Evil Landfall: Landfall Games Offers $1M Funding for Indie Devs

The studio that brought us chaotic hits like Content Warning, Haste, and the massive co-op game Peak is ready to share the wealth. Swedish developer Landfall Games has officially pulled the curtain back on "Evil Landfall," a new publishing label dedicated to financing independent games. Unveiled during their recent Landfall Day showcase, the offshoot is offering up to $1 million USD to a few games a year, with a massive perk: developers get to keep full ownership of their intellectual property.

While the public announcement is fresh, Evil Landfall isn't exactly new. Operating out of Stockholm, the seven-person team led by CEO Kirsten-Lee Naidoo has actually been functioning as a separate business entity for about three years. They spent that time quietly working behind the scenes to publish Landfall’s own titles, including Peak. Now, they are ready to partner up with external teams. Naidoo recently told GamesIndustry.biz that they just want to do more cool stuff with more cool developers, noting that they are no longer limited to just their own company and can work with anybody they want to.

If you are building a massive, sprawling narrative epic, Evil Landfall probably isn't the right fit. The publisher is sticking closely to what it knows best: silly, physics-driven multiplayer games with strong social hooks. They want developers who can find the fun quickly, favoring fast prototypes and short development cycles over years of secretive building. Naidoo advises that if a core mechanic isn't clicking within a few months, it might not be worth sinking years of development time into it. Oh, and like other major indie publishers right now, they are explicitly steering clear of AI-generated pitches.

A Hands-Off Approach to Project Funding

The main goal right now is keeping the business side simple while the company scales up. Because of this, Evil Landfall is primarily offering project-based investments and light industry advice with a very hands-off approach. Naidoo explained that if a developer wants to self-publish their game but just needs funding and guidance, they should talk to Evil Landfall. Full publishing deals are rare, though she mentioned they might make an exception and open those doors if a project totally blows them away.

They have actually been testing these waters quietly for a while. The label has already built up a diverse portfolio, backing titles like REPO and the upcoming 2026 cooperative simulator How To Fish. They even took an equity stake in Semiwork, the studio behind the game Voidigo.

This big funding push from Evil Landfall comes at a perfect time, as the indie gaming scene is in the middle of a massive boom. Global sales for indie games hit $4.8B in 2025 and are projected to grow at a 14.6% rate, eventually reaching $14B by 2032, as per Growth HQ. 

We are seeing a refreshing trend of successful indie studios paying it forward to ease the financial pressure on small teams. Evil Landfall's move feels very similar to Innersloth launching its "Outersloth" label—which also famously rejected every single generative AI pitch it received—while broader initiatives like Blue Ocean's $30M fund continue to help keep the indie ecosystem thriving.