Kepler Interactive Explained

Kepler Interactive Limited is a video game publisher headquartered in London, with an additional office in Singapore. It was formed in 2021 out of a partnership between seven indie game developers at the initiative of Alexis Garavayan, incumbent CEO of the company. These seven founding studios are New Zealand-based A44, Canada-based Alpha Channel, France-based Awaceb and Sloclap, Serbia-based Ebb Software, Japan-based Swedish developer Shapefarm and US-based Timberline Studio.

Employing around 50 people, Kepler also publishes productions from studios outside the group.^[2] Its most notable published games include Sifu (2022), Tchia (2023), Pacific Drive (2024) and (2025).

History

Kepler Interactive was founded in September 2021 at the initiative of former Ubisoft employee and French entrepreneur Alexis Garavayan,^[3] who had previously co-founded the video game investment fund Kowloon Nights.^[4] Self-described as a "super developer" publishing group, Kepler was born out of an alliance between seven independent studios to “pool their resources and knowledge”:^[5] A44 (known for developing Ashen), Alpha Channel, Awaceb (known for Tchia), Ebb Software (known for Scorn), Shapefarm, Sloclap (known for developing Absolver and Sifu) and Timberline Studio. Each participating studio had "equal say" on the publishing label's decision-making process and were able to share resources and financial gains, but Kepler itself will not interefere with the operations of each studio, allowing them to stay independent.^{[6] [7]} Although initially solely co-owned by the seven founding studios, Kepler received $120 million in funding from Chinese gaming company NetEase, which then became a minority shareholder.^[8] The company's gross revenue peaked at $50 million in 2022, boosted by the release of Sloclap's Sifu and Ebb Software's Scorn.^[9]

In 2023, Kepler also launched Kepler Ghost, a white-label publishing service, providing marketing and publishing for game developers. Eternights from Studio Sai was the first video game project to benefit from this program.^[10] The Gentlebros, the developer behind the Cat Quest series, became the eighth studio to join Kepler's ownership structure; meanwile a partnership with the new studio Sandfall Interactive for the latter's debut title, , was officially announced in March 2023.^[9] It also partnered with Ironwood Studios for the publishing and release of Pacific Drive.^[11] In April 2025, Kepler published the critically acclaimed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by Sandfall, a game whose development it had also funded.^[12]

In 2025, Tactical Adventures, the studio who made , became the ninth independent studio to join the collective of studios that co-own Kepler Interactive.^{[13] [14]}

Alexis Garavaryan claims Kepler to be highly selective. It evaluates an average of 1,400 projects per year and signs “only two or three”. He also states the firm sets itself apart by financing projects with modest budgets but with high-quality visuals and innovative game mechanics.^[15] Unlike most publishers, who finance a title in exchange for varying degrees of control over its development, Garavaryan asserts Kepler never imposes decisions on the development studios it partners with. François Meurisse, COO and co-founder of Sandfall Interactive, highlighted it was this promise of creative freedom on Expedition 33 that prompted the team, which had received offers from more prominent publishers in the industry, to sign with Kepler instead.^[16]

Games published

Games published via Kepler Ghost

Notes and References

1. Web site: KEPLER INTERACTIVE LIMITED. GOV.UK. 2025-06-16.
2. Web site: Gamescom: l'éditeur Kepler sur orbite avec les succès de "Expedition 33" et "Rematch". Challenges. 20 August 2025. 19 November 2025.
3. Web site: KEPLER INTERACTIVE LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK . 2025-06-12 . find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk . en.
4. Web site: Publisher Kepler Interactive launches, raises $120m. Danielle. Partis. Gameindustry.biz. September 29, 2021. July 31, 2023.
5. Web site: Gamescom: l'éditeur Kepler sur orbite avec les succès de "Expedition 33" et "Rematch". Challenges. 20 August 2025. 19 November 2025.
6. Web site: Introducing Kepler Interactive, a publisher run by independent developers. Danielle. Partis. Gameindustry.biz. October 14, 2021. July 31, 2023.
7. Web site: Kepler Interactive 'super developer' publisher group formed with $120m in funding. TJ. Denzer. Shacknews. September 28, 2021. July 31, 2023.
8. Web site: Gaming company Kepler raises $120 mln from China's NetEase. Supantha . Mukherjee. Reuters. September 28, 2023. July 31, 2023.
9. Web site: Kepler Interactive begins 2023 with new partnerships. Rachel. Kaser. VentureBeat. March 17, 2023. July 31, 2023.
10. Web site: Kepler Interactive hits $50m in 2022 and unveils new partnerships. Jeffery. Rousseau. March 17, 2023. July 31, 2023.
11. Web site: Pacific Drive to be published by Kepler Interactive . Romano . Sal . Gematsu . June 10, 2023 . July 12, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230610195412/https://www.gematsu.com/2023/06/pacific-drive-to-be-published-by-kepler-interactive . June 10, 2023 . live .
12. Web site: Clair Obscur: How a passion project became 2025's most talked-about game. BBC. May 4, 2025. May 7, 2025.
13. Web site: How Kepler Interactive balances artistic vision with gaming innovation. Rachel. Weber. Gameindustry.biz. February 22, 2025. July 3, 2025.
14. Web site: Gamescom: l'éditeur Kepler sur orbite avec les succès de "Expedition 33" et "Rematch". Challenges. 20 August 2025. 19 November 2025.
15. Web site: Gamescom: l'éditeur Kepler sur orbite avec les succès de "Expedition 33" et "Rematch". Challenges. 20 August 2025. 19 November 2025.
16. Web site: Gamescom: l'éditeur Kepler sur orbite avec les succès de "Expedition 33" et "Rematch". Challenges. 20 August 2025. 19 November 2025.
17. Web site: Ultros review: 'A drop-dead gorgeous head trip of a Metroidvania game set in a cosmic uterus sarcophagus'. Donnelly. Joe. GamesRadar. 2024-02-12. 2024-02-13.
18. Web site: Reuben . Nic . Cinematic platformer Bionic Bay is incredibly impressive even beyond its 250,000 pixel trees . Rock Paper Shotgun . 6 August 2024 . 20 August 2024.
19. Web site: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 From Sandfall Interactive Announced for 2025. Rebekah. Valentine. IGN. June 10, 2024. June 10, 2024.
20. Web site: The Next Game From the Developer of Sifu Is an Online Multiplayer Soccer Game - The Game Awards 2024. Wesley. Yin-Poole. IGN. December 12, 2024. December 19, 2024.
21. Web site: Orbitals presents a Toriyama-esque co-operative space adventure exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2. Alberto. Garrido. Game Reactor. December 11, 2025. December 13, 2025.
22. News: Evans-Thirlwell . Edwin . 2023-12-08 . Dead Cells creators Motion Twin reveal cute and gory new roguelike Windblown . 2024-10-28 . Rock, Paper, Shotgun . en.
23. Web site: Romano . Sal . 2023-11-30 . Unrailed! 2: Back on Track announced for PC . 2024-10-28 . Gematsu . en-US.