Crossy Road studio Hipster Whale is now a publisher

The Australian developer behind 2015 mobile hit Crossy Road, Hipster Whale, is making a move into publishing.

The studio will continue to work on its own projects, but is also looking for external games. It describes publishing as the ‘natural next step’, and that it is looking for games that ‘put a twist on conventional approaches to the market’.

Furthermore, the firm has announced the hire of Atari veteran Clara Reeves as its new president.

"We’re often approached by other developers asking for help with their titles, and we haven’t had the bandwidth to act,” director Andy Sum said.

Now, with our publishing initiative, we have a platform for showcasing some truly great games."

Reeves added: "Hipster Whale will continue to work on internal IP and with our amazing partners like Bandai Namco and Disney. We’ll now also now be looking to partner with great developers, helping them bring their creations to the widest audiences and find their own successes. That’s really exciting to all of us.

"Across the whole business we’ll be working hard on creating and curating the very best game experiences, always looking for new ways to surprise and delight our players."

Crossy Road launched at the start of 2015 and within a week of launch had generated $1m of in-game ad revenue. In July 2015, the firm revealed its own merchandise store.

Furthermore, Hipster Whale has worked with Bandai Namco on Pac-Man 256, as well as Disney for… Disney Crossy Road.