagers.

The rebranding to Dear Villagers comes after the company raised USD2.25 million. Dear Villagers is the publishing arm of Plug In Digital, one of the largest video game distributors.

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Publisher Playdius, whose line-up includes the likes of Bury me, my Love, A Normal Lost Phone, and Edge of Eternity announced a new direction will be rebranding as Dear Villagers from today.

 

Dear Villagers is the publishing branch of Plug In Digital, one of the largest independent video game distributors, that recently raised a successful funding round of €2 million ($2.25 million). This investment will primarily be used to bolster a full new publishing strategy under the Dear Villagers banner.

 

As part the Dear Villagers rebranding, next week the publisher will be announcing the first new titles in its line-up, releasing a major free content update for the JRPG Edge of Eternity, offering promotions on their current line-up and hosting a free weekend for the futuristic parkour game Hover.

 

The new direction of the company focuses on building a strong midcore to hardcore games catalogue for PC and console, ranging from high-quality indie to AA games. “With Playdius we built a very eclectic line-up from mainstream narrative games on mobile to hardcore RPGs on PC and console. We are proud of what we have accomplished but we also think our message wasn’t clear enough” says Guillaume Jamet, Head of Publishing of Dear Villagers. “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.”

 

Through games like the BAFTA nominated Bury Me, My Love, and the award-winning A Normal Lost Phone, its previous incarnation Playdius made a name for itself in the narrative games scene. Playdius also published a mix of PC and console mid-core titles including the JRPG Edge of Eternity, the Viking survival sim Dead in Vinland and the futuristic parkour game Hover.