August 13th, 2026, Blowing Rock, North Carolina
The brains behind IndieGameBusiness® unveil Blue Ridge Games, a new indie game publishing label built by industry veterans, for indie developers.
For over 8 years, IndieGameBusiness® has helped developers and publishers navigate the business of making games, building one of the largest and most connected communities in the indie space. This vantage point has shown us what separates games that thrive from games that get lost in the noise. With Blue Ridge Games, we’re putting this network and experience directly into powering a publishing label built to help great games and great teams succeed. Our mission is to empower indie developers to shine in their craft and build the worlds they envision.
“Indie developers make incredible games, but so many of them get lost simply because no one taught them the business side of games. That’s the gap we’ve spent years closing through IndieGameBusiness®. With Blue Ridge Games, we’re not just continuing to teach that, we are stepping into publishing directly with a veteran team that has been part of the industry for decades. We’re excited to use that experience to support developers who deserve a real shot.” – Jay Powell, CEO, Blue Ridge Games
Blue Ridge Games is thrilled to announce the first title in their portfolio: MAFATE, by French developer Blue Ramen Studios.
MAFATE is a contemplative exploration and adventure game inspired by a real-life hike through the Mafate Cirque, located on Réunion Island. This remote area, accessible only on foot, deeply impacted the development team and became the starting point of the project.
Players explore peaceful and immersive natural landscapes through an experience that is centered around walking, contemplation, and discovery. The journey is also enriched by narrative elements and puzzles that punctuate the progression without disrupting the calm pace of exploration.
“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Blue Ridge Games and to have MAFATE supported by such an experienced and passionate team. Their expertise, guidance, and understanding of what makes the project special give us tremendous confidence in what we can achieve together. For Blue Ramen Studios, this partnership represents an important step forward, and we’re truly excited to bring MAFATE to players around the world with BRG by our side.” – Loïc Manglou, CEO, Blue Ramen Studios
MAFATE aims to convey a simple emotion: the feeling of a journey through nature, blending observation, reflection, and wonder in the face of breathtaking landscapes.
About Blue Ridge Games
Blue Ridge Games is a new publishing label from the brains behind IndieGameBusiness®. The team spent years in the trenches with indie developers, helping thousands navigate the business side of making and launching games. That hands-on experience now powers a publishing label built to help great games and teams succeed.
About Blue Ramen Studios
Blue Ramen is an independent studio that promotes a calm, thoughtful, and deeply human approach to video games. We create gaming experiences that combine immediate enjoyment with narrative depth.
Driven by an ethical vision of game development, Blue Ramen builds worlds where players are encouraged to slow down, reflect, feel, and observe environments far from noise and overstimulation.
