Determined to avoid the suggestion it’s a publisher, US “game partner” Tilting Point has announced it’s hooking up with developer Quark Games.

Best known for core strategy titles Champs: Battlegrounds and Valor, Quark’s next games will be funded, developed, operated and marketed with assistance from Tilting Point.

It’s the fifth developer to sign up to what’s being called a next generation publishing service.

(The controversy arises because while Tilting Point fulfils many of the roles of a traditional publisher, its development partner releases the games under its name and retains IP rights.)

Better, together

“Quark is one of the few elite, independent developers in the world today with demonstrated experience and success on mobile, which makes them an ideal partner for us,” said Tilting Point’s executive chairman Tom Frisina.

“Our role is to provide our partners with the resources, support, and marketing muscle they need to succeed, while they retain creative control over their idea. This gives them the tools to compete with the biggest players in mobile games.”

“The team at Tilting Point shares our vision and commitment to building better mobile games and provides us with valuable expertise and resources while allowing us to retain control of our IP,” added Quark’s CEO Eric Peng.