PlaySide signs global publishing agreement for The Magician’s Hand
PlaySide Studios (ASX: PLY) has signed a global publishing agreement with Stockholm-based developer Laser Rabbit for its upcoming title, The Magician’s Hand. The game is scheduled for release on PC and Console in early CY2029.
The announcement lists several highlights:
- Viral pre-launch traction: early social clips have generated millions of views across social media platforms.
- Award wins: “Best Pitch” at The Great Summer Pitch 2026 and “Best Visuals” at the Umeå Game Conference.
- Founding team experience: Laser Rabbit’s founding team brings more than 25 years of animation, storytelling and art direction experience to its debut title.
For investors, the agreement adds an original IP to the pipeline of PlaySide’s Publishing arm. It follows the company’s earlier work on MOUSE: P.I. For Hire.
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Agreement terms: milestone advances for a share of net revenue
How the deal is structured
PlaySide will provide development advances tied to specific technical and creative milestones, which the announcement describes as consistent with industry benchmarks. In exchange, it will receive a share of net revenue from the game’s sales.
| Term | What the announcement states | Impact for investors |
|---|---|---|
| Development advances | Tied to specific technical and creative milestones, consistent with industry benchmarks | Funding is gated by milestones, which limits capital at risk |
| Publishing role | PlaySide manages all global publishing, marketing and distribution | PlaySide carries the go-to-market effort |
| Development support | Technical development support provided where needed | Adds to PlaySide’s involvement beyond funding |
| Return | A share of net revenue from the game’s sales | Gives PlaySide exposure to upside |
| Pre-launch investment | Expected to be in the low to mid single digit millions (AUD), across milestone payments, development support and marketing | The cost is modest, but no revenue is expected before the early 2029 release |
The announcement does not disclose the net revenue share percentage, the split of the investment, the milestone schedule or any recoupment terms.
The MOUSE launch weekend showed how the model can work in practice, with US$10.4 million in gross sales and milestone payments and marketing costs recovered from early revenue before the publisher’s share built.
Director commentary
PlaySide Studios CEO Benn Skender pointed to the company’s earlier work on MOUSE: P.I. For Hire as a precedent for the agreement.
Benn Skender, PlaySide Studios CEO
“…we are committed to using PlaySide’s development and marketing expertise to amplify this viral momentum, providing the backbone needed to bring visually stunning, highly original IPs like The Magician’s Hand to a global audience.”
About The Magician’s Hand and Laser Rabbit
The Magician’s Hand is a story-driven 2.5D puzzle platformer set in a moody, atmospheric Victorian London, with a hand-drawn and animated art style. Players wake with no memory and control the severed hand of the mysterious magician, Fabrizio.
Gameplay features include:
- Unlocking new abilities
- Solving perspective-shifting mini-games
- Defeating distinctive bosses
Laser Rabbit is a newly formed Stockholm-based game studio, and The Magician’s Hand is its debut title. The announcement says it is driven by four veterans specialising in storytelling, animation, music and art direction.
A distinctive visual identity and organic social reach may help limit marketing costs, though the studio has no prior track record in game development.
Why publishing deals matter for PlaySide investors
A games publisher typically funds development, markets the title and handles distribution. Under a net revenue share model, the publisher is paid from the game’s sales, whereas work-for-hire development services are typically charged for the work delivered.
PlaySide describes a diversified model. It publishes its own games based on original intellectual property and provides end-to-end development services with partners such as Activision Blizzard, Meta, Netflix Games and Take-Two Interactive. Its Publishing arm provides funding, development support, marketing and publishing of third-party games from smaller independent studios.
The agreement broadens that publishing pipeline and adds long-dated exposure to a single title’s sales. The announcement provides no milestone dates beyond the scheduled early CY2029 launch.
The Magician’s Hand follows the earlier Dew publishing agreement with Swedish developer MVRX Games, which carries a similar low to mid single digit million AUD investment profile and a CY2028 target release.
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