We help you in building iconic games
Nocturne invests in indie games in exchange for revenue sharing: the relationship is based on fair terms and a hands-on approach.
We invest in your game through revenue sharing.
We are hands-on investors
We provide you with money, transparent terms, and proactive self-publishing support.
We can invest up to €1.5M in your game in return for equity revenue-sharing.
Nocturne and your studio share game revenue from Day 1: both of us make money as soon as it starts to flow.
The term sheet is one page. Simple, transparent. No traps, no IP rights, no strings.
And we help you self-publish successfully thanks to a smoother production process, effective community-building, and marketing expertise.
You should apply now if…
You have a concept
You have a fantastic idea that requires cash to become a hit. You’re open to self-publishing on steroids.
Your concept is so cool. You feel that you have the next Palworld, in your hands.
But you need more resources - cash, talent, networks, industry guidance - to release a strong hit.
You don’t want to give up studio equity or sign an unfair publishing deal, either of which would sacrifice your independence.
Your game deserves the best deal. That’s what Nocturne was designed to deliver.
What they say about us
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Their funding and advice fired up our project—Nocturne is a game changer for indies!
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Their community-based approach aligns with our goals, offering the clarity and support we've been looking for.
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Eager to collaborate with Nocturne; your vision aligns closely with Embers' foundational goals.
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Why you should bring us on board as investors mentors.
Hire us
It's not just because we're a cool group to work with (even though we are!). It's because we have the experience, knowledge, and references that can really benefit your game.
We’re a seasoned team dedicated to helping you craft and release the next big gaming sensation.
We're backed by specialized Senior Advisors and more than 100 investors. All together, we’re pretty unbeatable.
We’ll work side by side with you through office hours, workshops, and strategic intros.
And yes, we do have some vanity metrics. Combined, we've backed over 200 games, generating $3.2B in revenues.
On average, we invest in a new game every month. Let's talk :)
If anything’s still a bit cloudy, here is a short FAQ.
In theory, a USG is an infinitely replayable game. In the analog world, chess is a USG; in the digital world, Minecraft is a USG. Each time you play, unique things can happen as different situations, strategies and variables are created. Other common “types” of USG are city builders, survival sims, true rogue-likes, physics-based puzzle games…
One handy question is “do vs. did”: Do you play the game, or did you play the game? For a game with a defined beginning, middle and end, you can easily say, “I did play Myst.” For a USG, it’s more likely that you’d say, “I do play [Clash of Clans // …].
From a business perspective, great USG games take up lots of space in their players’ lives. YouTubers will make tons of videos discussing strategy, different builds, alternate approaches, etc. On Twitch, people can stream for hours, the community will participate in a giant wikification bringing together all the info needed to keep enjoying a USG game for weeks, months, even years. USG games tend to offer a unique capability for hooking in a community and driving social engagement.
We believe in fair, clear deal terms. From the very first dollar your game makes, both your studio and Nocturne will make money.
Because our investment is based on revenue sharing, you aren’t giving up any ownership of your studio, IP, tech, or other assets. We don’t include any options for acquisition/ownership in the studio. We don’t ask for first or last matching rights to any sequels, prequels, or spin-offs. We’re investing in your game, period.
As such, the terms grant Nocturne Games perpetual rights to revenue generated by the game we’re funding in return for helping your studio develop and successfully self-publish a great match.
The specific revenue share shifts over time:
- 70/30 split in favor of Nocturne Games until we break even on our investment;
- 50/50 split until Nocturne Games achieves 5x on our investment;
- 30/70 split in favor of your studio from that point onward.
Our team includes a range of gaming gurus with top-level experience in publishing and development. This team is here to ensure that your studio isn’t just left alone in the dark with a pot of cash without knowing how to best go about building momentum towards a strong game launch. Concretely, you can access support in Production, Marketing, Community, Release Management, Business Development, Game Design, Corporate Development, Quality Assurance, Localization, etc.
No. We believe in the ability of our partner studios to own everything when it comes to developing and publishing their game. That way you have complete control over what happens to the game and, with our support, you can deliver success that goes beyond the vast majority of publisher/developer relationships.
First, we’d point out that the key is how Nocturne’s team can help you *successfully* self-publish your game! After all, hitting publish on Steam is one thing; it’s a whole other thing to cut through the noise and generate the momentum that creates a hit game.
But the general answer is: We’ll do everything we can to ensure that as you move through the development process, you’re also doing the community-building work that will give you the best chances of releasing a hit. We believe the best results come when your studio owns its community: getting gamers excited about the coming release, gathering feedback on artwork and story lore, maximizing pre-sales to get the algorithms to notice you, etc.
The form that assistance takes will depend on your studio. If you have a community manager, Nocturne can serve as a sounding board for ideas and strategies; if you need more hands-on help, our marketing and comms experts can set up more regular meetings. It all depends on what you need and where our expertise can best benefit your game.
Also, note that we have a vast network that can assist with other topics that are important for successful self-publishing: QA, localization, platform assistance, and so on. The best way for our partner studios to find out if we can help with a particular issue is to ask!