The co-founder of Innersloth criticized unfavorable publishing contracts for indie developers
The indie game market can feature extremely unfavorable publishing agreements for developers. Co-founder of Innersloth (Among Us) and head of the Outersloth fund, Forest Willard, discussed this issue.
In a conversation with Game Developer, Willard mentioned that he has reviewed contracts indie developers sign with other publishers and funds. Some of these he described as “truly awful,” noting that games signed under such agreements don’t deserve such treatment.
However, Willard emphasized that he does not criticize developers who agree to such unfavorable deals. For many, the mere opportunity to create their dream game is already a success. Nonetheless, he stressed the importance of also being able to profit from the project post-release, something that some publishing agreements hinder.
Willard refrained from naming specific publishers but noted that he is aware of instances where developers continued working with companies even after signing unfavorable contracts. Meanwhile, he criticized the publishers offering such terms.
As a reminder, Outersloth is involved in financing independent games. In March 2026, the fund published its standard contract, aiming to make the funding market more transparent and encourage other companies to offer developers more favorable conditions.