A new UK-based independent games publisher has launched today, called The CoLab.
Co-founded by Darren Newnham (former United Label CEO), Mark Faulkner (former Jagex director of product), and John Lewis (former Codemasters senior art director), the publisher aims to support indie developers in a collaborative process.
The CoLab has announced three titles at launch, including Team Emprenintes’ story-based sandbox Campfire, Shotgun Anaconda’s top-down cyberpunk shooter DeadWire, and Bjenssen’s strategy game Counter Clash.
The publisher has more titles on its slate to come this year, and in 2026. It also plans to introduce sessions led by developers, with the first of these planned for late 2025.
It has also partnered with games industry mental health charity Safe in Our World as part of its “commitment to ethics, teamwork, and transparency” as a publisher.
“We stand for cooperation and collaboration in an industry that desperately needs it,” said CEO Darren Newnham. “Recent trends, such as mass redundancies driven by ‘greedification’, have underscored the need for paradigm shift.
“Publishers often prioritise shareholder value over the needs of gamers, leading to a cycle of unfinished games released at inflated prices, while developers have faced challenges including cancellations, unpaid work, and even a loss of intellectual property.”
Newnham continued: “Our goal is to make every developer who joins The CoLab an integral part of our collective, fostering a supportive environment that promotes long-term relationships and rewarding returns.”