
New Blood Interactive
American indie game publisher known for Dusk, Amid Evil, and Ultrakill, founded in 2014 in Oceanside, California. Privately held with approximately 50 employees.
Company Type
private
Founded
2014
Headquarters
Oceanside, California, USA
Revenue
Not publicly disclosed
Employees
Approximately 50
Primary Market
Global
New Blood Interactive Timeline
About New Blood Interactive
What is New Blood Interactive?
New Blood Interactive is a privately held American game development and publishing company founded in 2014 by Aaron Alexander, Kreyg DeZago, and Dave Oshry in Oceanside, California. The company is known for publishing retro-inspired indie games including Dusk, Amid Evil, and Ultrakill. Dave Oshry serves as CEO. The company employs approximately 50 people as of 2025 and has not disclosed revenue figures.
Is New Blood Interactive publicly traded?
No, New Blood Interactive is not publicly traded. The company is privately held and owned by its three founders: Aaron Alexander, Kreyg DeZago, and Dave Oshry. The company has not raised external funding or taken outside investment, based on available public information. There is no publicly traded stock for New Blood Interactive.
Who founded New Blood Interactive?
New Blood Interactive was founded in 2014 by Aaron Alexander (lead designer), Kreyg DeZago (lead programmer), and Dave Oshry (CEO). Alexander and Oshry had previously collaborated on the 2013 remake of Rise of the Triad. The three founders initially aimed to develop VR games before pivoting to publishing with the release of Super Galaxy Squadron in January 2015.
Where is New Blood Interactive based?
New Blood Interactive is headquartered in Oceanside, California, USA. The company has additional addresses in nearby Carlsbad, California. The company's workforce of approximately 50 people is distributed across five countries: the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Slovakia, and Italy. This distributed model allows the company to work with developers and support staff across multiple regions.
How many brands does New Blood Interactive own?
New Blood Interactive publishes multiple game titles, including Dusk (2018), Amid Evil (2019), Ultrakill (2020, early access), FAITH: The Unholy Trinity, Gloomwood (early access), Unfortunate Spacemen (2020), Maximum Action, and Super Galaxy Squadron (2015). The company both publishes external developers' titles and develops games internally. The specific ownership terms for each title vary by publishing agreement.
Who owns New Blood Interactive?
New Blood Interactive is owned by its three founders: Aaron Alexander, Kreyg DeZago, and Dave Oshry. The three founders share ownership and decision-making authority. Oshry serves as CEO and is the public face of the company. There is no parent company, no external investors, and no publisher relationship above New Blood Interactive. The company has not disclosed its internal ownership split.
What is New Blood Interactive known for?
New Blood Interactive is known for publishing retro-inspired indie games, particularly first-person shooters and horror titles. The company's breakthrough title was Dusk (2018), a retro-style FPS by David Szymanski that established the commercial viability of the retro-FPS genre. Other notable titles include Amid Evil, Ultrakill, FAITH: The Unholy Trinity, and Gloomwood. The company has established itself as the leading publisher in the retro-FPS niche.
History of New Blood Interactive
New Blood Interactive was founded in 2014 by Aaron Alexander, Kreyg DeZago, and Dave Oshry. Alexander and Oshry had previously collaborated on the 2013 remake of Rise of the Triad, a classic first-person shooter. The three founders initially aimed to develop virtual reality games, including a boxing game they planned to present at the Game Developers Conference. However, these VR plans never materialized.
The company's pivot from VR development to publishing came through a connection with Nick Clinkscales, a pixel artist who had developed Super Galaxy Squadron, a Kickstarter-backed shoot-em-up game. At the time, New Blood was looking for a pixel artist, and Clinkscales needed a publisher for his game. The two parties agreed that New Blood would publish Super Galaxy Squadron and that Clinkscales would join the company. Super Galaxy Squadron was released in January 2015, marking New Blood's first published title.
The game was remastered as Super Galaxy Squadron EX in February 2016, with a Turbo version released in March 2017. While these titles were modest in scope, they established New Blood's publishing model of working with solo developers and small teams to commercialize retro-inspired games.
New Blood's breakthrough came with Dusk, a retro-style first-person shooter developed by David Szymanski. Dusk was released in 2018 for Linux, macOS, and Windows, with later ports to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series X/S. The game was critically acclaimed for its faithful recreation of 1990s FPS aesthetics combined with modern level design and mechanics. Dusk established New Blood's reputation as a publisher of high-quality retro-inspired indie games and demonstrated the commercial viability of the niche.
