Publisher Koch Media rebrands to become Plaion

It’s to establish a new identity, and also a bit easier to say

Koch Media, a games publisher under the grand umbrella of the Embracer Group, is changing up its name. The publisher formerly known as Koch is now Plaion, as the 28-year-old company is rebranding.

Under the moniker of Koch Media, the company operated publishing labels like Deep Silver and Prime Matter. It’s part of various games and brands, ranging from Homefront and Metro to Saints Row and Dead Island. The company was purchased by Embracer Group (THQ Nordic at the time) in 2018. Now, it will operate under a new name.

In a press release, Plaion says this new name will better represent the company’s history and the groups it works with.

“Our new name offers us the opportunity to build on our rich history as a publishing partner and our outstanding, constantly growing network of world-class development studios and creative people, to keep delivering premium service to our partners, to highlight our ambition as a global player within the entertainment industry but also to reinvent ourselves,” said Plaion managing director Klemens Kundratitz. “Our vision is to enable and inspire our worldwide teams and partners, unlocking their full potential.”

What’s in a name?

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz about the name change, Kundratitz also expresses hope that the name change will make more of an international impact.

“Our name for so many years was associated with physical distribution, perhaps with us being more of a central European company–although including the UK because that was among the first three countries where we launched,” Kundratitz told GIbiz. “But we’re perhaps not seen as a global company. And it’s sometimes difficult for some people to pronounce.”

For the record, Plaion is easy to pronounce. It’s just play-on. The company’s new logo is also stylized around the common triangle used for Play.