Source: Red Brick House

Indie game publisher Red Brick House (co-CEOs Kim Hyuk-jin and Hong Ji-chul) announced on the 21st that it has secured financial investment. The funding round included participation from Kakao Ventures, Devsisters Ventures, SmartStudy Ventures, Main Street Investment, and Zion Investment. Following a previous strategic investment from WEMADE MAX, this latest round of financial backing underscores the growth potential and scalability of Red Brick House's indie game publishing business.

Founded in June, Red Brick House is a publisher specializing in indie games. The company identifies promising domestic and international developers and provides support for game development, publishing, and investment. Working alongside developers, the company designs and executes go-to-market strategies for each title, supporting the entire growth cycle from global service operations to intellectual property (IP) expansion and ancillary business development.

The domestic indie game ecosystem is well-positioned to produce competitive titles, thanks to exceptional development talent and abundant human capital. Indie games, characterized by their originality and unique identities, are gaining prominence on the back of the growth of global platforms like Steam and consoles. However, standing out in a sea of new releases requires systematic launch strategies and marketing expertise. While specialized publishers like Devolver Digital and Hooded Horse have established themselves overseas, the domestic market has lacked partners capable of guiding developers through global expansion.

To address these challenges, Red Brick House collaborates closely with indie developers from the early stages of development. By evaluating marketability and user feedback together, they enhance the quality of the games and design optimal launch timing and platform strategies. The company provides tailored support for each developer, ranging from building pre-launch communities for global users to global marketing, service operations, business strategy formulation, and investment. Furthermore, Red Brick House possesses the expertise to identify high-potential indie games early and brings extensive experience in the global market. By preserving the creativity and individuality of the developers, the company helps them overcome the business and distribution hurdles that small teams often struggle to manage on their own, enabling them to achieve success in broader markets.

Red Brick House currently holds a portfolio of domestic and international projects across various genres, including roguelike shooters, cooperative extraction games, and action-adventures. Moving forward, the company plans to introduce a diverse range of games to the global market across various platforms, including PC and console, without being limited to specific genres or markets.

Red Brick House is composed of industry experts with deep experience in indie game discovery, publishing, and global business. Co-CEOs Kim Hyuk-jin and Hong Ji-chul previously led the discovery, investment, M&A, and publishing of numerous global indie games at NEOWIZ. The team also includes a China market expert who has successfully navigated the complexities of obtaining Chinese game licenses (ISBNs) and entering the local market. Given the high barriers to entry in China—such as licensing requirements and local distribution—the company plans to leverage this expertise to support domestic indie developers in their expansion into the Greater China region and the global market at large.

Kim Ji-woong, Director at Kakao Ventures, stated, "Red Brick House is a team that understands the global Steam ecosystem, allowing them to design effective market entry strategies with developers and build user communities even before launch. We expect them to become an essential company in the Korean game ecosystem, helping our outstanding indie games succeed on the world stage."

Red Brick House co-CEOs Kim Hyuk-jin and Hong Ji-chul remarked, "Following our strategic investment, we are delighted to have top-tier venture capital firms join us as financial partners, validating our vision for the indie game ecosystem and our growth potential. We will continue to be a reliable partner for promising developers, supporting them from development through to global market entry so they can fully unleash their creativity."