Pathfinder, a new tool for publishers, is designed to assist developers in identifying potential publishing partners and investors

Industry expert Alyssa Kollgaard has developed a tool named Publisher Pathfinder, designed to help game developers find suitable publishers and investors tailored to their specific project requirements.

This interactive tool resembles a classic text adventure game, prompting developers to answer questions regarding their game's platforms, content, and funding requirements. Upon completion, Publisher Pathfinder generates a tailored list of potential publishing partners, investors, and service providers, chosen from an extensive database of nearly 800 companies.

Currently serving as the COO of Akupara Games, Kollgaard has a background in managing The Indie Houses, a coalition of publishers including Raw Fury and Fellow Traveller. Reflecting on this experience, she remarked to GamesIndustry.biz on the camaraderie and resource sharing within the collective. Inspired by a casual comment to create a "sorting hat" style website for the group, she opted to broaden the concept to include all publishers in the industry while steering clear of any Harry Potter affiliations, aiming to make it a practical community resource.

Creating Publisher Pathfinder involved extensive efforts in assembling and verifying publisher data. Kollgaard began by merging three key databases: Alan's Gamedev Resources Sheet, Seyed's Publisher & Investor Database, and IndieGameBusiness. Although these sources listed many publishers and included significant validated information, Kollgaard incorporated additional criteria and services, and identified venture capitalists and investors through her connections with senior leaders in the games sector.

"Compiling the details took me about 100 hours across five months, using only publicly accessible and authenticated data from official sources," noted Kollgaard, acknowledging the challenging process.

Kollgaard anticipates that Publisher Pathfinder will become a crucial asset for developers in navigating the complexities of game funding and publishing. She emphasized the need for transparency and strategic planning in the publishing sector, describing her intent to create a resource that offers clarity alongside an engaging and navigable interface.

The Publisher Pathfinder platform is accompanied by a Discord community, and maintains a presence on Bluesky and X.