Independent video game publisher Numskull Games has announced a new partnership with North American video game distributor Limited Run Games. This partnership will allow a wider opportunity for Numskull's ever-growing library to hit North American markets. It will allow Numskull and Limited Run to work together to bring original titles to a new audience, the first being the hack 'n' slash retro-inspired Battle Axe.
Numskull Games, a British publishing label, has partnered with game developers and studios from across the globe since its establishment in 2019. The publishers utilize these partnerships to bring innovative games to a worldwide market on all major platforms. Meanwhile, Limited Run Games is a North Carolina-based publisher that was founded in 2015. They focus on preserving games in a physical format and have already published over 300 games in their short life.
Martin Defries, the Managing Director for Numskull Games, had this to say about the partnership: "Having previously collaborated with Limited Run Games (LRG), I am very aware how they treat great games with care and affection to reach interested gamers...I am delighted to be able to partner again with [LRG] to ensure Numskull Games releases will be available in the USA."
Defries went on to discuss the first endeavor of this partnership, Battle Axe: "The first game release in the partnership will be Battle Axe for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 set for late April 2021. In keeping with LRG's distinctive style, we have developed unique Collector's Editions alongside the standard editions that are all exclusively available via LRG."
Limited Run Games' co-founder Douglas Bogart also spoke about their excitement for the partnership with Numskull saying, "We can't wait to be able to offer Battle Axe to our fans and Numskull fans in North America. We think this is a strong start to the partnership and Battle Axe fits perfectly into the current distributed lineup from LRG."
Battle Axe is a 16-bit hack 'n' slash adventure that features stunning pixel art and controls that allow for players to go solo or grab a friend and tackle the local co-op mode. The game was recently highlighted in Numskull's sneak peek event earlier this year.
The game was developed by renowned pixel artist and developer Henk Nieborg, along with Mike Tucker and the folks over at Bitmap Bureau. Nieborg and Tucker recently shared their process for Battle Axe in an exclusive interview and spoke on how the game isn't just a throwback to old-school games, but the real deal: "It’s a real proper pixel art without any filters or anything. Every effect is done with just animation and pixels, not just coloring effects...I really wanted it to look like a Capcom/Konami game from the 90s with just a little bit more power from today."
Numskull Games will publish Battle Axe while Limited Run Games will distribute both the standard and collector's edition for Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4 in the United States. It is expected to release April 2021.