UK Agency RUNE Rebrands Runic Forge as Pythia Games to Focus Exclusively on Indie Publishing

London-based data-driven indie marketing agency RUNE has rebranded its publishing label from Runic Forge to Pythia Games and will now operate exclusively as a publisher. The shift follows the August 19, 2026 Steam launch of Hearth and Hamlet, developed by Phorust Studios, which sold 100,000 units in its first week and nearly 50,000 in the first 24 hours.

The announcement, dated October 27, 2026, from London, positions Pythia Games as the dedicated publishing vehicle for RUNE after years of running marketing and crowdfunding campaigns for independent titles. Hearth and Hamlet, a cozy incremental city-builder, previously generated a free demo with over 100,000 lifetime unique players and more than 125,000 wishlists ahead of release. The commercial result has given the team a concrete foundation to expand beyond agency services.

Pythia Games is already advancing several upcoming projects under the new name. These include Carnholt, a roguelike deck-builder developed by Magic: The Gathering artist Maxime Minard, and Dragon’s Tear, an idle dungeon-crawling RPG from LilChill Games that draws on classic Japanese RPG influences. The publisher is also actively seeking additional partnerships with independent developers and solo teams, emphasizing a data-driven marketing approach.

Founder and marketing director Aidan McGrath stated that the team is “delighted to be starting this new chapter as a publisher” and aims to “utilise our expertise to replicate that success for indie developers for years to come.” The rebrand reflects a broader pattern in which marketing-focused or breakout studios convert demonstrated traction into dedicated publishing capacity for other independent projects.

For developers, the change creates another potential partner with hands-on campaign experience rather than a pure capital or production house. No specific commercial terms, advance structures, or open-call deadlines have been published with the rebrand itself. The announcement is supported by consistent coverage across multiple outlets referencing the same October 27 details.