Square Enix Collective is an indie games division of Square Enix Limited.[2] Created by Phil Elliott in 2014, it is a self-titled "service provider for Indie developers", which helps get a developer's game published while they maintain their creative control.[1][3]
First announced by former journalist Phil Elliott in November 2013 at Game Developers Conference Next, former Eidos Interactive intellectual properties (IPs) were potentially available for developers.[4][5]
In 2016, developers would submit a pitch to the company on a rolling basis. The pitches would then be presented to the public through the Collective's website, and a polling process would take place once a week, with anyone welcome to vote on the projects that excited them. While the polling process was not the sole determinate for which developers the Collective would assist, it played a pivotal role.[9] Square Enix took five percent of the games' revenue after fees.[10]
According to Square Enix, it helped with Kickstarter fundraising campaigns raising $1.2m in total.[2] Notable games which had campaigns include Moonlighter, Ultimate Chicken Horse and Moon Hunters. In October 2018, the company announced they would be closing their platform for campaign curation, instead focusing on larger and specific products without the element of public polling.[11] In August 2022, Bulkhead Interactive ended its relationship with Collective and said it was disappointed Battalion 1944 did not release on consoles.[12] In February 2023, Elliott left Square Enix and became CEO of publisher Modern Wolf.[13]
