Highlights
- Goldpact Goblins, launched by ex-Neon Doctrine founders, charges upfront fees for marketing and community management instead of taking revenue shares from developers
- The Singapore-based firm targets developers in Southeast Asia, China, India, and South America, arguing traditional 30-40% publisher revenue splits leave studios with inadequate income even after success
- The company signed six projects within its first month and has shown particular interest in India, signing local developer Wala Interactive's Spook-A-Boo
A new game industry services firm is betting that developers in emerging markets will pay for marketing and community management rather than surrender revenue shares to publishers.
Goldpact Goblins, launched January 1 by Vladislav Tsopljak and Iain Garner after they exited indie publisher Neon Doctrine, charges developers for services instead of taking percentages of game sales. The Singapore-based company says traditional publishing deals leave studios in Southeast Asia, China, India, and South America with insufficient income despite commercial success.
"We've seen it happen many times where a developer finds success but isn't the next big thing," said Tsopljak, the firm's CEO. "Due to industry-standard revenue splits, aggressive recoup models, and passive investors, the devs see income months later and are a sadly small slice of the pie, often enough to shut down a promising studio."
Standard publishing agreements typically give publishers 30-40% of revenue, with developers receiving payments only after marketing and development costs are recouped, a process that can take months or years.
Fee-Based Services Target Regional Pricing Gaps
Goldpact Goblins provides community management, marketing, social media, business development, QA, branding, and strategy services at what it calls "regionally priced" rates. The company maintains a dedicated team in mainland China for Simplified Chinese localization and marketing.
The firm has reached capacity for full-service projects within a month, signing six games: Lost Castle 2, TCG Card Shop Simulator, Grim Trials, Spook-A-Boo, Just A Shadow Game, and Deadly Rehearsal. They are currently available for short-term consulting work, but will be open for full support contracts starting after July 2026.
Gordon Van Dyke, former EA vice president and Battlefield executive producer, is also joining the team at Goldpact Goblins as a strategy advisor.
The business model represents a test of whether developers in cost-conscious markets will choose upfront service fees over deferred revenue shares. Tsopljak said the approach aims to help regional industries "grow and thrive and allows developers to keep their gold in their pockets after launch."
Goldpact Goblins has pursued the Indian market specifically, signing local developer Wala Interactive's Spook-A-Boo and attending regional industry events.
The launch comes as indie developers face rising costs and discoverability problems on Steam. Whether fee-based services can compete with publishers offering marketing budgets and distribution networks remains unclear.
