LootLocker makes strategic investment in indie label Pantaloon

• LootLocker deal expands the tech underpinning Pantaloon's direct-to-consumer initiatives.
• Move aims to help LootLocker double-down on its publisher-first strategy.

Cross-platform backend firm LootLocker has made a strategic investment into UK-based indie label Pantaloon.

Pantaloon offers an email newsletter through which it recommends games and partners to readers looking for new indie titles. 

There is also a ‘Primo’ subscription available for newsletter and community features that guarantees subscribers each of the company’s monthly partnered games and exclusive content and opportunities.

As well as publishing services, it offers a white-labelled ‘Phantom Publishing’ solution for developers that want to launch games themselves.

Strategic investment

LootLocker and Pantaloon aim to work together on expanding the tech underpinning Pantaloon’s direct-to-consumer initiatives. That includes connecting its newsletter and Primo offering into a more unified platform, providing deeper player insights and enhancing subscription features.

LootLocker said that investment does not represent a shift in its business model or an ambition to become a publisher. Instead, it said the deal would help it double-down on its publisher-first strategy by pairing its tech with real operational insights.

“Pantaloon was built around the idea that standing out in the publishing world requires a direct, trusted relationship with players,” said Pantaloon CEO and founder Jamin Smith.

“Partnering with LootLocker significantly accelerates our ability to turn that philosophy into a scalable platform, giving us better ways to enrich our players out-of-game experiences, stronger tools and insights to provide value via Primo, and a real technical edge now underpinning the label as we continue to grow.”

LootLocker CEO and co-founder Alexander Bergendahl commented: “Building technology for publishers is one thing, using it alongside a live publishing business is another.

“We have strong conviction in our platform and in where publishing is heading. Investing in Pantaloon is about putting that belief into practice, operating closer to the realities publishers face, and accelerating how we execute on our vision for modern publishing.”

Last year, LootLocker raised $2.5 million to expand its backend platform and link game catalogues with communities.