"We've surpassed the milestone of 50 released titles," Anton Vinogradov from Samustai on the results of 2025

We continue to review the results of 2025 with gaming teams. Up next is an interview with Anton Vinogradov, co-founder of the game porting and publishing studio Samustai.

What kind of year was 2025 for your business? What achievements stand out? What lessons have you learned?

Anton Vinogradov, Samustai: The year was legendary in every aspect. In total, over our operating time, we surpassed the milestone of releasing 50 titles, mainly for PlayStation 4-5, Xbox One-Series, and Nintendo Switch. We recently announced Ultimate General: Civil War. This will certainly not be the last RTS for consoles from us. We are excited to be part of this major return of the genre to the console market. We see the demand and sincerely hope to meet it.

How has the situation on the gaming market changed for publishing from your perspective?

Anton: The number of projects per year has decreased for AA and AAA publishers, but a very large number of small and very successful indie publishers have emerged, and some previously established publishers released their hits in 2025. I believe this trend will continue, and the number of small and medium publishers will grow.

Have the practices for working with developers changed? Has it become easier or more challenging to work with them? Perhaps they have changed overall in some way?

Anton: Developers have become much clearer about what they want from their project, and many have a vision of what marketing for their upcoming game should be like. I attribute this to the fact that people with experience in large companies are moving into development.

What kind of year was it for the niche in which you usually release games?

Anton: In 2025, we focused on developing ports for our RTS games, which will be released next year, so we released slightly fewer projects than in 2024. The number of porting orders slightly decreased due to budget cuts at large companies, but this is offset by the increased demand among indie publishers who are just discovering the console market.

What conclusions and lessons from 2025 would you highlight for developers preparing for a release?

Anton: Our lesson is always the same—always release your game on all possible platforms.

Which trends in your niche do you expect to strengthen or emerge in 2025?

Anton: The number of indie projects in the market grows every year. I notice a shift from AA and AAA to smaller projects. I think it's no secret that Expedition 33 is just one of hundreds of projects that captured the hearts of the mass player this year. More experienced industry people are joining the indie scene, which means the quality of such projects will only increase.

What plans does the company have for the coming year?

Anton: After the release of Ultimate General: Civil War, we plan to publish several RTS games on consoles (and not just them). I’m not ready to share details yet. Stay tuned for announcements.