Nicalis

An American video game publisher and developer known for publishing and porting prominent indie games to modern consoles.

Action

Action (platformer)

Action-adventure platformer

Adventure

Driving



Website

Founded

2007

HQ

Santa Ana, United States

Known for

Action / Platformer / Roguelike

15

Games

2017–2021

Years

3

Platforms

$26.28

Ø CIB

-14.9%

24M change

About

Nicalis is highly regarded for bringing indie titles to console audiences, often providing physical releases. Between 2017 and 2018, they published notable titles such as Tiny Barbarian DX, Ittle Dew 2+, and Edmund McMillen's The End is Nigh. They also published the crossover fighting game Blade Strangers and partnered with Choice Provisions for the releases of Runner2 and Runner3.

Founded in 2007 by Tyrone Rodriguez, the American publisher secured a distinct market niche by optimizing digital-first titles for dedicated gaming hardware. During the early lifecycle of the Nintendo Switch, the company facilitated key retail and digital launches. This included the physical distribution of Saber Interactive's off-road simulation MudRunner (2017) on the platform, expanding the publisher's portfolio into niche simulation genres.

Collaborations with independent developers defined this era. The publisher worked alongside StarQuake Games to bring the retro-styled action platformer Tiny Barbarian DX (2017) to consoles, complete with physical instruction booklets reminiscent of classic gaming manuals. Similarly, they handled the enhanced release of Ludosity's puzzle-adventure Ittle Dew 2+ (2017), adding exclusive content to the updated version. In the platforming genre, the company partnered with Tyler Glaiel and Edmund McMillen to distribute the challenging adventure The End is Nigh (2017).

The publisher's relationship with Choice Provisions yielded console versions of the rhythm-action games Runner2 (2017) and Runner3 (2018). Additionally, they collaborated with Studio Saizensen on Blade Strangers (2018), a crossover fighting game that united characters from various intellectual properties under their publishing umbrella.