How Headup Signed Warding Witches at GG Bavaria

At GG Bavaria 2025, Paul Nguyen, a solo developer and game music composer, presented his current hobby project in an impromptu performance. Headup discovered the project there and signed it up. It's a local Munich indie success story.

Paul Nguyen is the sole developer of Warding Witches, which was originally a hobby project. He also works under the name Sonorode as an EDM and video game music composer and producer. And this is where things come full circle, because his game is a classic shoot 'em up with an electrifying fantasy soundtrack, a genre that has always resonated with him. "I've been a huge fan of those games since childhood already (my first game on the PSX was Raystorm). One of my dreams as a composer for video games is to one day get to score a shmup game - and instead of waiting for that to miraculously fall into my lap, one day I decided to take matters into my own hands. As for the game itself, it of course features nuanced design decisions to make it relevant and sensible for modern gamers while preserving its core appeal - it's not just 'yet another shmup'," said Nguyen.

"That requires a lot of research and familiarity with the genre, the latter of which I am lucky to have been so passionate about for the longest time. It's important to discern between which design principles are core to the experience, and which are incidental to the era, i.e. better to be redesigned." As a video game music composer, he likes to approach projects from the inside, understanding all aspects of the game and working with the development team rather than working alone or joining a project later on. "That's why long before I started making Warding Witches, I've already been attending gamedev events to learn as much as I can about game design and development and meet people. Hence, that work now fits perfectly, as the network and community have a 95% overlap for me!"

At the GG Bavaria '25 business day, he spontaneously decided to take part in the 'Pitch to the Pros' session. "While it's named that, the event's purpose was to receive feedback from industry professionals rather than pitch for a contract. Barely prepared, I had to frantically download my game build onto the notebook I had with me while the first person already showcased their professional pitchdeck to the audience," he said. After an improvised presentation of his prototype with just the game running and no slides, Alexandra Batty, Headup's Senior Communications Manager, who was among the professionals invited to provide feedback, approached him. "We talked back and forth, and after some due diligence and weighing my options we eventually signed." He had not expected things to go that far on the GG Bavaria, though. "A friend had to convince me to exhibit at GG Bavaria in the first place, because I didn't really think of my little game that way. It started as a hobby project after all, a side-side-project, if you will. Never have I imagined it to get this kind of attention!"

When asked what it is like for him to develop games in Munich, he admits that he still finds it strange to refer to himself as a developer, given that he has primarily worked as a video game composer until now. "I don't know how it is elsewhere, but Munich is an excellent location for (indie) game development: You have tons of people here due to several unis and schools with game dev programmes (TUM, SAE, MDH, Macromedia...), dozens of studios big and small, Games/Bavaria and their lovely staff as well as a lively, supportive and welcoming community of game devs. Thanks to the passionate organizers in the community we have things like a regular meetup, local gamejams, pizza playtests, a huge barcamp event, and lots more. Games/Bavaria plays a big role here in supporting and enabling devs with various programmes and events. It was the constant being around the brilliant people in the community that made me want to try making a game myself." And thanks to the support of Games/Bavaria, the game will also be shown at the Polaris Convention in Hamburg.

"With Headup now by my side I'm confidently focusing on making the shmup of my dreams and working toward the release of that. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have plans and ideas dreamed up for a second game already, but those are not actionable yet. For now, I'll do like the musician I am and play it by ear." - Paul Nguyen - Warding Witches (Solo-dev) & Sonorode (EDM and video game music composer/producer)

This is How Headup Became Aware of the Game

Alexandra Batty, Headup's Senior Communications Manager, was present at GG Bavaria's Business Day, where developers were given the opportunity to present and pitch their current projects to industry professionals and receive feedback. "Warding Witches stood out to me immediately, not only because of the smooth gameplay and awesome music, but also because of the way Paul presented it - so I approached him right after he finished speaking. The game is a great fit for our generally more retro-inspired catalogue, and it's something we know how to support and bring to market very well," she said. Headup usually scouts potential candidates for the portfolio at events and online, either by searching for them themselves or by receiving pitches from the developers. "Most of the game pitches reach us via email or other online channels," Batty said. "We aren't actively scouting for new games at the moment - our schedule for this year and at least the first half of next year is already quite packed with releases. While it's important to attend physical and local events such as GG Bavaria, keeping an eye out for games to sign wasn't really our main priority."

