In September 2022, Jason Gastrow (aka videogamedunkey) and his wife Leah Gastrow launched Bigmode, a video game publishing company specializing in publishing indie games. Jason stated in a video announcing the new company, "I think we're going to bring insane value to the table and the bottom line is: help good games succeed and help them continue to succeed into the future". Co-founder Leah said their ultimate goal was to "put together a catalogue of unique, high-quality games that can be enjoyed for many years." The announcement had mixed reactions from indie developers.

In January 2023, Bigmode announced its first title, Animal Well.