Sidekick Publishing

What Sidekick Publishing does

Sidekick Publishing is a Berlin-based, full-service indie game publisher incorporated as sidekick publishing gmbh. Founded in 2025 and spun out of creative agency INSTINCT3, the company targets independent game developers seeking publishing support that integrates community engagement, influencer collaborations, and creative marketing campaigns from the early stages of game development. The publisher's stated go-to-market combines a community-led motion with marketplace distribution via Steam, where it reaches a global audience of gamers.

Sidekick's portfolio currently consists of nine published video game titles distributed on Steam, spanning multiple genres including strategy (TerraScape, 9 Kings), survivor (Asgard's Fall: Viking Survivors, Deadly Days: Roadtrip), dungeon crawler (Die in the Dungeon), card/board (Gambonanza), loot (Megaloot, Dwarves Glory: Death and Loot), and adventure (Wanderburg). The publisher does not develop games itself; rather, it provides publishing services layered on top of indie-developed titles. There is no disclosed proprietary technology stack, AI/ML capability, or SDK — the core "technology" is the publisher's distribution access via Steam and its social channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Bluesky) used for community engagement.

The company generates revenue by taking a share of sales from the indie games it publishes on Steam, structured as one-time license / revenue-share economics per title. Pricing and rev-share terms are determined per game and are not publicly disclosed. The firm is privately held, employs 1–10 people, has no disclosed funding rounds, and is led by co-CEOs and co-founders Melvin Frank and Jasmin Oestreicher. Sidekick's geographic footprint is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with global distribution reach through Steam's international storefront.

Name

Sidekick Publishing

Legal name

sidekick publishing gmbh

Website

https://sidekickpublishing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indie Game Publishing

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

akta.pro primary industry

Indie Publishing & Label Services (Funding, Marketing, Release Management) (MPAFABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing) (MPAFABAA)

Keywords

• Indie game publishing
• Game distribution services
• Community-driven publishing
• Influencer game marketing
• Steam publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Game Publishing Revenue: As a full-service game publisher, Sidekick Publishing generates revenue by publishing indie games and taking a share of sales through their Steam marketplace presence.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sidekick Publishing is a creator- and community-driven full-service indie game publisher. It brings unique indie video game titles to market through Steam, providing publishing expertise, community engagement, influencer collaborations, and tailored go-to-market creative campaigns. The company was born out of creative agency INSTINCT3 and operates from Berlin, Germany, with a portfolio of nine published indie titles across strategy, survivor, dungeon, card/board, loot, and adventure genres.

Product overview

Sidekick Publishing is a creator and community-driven full-service indie game publisher based in Germany (Berlin). The company offers a portfolio of nine distinct video game titles published through Steam, including strategy games like TerraScape, survivor games like Asgard's Fall: Viking Survivors and Deadly Days: Roadtrip, dungeon games like Die in the Dungeon, card/board games like 9 Kings and Gambonanza, loot games like Megaloot and Dwarves Glory: Death and Loot, and adventure games like Wanderburg. The publisher focuses on bringing unique indie titles to market with tailored strategies integrating community engagement, influencer collaborations, and creative marketing campaigns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wanderburg

Segments1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• INSTINCT3coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINSTINCT3 is the creative agency out of which Sidekick Publishing was born. The publisher draws on deep roots in gaming culture, community building, and influencer marketing from this parent creative agency.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• tinyBuild: Indie game publisher and developer with a broad catalog on Steam and consoles, known for supporting smaller developers with marketing and community support — comparable in indie publishing services and Steam-led distribution.
• Fellow Traveller: Australia-based indie publisher specializing in narrative and creatively distinctive titles, distributing primarily on Steam and consoles — directly comparable in curated indie publishing with a creator-friendly approach.
• Annapurna Interactive: Award-winning indie game publisher with a curated portfolio of distinctive, artistically driven titles across PC and console — directly comparable in serving indie developers with full-service publishing and creative-led marketing.
• Team17: Long-established UK-based indie game publisher and developer with a broad catalog across Steam and console platforms — comparable full-service publishing model, though at significantly larger scale than Sidekick.
• Raw Fury: Stockholm-based indie game publisher focused on unique, artistically-driven PC and console titles with strong community engagement — closely aligned with Sidekick's creator-first, community-led positioning and Steam-centric distribution.
• Armor Games Studios: Publishing arm of long-running indie portal Armor Games, signing and releasing indie titles on Steam and other platforms — comparable in indie-publishing focus and PC-centric distribution.
• Humble Games: Indie game publishing arm of Humble Bundle, distributing a portfolio of titles primarily on Steam and consoles with an emphasis on creator partnerships — comparable in indie-focused publishing and Steam-centric reach.
• Devolver Digital: Publicly listed indie game publisher known for a curated portfolio of unique, creator-driven PC and console titles — directly comparable to Sidekick's indie publishing, community-led marketing, and Steam-heavy distribution model.

Emerging players

• Neon Doctrine: Taiwan-based indie publisher focused on unique and diverse titles, with growing Steam presence — comparable as an emerging indie publisher with a creator-friendly, community-engaged model, though at smaller scale than the direct peers.
• Yogscast Games: Publisher backed by the Yogscast creator network, focusing on indie titles with strong influencer-driven marketing on Steam — overlapping with Sidekick's community-led, influencer-collaboration GTM motion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SidekickSpandau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sidekick-publishing
• Instagraminstagram.com/sidekickspandau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sidekick Publishing