Following Dusk's success, New Blood expanded its publishing portfolio with titles that shared the retro-inspired ethos. Amid Evil, a retro fantasy first-person shooter developed by Indefatigable, was released in 2019 for Windows, with a later Xbox Series X/S port. Ultrakill, a fast-paced first-person shooter developed by Arsi "Hakita" Patala, entered early access in 2020 and quickly gained a large and dedicated following. Both titles reinforced New Blood's position as the leading publisher of retro-inspired FPS games.
In 2020, New Blood published Unfortunate Spacemen, a free-to-play multiplayer social deception game developed by Geoff "Zag" Keene. The game launched its full release on June 12, 2020, after four years in early access. Unlike New Blood's other titles, Unfortunate Spacemen is free-to-play rather than a paid game, representing a different monetization model for the publisher. The game reached an all-time peak of 11,736 concurrent players on Steam in June 2020 but declined rapidly thereafter.
The company's portfolio continued to expand with titles including FAITH: The Unholy Trinity, a pixel art horror game, and Gloomwood, a stealth horror game that entered early access. New Blood also published Maximum Action, a retro-style action game. These titles broadened the company's portfolio beyond first-person shooters into horror and stealth genres while maintaining the retro-inspired aesthetic.
As of 2026, New Blood Interactive continues to publish and support its portfolio of titles. The company has not disclosed revenue figures. Ultrakill, in particular, has developed a large and active community during its early access period, representing one of the company's most commercially promising titles. The company's workforce has grown to approximately 50 people, distributed across five countries.
New Blood Interactive Sustainability & Ethics
New Blood Interactive has not published a sustainability report or third-party environmental certification. As a digital game publisher and developer, the company does not have the physical manufacturing footprint associated with physical products. The company operates from offices in Oceanside, California, with a distributed remote workforce across five countries.
In terms of ethical practices, New Blood's paid titles use a one-time purchase model without microtransactions, loot boxes, or pay-to-win mechanics. This approach aligns with the retro-inspired ethos of its portfolio and avoids the regulatory scrutiny associated with randomized reward mechanics. Unfortunate Spacemen, the company's only free-to-play title, does not prominently feature microtransactions on its store page.
The company's publishing model, where developers typically retain intellectual property ownership while New Blood handles publishing operations, has been noted as developer-friendly within the indie game community. Dave Oshry has publicly advocated for fair treatment of indie developers and has positioned New Blood as a publisher that respects creative control. The specific financial terms of the company's publishing agreements have not been publicly disclosed.
The company has not been involved in documented labor disputes, environmental violations, or major regulatory actions. New Blood Interactive has not sought B Corporation certification and does not publish ESG or corporate responsibility reports.
Controversy, Regulation & Public Scrutiny
Unfortunate Spacemen Player Base Decline (2020 to 2026): Unfortunate Spacemen experienced a sharp decline in concurrent players following its June 2020 full release. Average monthly concurrent players dropped from 734 in June 2020 to approximately 8 by August 2026, a decline of over 98%. The small player base has created matchmaking difficulties, making it difficult for new players to find full multiplayer matches. New Blood Interactive has not publicly addressed the retention challenge or announced plans to revitalize the player base. The game's minimal active player base raises questions about the ongoing value of the title for both the publisher and remaining players.
Windows 10 Requirement Update (2024): In 2024, New Blood Interactive announced that Unfortunate Spacemen would only support Windows 10 and later versions. This update potentially excluded players on older Windows operating systems. While Windows 10 adoption is widespread, the decision to drop support for older systems affects a segment of the player base. The change was likely driven by technical requirements and the limited development resources allocated to maintaining the game.
Extended Early Access Periods (Ongoing): Several of New Blood's titles have spent extended periods in early access. Ultrakill entered early access in 2020 and remains in early access as of August 2026. Gloomwood also remains in early access. While these games receive regular updates and maintain positive review ratings, the extended early access periods have drawn some player criticism. The company has not publicly committed to specific 1.0 release dates for most of its early access titles, which can create uncertainty for purchasers.
Brands Owned by New Blood Interactive
New Blood Interactive owns 1 brand in our database. Explore the ownership tree below — click categories to expand and see individual brands.
