Devolver Digital co-founder starts DeepWell to publish games with therapeutic value

DeepWell Digital Therapeutics is a new developer and publisher formed by Devolver Digital co-founder Mike Wilson and Nextern former CEO Ryan Douglas. The company will focus on creating and delivering therapeutic video games.

The newly formed studio wants the world to recognize games as “powerful medicine” by creating gameplay that can not only entertain players but also benefit people and help them cope with different health conditions.

“DeepWell is bringing entertainment and medical science together to build upon the proven fact that video games can be good for you, and, thanks to global digital distribution, they’re an important tool to make treatment affordable and accessible,” Wilson said. “Moreover, with games that are legitimately fun, patients and players will seek out their positive benefits again and again.”

On top of that, DeepWell will share its research-driven technologies to help other developers unleash their games’ “innate therapeutic value.” More than 40 game designers, medical researchers, scientists, and creators have already joined the company.

DeepWell’s advisory board includes well-known industry experts like American McGee, Zoe Flower, Rami Ismail, Lorne Lanning, and Tom Hall.

The company hasn’t announced any games yet, but the first titles are expected to come out in 2023.