Puppet Combo, in simple terms, is one of the greatest things to happen to indie horror games. Born as “Pig Farmer Games” and founded by Benedetto Cocuzza, Puppet Combo is a development studio that specializes in wonderfully gross, gleefully violent, and remarkably surreal survival horror titles. If you love horror games, it’s very likely you’ve come across some of their work!
Nun Massacre. Murder House. Stay Out of the House. The Glass Staircase (a personal favorite of mine)! They harken back to a time when VHS tapes were the norm and the PlayStation 1 had mind-blowing graphics! However, Puppet Combo’s stellar development track record is one thing. Once the studio grew and their reach expanded, they decided that it wasn’t enough to just make bomb-ass indie horror games. No! Soon, Puppet Combo would champion bomb-ass indie horror games — creating a publishing arm (Torture Star Video) to boost and support other developers!
Sniper Killer. Bloodwash. The Enigma of Salazar House. The Lakeview Cabin Collection. Home Safety Hotline. …The wonderfully named The Booty Creek Cheek Freak. What A24 is to indie movies and shows and Devolver Digital is to “more mainstream” indie games? Puppet Combo has become just as important to indie horror games!
why puppet combo is so important among the grand schemes of the games industry
Ben Cocuzza is an elusive dude, truth be told (a quality I always admire). But, in 2020, he did an interview with Rely on Horror, detailing his ambitions for Puppet Combo’s future. Something that stood out was Cocuzza’s dedication to other developers. No matter how big Puppet Combo gets, Cocuzza makes one thing clear: he cares about creativity and artistry first and “profitability” second. When asked if it was exhausting fitting into both publisher and developer roles, Cocuzza gave a phenomenal answer.
“Nowhere near as exhausting as it is fulfilling. As much as game development takes up time, it’s genuinely a good feeling to see creators you actually believe in getting a chance to put their visions out there. Not to mention it helps that I just like the creators who’ve worked on the label, thus far. That helps, too.”
The games industry needs more of that kind of indie support and acknowledgment. It’s good to know there are still champions out there who understand the necessity of representing those who otherwise would be shunned by the industry at large.
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