New Blood Interactive
private · Founded 2014 · Oceanside, California, USA
1
brands
Shop New Blood Interactive Brands
Disclosure: We may earn commission from purchasesNew Blood Interactive Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Founder-owned and independent, meaning all publishing and creative decisions are made by the original team without external investor pressure
- +Developer-friendly publishing model where external developers typically retain intellectual property ownership
- +One-time purchase model without microtransactions or loot boxes for paid titles avoids regulatory scrutiny
- +Strong reputation in the indie game community, built through Dave Oshry's advocacy and the company's consistent quality
- +Focused portfolio in the retro-FPS niche gives the company clear market positioning and audience identification
Considerations
- -Revenue depends on a portfolio of indie titles with modest individual sales compared to mainstream game publishers
- -Unfortunate Spacemen's minimal active player base represents a failed experiment in the social deduction genre for the company
- -Extended early access periods for titles like Ultrakill and Gloomwood create uncertainty about full release timelines
- -The distributed workforce across five countries creates coordination challenges as the company scales to approximately 50 employees
- -Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, making it difficult to assess the company's financial health independently
Frequently Asked Questions About New Blood Interactive
What is New Blood Interactive?
New Blood Interactive is a privately held American game development and publishing company founded in 2014 by Aaron Alexander, Kreyg DeZago, and Dave Oshry in Oceanside, California. The company is known for publishing retro-inspired indie games including Dusk, Amid Evil, and Ultrakill. Dave Oshry serves as CEO. The company employs approximately 50 people as of 2025 and has not disclosed revenue figures.
Is New Blood Interactive publicly traded?
No, New Blood Interactive is not publicly traded. The company is privately held and owned by its three founders: Aaron Alexander, Kreyg DeZago, and Dave Oshry. The company has not raised external funding or taken outside investment, based on available public information. There is no publicly traded stock for New Blood Interactive.
Who founded New Blood Interactive?
New Blood Interactive was founded in 2014 by Aaron Alexander (lead designer), Kreyg DeZago (lead programmer), and Dave Oshry (CEO). Alexander and Oshry had previously collaborated on the 2013 remake of Rise of the Triad. The three founders initially aimed to develop VR games before pivoting to publishing with the release of Super Galaxy Squadron in January 2015.
Where is New Blood Interactive based?
New Blood Interactive is headquartered in Oceanside, California, USA. The company has additional addresses in nearby Carlsbad, California. The company's workforce of approximately 50 people is distributed across five countries: the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Slovakia, and Italy. This distributed model allows the company to work with developers and support staff across multiple regions.
How many brands does New Blood Interactive own?
New Blood Interactive publishes multiple game titles, including Dusk (2018), Amid Evil (2019), Ultrakill (2020, early access), FAITH: The Unholy Trinity, Gloomwood (early access), Unfortunate Spacemen (2020), Maximum Action, and Super Galaxy Squadron (2015). The company both publishes external developers' titles and develops games internally. The specific ownership terms for each title vary by publishing agreement.
Who owns New Blood Interactive?
New Blood Interactive is owned by its three founders: Aaron Alexander, Kreyg DeZago, and Dave Oshry. The three founders share ownership and decision-making authority. Oshry serves as CEO and is the public face of the company. There is no parent company, no external investors, and no publisher relationship above New Blood Interactive. The company has not disclosed its internal ownership split.
What is New Blood Interactive known for?
New Blood Interactive is known for publishing retro-inspired indie games, particularly first-person shooters and horror titles. The company's breakthrough title was Dusk (2018), a retro-style FPS by David Szymanski that established the commercial viability of the retro-FPS genre. Other notable titles include Amid Evil, Ultrakill, FAITH: The Unholy Trinity, and Gloomwood. The company has established itself as the leading publisher in the retro-FPS niche.
Sources & Further Reading
- New Blood Interactive Official Website -
- Wikipedia: New Blood Interactive -
- Unfortunate Spacemen on Steam -
- Geoff Keene LinkedIn (Unfortunate Spacemen Developer) -
- GameCompanies: New Blood Interactive -
- New Blood Interactive LinkedIn -
- SteamCharts: Unfortunate Spacemen -
- SteamPulse: Unfortunate Spacemen Reviews -
- Dusk on Steam -








