Instinct3 and Hooded Horse Join Forces to Release 9 Kings

Hooded Horse and Instinct3 are teaming up for 9 Kings, the strategy game from Brazilian studio Sad Socket. It's on over 170,000 wishlists and had over 200,000 unique demo players.

After a successful demo launch (over 200,000 players and a 95% positive rating), Instinct3 and Hooded Horse are joining forces for the Early Access launch of 9 Kings. Instinct3 brings its expertise in creator and community marketing and will handle marketing in the GSA region (Germany, Switzerland, Austria). Hooded Horse is responsible for international distribution and provides genre expertise. 9 Kings will launch on PC via Steam Early Access on 19 May 2025.

"Since its initial announcement, we have seen the excitement 9 Kings has generated among strategy fans worldwide," said Melvin Frank, Head of Publishing at Instinct3. "In Hooded Horse, we now have a partner whose experience in the strategy genre perfectly complements the game. This partnership not only takes the project to a new level, but also represents our shared understanding of forward-thinking indie publishing."

9 Kings recently had a successful run during Steam Next Fest February 2025, with over 200,000 unique players, a 95% "Overwhelmingly Positive" on the demo page, and a lot of positive critical reception, which has led to over 170,000 wishlists on Steam today.

"I have already lost countless hours to the 9 Kings demo, and my productivity has ground to a halt," says Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender. "I sought bonuses and combos to break the game, but the game broke me. I'm left with no choice but to publish the game so I can pretend my endless play sessions qualify as work. Don't tell the shareholders."

"There comes a point in a project when it's really time to bring in the cavalry," says Sad Socket Co-Founder Rafael Melo. "We couldn't ask for a better partner than Hooded Horse."

9 Kings is a fast-paced roguelite kingdom builder that combines card-based mechanics with massive battles - by creating insane builds and breaking the game. "Through endless combinations of troops, spells, buildings, and unit positioning, players must build up their city into the most powerful in all the land in their quest to become the King of Kings. Featuring a plethora of unique cards and massive real-time battles, players can also gather unique perks that completely change the way the game is played in each successive run."

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