Plug In Digital
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Francis Ingrand |
| Headquarters | Montpellier , France |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Video game publishing and distribution |
| Website | www |
Plug In Digital is a French company specializing in the publishing and distribution of video games, established in 2012 by Francis Ingrand. The firm releases mid-tier PC and console titles through its label Dear Villagers (previously known as Playdius), with notable games such as The Forgotten City and Caravan SandWitch. Additionally, Plug In Digital owns two development studios: Celsius Online, acquired in 2023, and PixelRatio, acquired in 2025.
History
Originally founded in Paris, Plug In Digital moved its headquarters to Montpellier in 2019. The company began by offering support services for studios and publishers focused on digital distribution, handling areas like sales, marketing, and distribution. That same year, they entered the Chinese market and later expanded their publishing portfolio by acquiring Black Shell Media’s operations in 2021, absorbing their existing contracts. Although they announced plans for an NFT initiative in 2022, it was subsequently abandoned due to negative feedback from the community. Their growth strategy included key acquisitions such as Celsius Online in 2023 and Spain-based PixelRatio in 2025, enhancing their development capabilities.
Subsidiaries
In 2017, Plug In Digital introduced Playdius, a division dedicated to publishing independent video games across PC, mobile, and console platforms. By 2019, Playdius rebranded as Dear Villagers to better appeal to core and hardcore gamers, focusing primarily on PC and consoles while occasionally releasing mobile versions of existing titles. New mobile games are published directly by Plug In Digital with support from their Shanghai office. Dear Villagers specializes in AA mid-market budget projects featuring gameplay that is accessible yet challenging to master.
PID Games operated between 2020 and 2025 with a more adaptable publishing approach, embracing a wide range of genres, nationalities, and platforms. Unlike Dear Villagers, PID Games welcomed first-time developers and lower-cost mobile games. The label was discontinued in 2025 to streamline focus on Dear Villagers; however, similar types of projects continue under Plug In Digital’s primary brand.
Awards
Several titles published by Plug In Digital have earned industry accolades. The Forgotten City received nominations for Game of the Year and Best Debut Game at the 2022 BAFTA, while Caravan SandWitch secured two Pégases awards for Best First Game and Best Indie Game.
Dear Villagers
- A Normal Lost Phone
- Astria Ascending
- Ashwalkers: A Survival Journey
- Away: Journey to the Unexpected
- BAFL: Brakes Are For Losers
- Boiling Bolt
- Born of Bread
- Bury Me, My Love
- Caravan SandWitch
- Chroniric XIX
- Dead in Vinland
- The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos
- Edge of Eternity
- Fabledom
- The Forgotten City
- Fort Solis
- Guayota
- Hover
- Impulsion
- Jengo
- Machinika: Atlas
- Mindcop
- Naheulbeuk's Dungeon Master
- Neurovoider
- Old School Musical
- Pankapu
- Recompile
- Revita
- Souldiers
- Somewhere: The Vault Papers
- Spirit Mancer
- Spitkiss
- ScourgeBringer
- Splasher
- Sports: Renovations
- Star Overdrive
- Stay
- Strikers Edge
- sU and The Quest for Meaning
- Terra Memoria
- The Land Beneath Us
- Passing By - A Tailwind Journey
- Vampire: The Masquerade – Reckoning of New York
Plug In Digital
- Dungeon Souls
- The Fan
- Overture
- Raining Blobs
- SanctuaryRPG
- John Mambo
- Mad Tracks (Steam edition released March 2020)
- Serial Cleaner
PID Games (2020–2025)
- Abandon Ship (naval strategy title, with mobile platform expansion)
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
- An Ankou (action roguelike available on Steam Early Access)
- Alt-Frequencies (Nintendo Switch)
- Bibots
- Blon (auto-runner platform game)
- Cassiodora
- Crypto Against All Odds
- Elypse
- Epistory: Typing Chronicles
- Fireball Wizard (retro-style platformer for mobile and Steam)
- Ghost of a Tale (PlayStation 4 and Switch versions)
- Gravity Circuit
- Guardians of Elderon
- Guild of Ascension
- Healer's Quest (Switch release)
- Heck Deck (card game combined with bullet hell mechanics, for Android and iOS)
- Hellslave (dungeon crawling game)
- Iris and the Giant (Nintendo Switch)
- Lempo
- Let Me Out
- Letters: A Written Adventure
- Lords of Exile
- Lost Eidolons (available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S)
- Lost Words: Beyond the Page (iOS and Android platforms)
- Machinika Museum (puzzle game with ongoing updates)
- Mari and Bayu - The Road Home (Nintendo Switch)
- My Museum: Treasure Hunter
- Out of Space (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch versions)
- Paper Beast (Windows platform)
- PictoQuest (available on Switch, Windows, iOS, Android)
- Pompom: The Great Space Rescue
- Post Human W.A.R.
- Roto Force
- Run: The World In-Between
- Saviorless
- Shape of the World
- Sigma Theory (iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch releases)
- Simulakros
- Skábma: Snowfall
- Tacape (roguelite card battler on iOS and Android devices)
- Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
- Unmemory
- Vernal Edge
- Yono and the Celestial Elephants
Notes