With £150,000 in fresh capital, Jamin Smith's young label Pantaloon has taken the next step in its development and at the same time entered into a partnership with LootLocker. Pantaloon currently has three titles in development for 2026.
Pantaloon founder Jamen Smith, formerly of Square Enix and Modern Wolf, is delighted not only with the successful completion of the pre-seed financing, but also with the support he is receiving from experienced managers in the industry. The group of investors includes Markus Wilding (ex-Private Division, 2K), Fernando Rizo and Alastair Hebson (Caboodle Games), Benjamin Lavery (TrailerFarm) and Steven Yau (ex-King, Playfish).
“Our new shareholders are invested in our mission to take indie publishing in a different direction,” said Smith, reflecting on the challenges of raising funds as a publisher. “Looking at the indie landscape, it’s no surprise investors are cautious of publishers. It’s a crowded market, and risk is baked into the model. Back the wrong horses and you’re stuffed.”
Smith's approach is unusual. Instead of avoiding risk, he actively seeks out bold projects and encourages developers to take more creative approaches. At the same time, he aims to minimise risk by focusing on innovation. “We’re developing a technology platform to underpin our publishing initiatives, which puts curation and discoverability at the forefront of what we offer,” Smith said
In parallel with the financing round, Pantaloon also entered into a cooperation agreement with game backend provider LootLocker, which also participated in the financing round. “What immediately stood out about Pantaloon was that they’d already solved the hardest problem in publishing: cutting through the noise and earning attention directly from players.” explains Alexander Bergendahl, CEO LootLocker.
Pantaloon has already released three titles in 2025: Sub-Verge, Occlude and It Takes a War. According to the company, three titles are already in development for 2026 and it is continuing to search for exciting projects to join Pantaloon’s ‘house of misfits’.
