YouTuber videogamedunkey launches his own independent publishing company Bigmode
videogamedunkey, one of the most popular gaming YouTubers, has announced its own indie game publishing company.
The company, called Bigmode, was created by Jason Gastrow (better known as donkey) and his girlfriend Leah.
Gastrow is known for his running gags, deadpan delivery, and quirky humor, while also being able to produce excellent gaming and industry videos.
Gastrow has been outspoken in his love for indie games in particular, and in his announcement video for Bigmode cites this as the main reason for founding the company.
“I’ve always sought out the best indie games and tried to do them justice,” Gastrow said, adding that the Bigmode team has “put a lot of effort into creating the most developer-friendly deals possible. “. Gastrow concluded his video by encouraging developers to apply through Bigmode’s website, whether their project is a pitch or a finished product.
Some said they looked forward to seeing the games that will be published by Bigmode, trusting Gastrow’s curation. For some developers, this fact raises some skepticism about the company’s intentions and potential actions in the future.
Gastrow described Bigmode as a “smooth continuation of my channel”, suspicious of what exactly that means.
Unless there’s a ton of money and real experience behind the scenes, it seems like the only draw here is being featured on his channel. I’m not surprised to see a lot of insulted devs venting here today
—Andy Robinson (@AndyPlaytonic) September 22, 2022
so if I understand correctly, the main reason to post with him is to be featured on his channel? like you can talk about your sense of professional responsibility, but you just got into the realm of “sometimes i will promote games in which i have a financial interest, but trust me”
— Mixolumia ? on Switch now! ✨ (@davemakes) September 22, 2022
Others wondered if Gastrow had the skills to work in game development. The credentials used by Gastrow to promote Bigmode consisted of his time as a critic on YouTube:
“These days, I feel like I play almost every game that comes out… I play so many games that my first name is ‘video game’, okay? I understand what kind of ideas always work, what ideas never work, what kind of ideas are fresh or need to come back and what is extremely played.”
The statement has caused frustration among those with experience delivering a game, as it involves more than just curating the game.
Hey man I respect Dunkey for trying to start a publishing business and I wish him and his partner the best but for the love of you guys it’s 2022 – we gotta drop the naive shtick that having opinions about games is a qualification to understand just about anything about game development.
— danny odwyer (@dannyodwyer) September 22, 2022
If what a publisher has proven is money and a YouTube channel, imagine the worst case scenario for your business considerations: they might screw it all up and so the game might never ship or might not ship properly supported. So you have to compensate for the risk from the start: ask for more money.
— Rami Ismail (رامي) (@tha_rami) September 22, 2022
Other developers wish Gastrow and his team well, acknowledging that the process of shipping a game can only be truly learned by actually shipping a game.
I honestly think Dunkey has a good eye for fun design, and if he wants to give money to independent developers, why not? Sure, they might encounter some harsh realities of game making, but like…that’s how you learn.
— Noel Berry (@NoelFB) September 22, 2022
Mike Rose, a former reviewer on various sites including Kotaku and Gamasutra and now editor-in-chief No More Robots, revealed he was contacted by three “huge” different YouTubers looking for advice on starting their own video companies. ‘editing, which means we may see more internet personalities launch editors soon.
Three huge different YouTubers (not Dunkey) have been asking me for calls over the past 18 months, saying they’re starting their own editor, and could they get some advice
so pretty sure we’re about to see an influx of “I could do that” YouTubers having a pop at the edit
— Mike Rose (@RaveofRavendale) September 22, 2022