Daniel Knight, the developer behind Phasmophobia, has launched Kinetic Publishing, a new label aimed at supporting indie game teams. The announcement, made in early January 2026, says the publisher will offer funding and advisory services while letting developers keep creative control.
Kinetic’s site notes the label is looking for PC and console projects that are roughly 12 to 18 months from completion, and it explicitly rules out blockchain, web3, and AI-generated games. A page on the publisher’s website lays out the offer as funding when needed and guidance when wanted; the company says it wants to help developers bring “their best ideas to life.”
Knight founded Kinetic Games in 2020 and remained focused on Phasmophobia after the game went viral. He told GamesIndustry.biz that starting a publishing arm was always part of the long-term plan: “It was always something I wanted to do. It was always in the back of my mind. We’ve been growing quite a lot recently, and now we’re up to 40 people. We’re going to be growing over the next year as well. That’s why now is the perfect time.”
Asim Tanvir has joined Kinetic as director of marketing and partnerships after spells at 2K, Konami, and Deep Silver. Tanvir also said that the company has no deals signed yet and is actively scouting solo devs and small teams across genres, from cosy games to RPGs.
Knight will continue work on Phasmophobia while the publisher grows. For readers tracking what’s next for the game, the team recently posted a development preview outlining a delayed Player Character Update, a rework of the Tanglewood Drive map, and plans to ship Phasmophobia 1.0 in 2026.
Follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram for updates on Kinetic and Phasmophobia as the publisher starts taking submissions.
Phasmophobia
Developed by Kinetic Games
Phasmophobia is a cooperative horror investigation game played from a first-person perspective, supporting one to four players. Players take on the role of ghost hunters who must identify the type of ghost haunting a designated location by gathering evidence using various paranormal investigation equipment. The game features speech recognition, allowing ghosts and certain equipment to respond to words spoken by players. As investigators spend time at the site, their sanity decreases, eventually triggering hunts during which the ghost actively pursues and can kill players. The game includes multiple location types of varying size, twenty-nine ghost types each with unique behaviors and evidence, and a progression system where players earn money to unlock and upgrade equipment. Virtual reality is optionally supported.
- Genre Puzzle, Tactical, Indie
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation VR2, Windows Mixed Reality, Nintendo Switch 2, PC (Microsoft Windows), SteamVR, PlayStation 5, Oculus Rift
- Perspective First person, Auditory, Virtual Reality
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release September 18, 2020
- Publisher Kinetic Games
-
Age Rating