Following the event, she approached both CEO Dieter Schoeller and COO Marcel Aldrup. She shared her impressions of the title, after which they investigated its potential within its genre, conducting an initial high-level competitor analysis and discussing the market for such games with their sales experts. "We came to the conclusion that while the SHMUP genre is quite niche, it has a loyal following and fanbase, and there’s definitely space for a new entry - especially one as lovingly made and polished as Warding Witches," she explained. "So after a call where all of us sat down, looked at the project together, and discussed the ways in which we could support Paul with his game. As this call went very well for both sides, we drafted a fitting licensing agreement and introduced the title to the wider team."

Headup supports Paul Nguyen in two areas: production and marketing. Headup's CEO Dieter Schoeller: "Paul has already put a lot of time, love, and care into the game, so on the production side, our role mainly extends to providing a producer to help him put together a reasonable structure for his production timeline and to be available for all technical, game design, and QA-related questions. On the marketing front, our team will support Warding Witches across all comms channels, covering PR, marketing, social media, community work, advertising, trailer creation, and store pages. From drafting a marketing plan and timeline to executing across all of those sectors, we're looking forward to bringing another polished and high-quality retro-inspired game to the market."

Even though Headup, which split from the Swedish Thunderful Group in mid-2024 to become an independent publisher again, already has a full portfolio, the team couldn't pass up this supposed highlight of the niche genre, especially since the company doesn't have any fixed criteria for selecting suitable games. "To be honest, we feel one big strength of our 16 year history is that we are genre agnostic, which sets us apart from a lot of other boutique publishers in the market. We take all pitches we receive very seriously and put time into selecting the games we feel comfortable working with as a team. Most of the games we decide to go with in the end have somewhat of a "Headup identity" - something retro, something edgy, something funny," Schoeller said. "If we feel we would not be able to contribute to the potential success, we would be very honest about this as we dislike the "throw and see if it sticks" mindset, as the developers simply deserve better. The most important thing to us is that we feel we can support the developer in a meaningful way and that we, as a team, enjoy working on the title. Everything else is a bonus."

The Enablers: Games/Bavaria

GG Bavaria, organised by Games/Bavaria, played a key role in helping Paul Nguyen to find a publisher for Warding Witches. Robin Rottmann was 'absolutely thrilled' with the outcome. The Games/Bavaria team lead said: "The introduction of a dedicated Business Day at GG Bavaria had been a long-standing wish from both our side and many industry attendees in previous years. Seeing it pay off so quickly with such a concrete success story really confirms that an event like this is needed in Bavaria." One of the goals of GG Bavaria is to connect indie developers and publishers. "More broadly, with Games/Bavaria and GG Bavaria our mission is to create as many opportunities for networking and visibility as possible. Through the expo itself - now including the Business Day - as well as through initiatives like the Gamerei and the many meetups we organize across Bavaria, we aim to foster exactly those connections." The Gamerei is home to Bavaria's gaming industry and a co-working space in Munich. At the time, Mimimi Games was based in this very building. "Another key objective has been to offer opportunities for professional development, something we've also achieved through our strong lineup of speakers."

During the public days, GG Bavaria attracts a specific audience of gaming fans, anime and manga enthusiasts, and cosplayers and crafters. "For developers, this community aspect is especially valuable, as it allows them to test their games and receive direct, authentic feedback. Meeting the developers in person also creates a special bond - visitors often turn into core fans or even evangelists who continue spreading the word about the game in their own communities", Rottmann said.

"At the same time, the diversity of participating studios opens up great opportunities for professional exchange, particularly with other local developers. This year we even introduced our own Indie Award to highlight outstanding projects. But in the end, the most important reason remains simple: being part of GG Bavaria is just a lot of fun." GG Bavaria's mission is to increase the visibility of the regional industry — a goal that was central to its conception. The event provides 'affordable' exhibition opportunities for local studios and offers a setting reminiscent of a 'class reunion' of the Bavarian games scene. Similar "to what gamescom represents on a (inter)national scale. Of course, GG Bavaria is open to everyone, but at its core it ensures that local studios can participate easily and showcase their work to a wider audience," he said.

This success story from Germany highlights the importance of events like this one for independent developers and small local development teams, particularly those with dedicated business days. These events provide an opportunity for all kinds of networking, and you never know who might be there to take your project to the next level - be they the next publisher, investor, employee, contributor or specialist. Furthermore, public days enable developers to interact with interested players, providing them with the chance to receive direct feedback and generate attention for their game.