As Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era soars, Hooded Horse boss Tim Bender says passion-publishing trumps chasing money: "Why would anyone want to work with you if not for total lack of choice?"

A spooky necromancer's city with a green sky in Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era.

In the PC gaming space, there are few names worth watching as closely as Hooded Horse. The Texas-based publisher works in the nebulous space between niche strategy titles and mainstream hits, and, more often than not, proves that the line between both is thin. From medieval city-builder Manor Lords to regal roguelike 9 Kings and real-time ant strategy Empires of the Undergrowth, Hooded Horse has a remarkable hit rate for the indie games it's put on pedestals. But with Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, which Hooded Horse is publishing for developer Unfrozen, the team is stepping into a project where all eyes are on it from the get-go.

Still, it hasn't faltered. Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is set to launch next year, but has already dominated Steam Next Fest with a demo that some players have already sunk upwards of 200 hours into. For good reason: the writers who have been playing Olden Era within GamesRadar+ (myself included) have already fallen in love with the strategy gem, so much so that it's leading our Big Preview coverage for November.