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Plug In Digital

French video game publisher From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plug In Digital
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Plug In Digital is a French video game publisher and distributor. They were founded in 2012 and publish mid-market games for personal computers and consoles under the label Dear Villagers (formerly Playdius), such as The Forgotten City and Caravan SandWitch. Plug In Digital also owns two development studios: Celsius Online (since 2023) and PixelRatio (since 2025).

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History

Francis Ingrand founded Plug In Digital in 2012 in Paris. Seven years later, they relocated to Montpellier. They initially focused on assisting studios and video game publishers with digital distribution.[1] They handle sales, marketing, and other distribution issues.[2] They expanded into China in 2019.[3] They acquired Black Shell Media's publishing operations in 2021 and took over their contracts.[4] They announced an NFT program in 2022 but canceled it due to a backlash.[5] In 2023, they acquired game development studio Celsius Online.[6] In 2025, they acquired PixelRatio, a development studio based in Spain.[7]

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Subsidiaries

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In 2017, Plug In Digital established Playdius, a subsidiary specializing in publishing independent video games for personal computers, mobile devices, and game consoles.[8] Playdius was renamed to Dear Villagers in 2019, citing a desire to better communicate their focus on the core and hardcore demographics.[9] As part of this rebranding, Dear Villagers refocused on PC and consoles, though they said they may publish mobile ports of existing games.[10] New mobile games are published directly by Plug In Digital instead, coinciding with the opening of an office in Shanghai. Games published by Dear Villagers aim for an AA (mid-market) budget.[11] Hardcore Gamer described games published by Dear Villagers as having gameplay that is easy to learn but hard to master.[12]

PID Games was established in 2020 and was sunsetted in 2025. According to the brand manager, they had "no rules" and focused entirely on publishing any interesting video games, regardless of genre, nationality, or platform. Compared to Dear Villagers, they were open to publishing a new developer's first game or inexpensive mobile games.[13] The label was shut down in 2025 to give more focus to Dear Villagers, but new projects corresponding to PID Games' formula can still be published under Plug In Digital's umbrella.

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Awards

Some games published by the company were nominated at industry events, such as The Forgotten City which was a candidate for Game of the Year and Best Debut Game at the 2022 BAFTA, while Caravan SandWitch was awarded two Pégases, one for Best First Game and the other for Best Indie Game.

Games published

Dear Villagers

  • Caravan SandWitch[43]
  • Star Overdrive[44]

Plug In Digital

PID Games (2020-2025)

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Notes

  1. Plug In Digital published a Steam version in March 10, 2020

References

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