Minecraft console dev 4J Studios announces move into publishing

Its first published game, Skye Tales, will arrive next year

4J Studios has announced that it has started to publish video games.

The Scottish studio, which was founded in 2005, has focused solely on game development for the past 17 years.

Most notably, it’s known as the developer responsible for the Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo versions of Minecraft.

However, following an investment fund launched in March 2021, the studio is now ready to become a publisher.

Through its investment fund, Chroma Ventures, 4J has “invested significantly” in studios identified by 4J co-founders Chris van der Kuyl and Paddy Burns as “rising stars of the Scottish games industry”.

The first title to be published by 4J is Skye Tales, by Dundee-based studio Puny Astronaut.

“Skye Tales is a perfect example of our ‘games for everyone’ approach,” said 4J Studios’ chairman in a statement.

“We are particularly pleased that Skye Tales will be the first game to be published by 4J Studios, which feels like a natural progression for us, given how consumers now buy games online.

“We have more new games scheduled for release in 2023 – a mixture of original games from 4J Studios and titles from studios we are invested in through Chroma Ventures. Our ambition is to establish game brands we are close to, and believe in, and help them evolve into successful franchises.”

Other games set to be published by 4J Studios are set to be announced next year, including games from other Scottish developers such as Ant Workshop (Dead End Job) and StormCloud Games (Island Saver), as well as its own future titles.