Facepunch remains independent, which is pretty unusual in an industry where it seems like anything that gets huge eventually gets bought out. That independence is deliberate, not accidental.
Just before the studio released Rust, it was propositioned by a company close to it, but the offer didn't include enough money. More recently, Garry Newman, creator of Garry's Mod and CEO of Facepunch Studios, sat down at GDC to discuss loads of things. When asked about buyout attempts, Newman's answer was refreshingly blunt. "Why not just enjoy what I've got and keep building it."
This stance reflects something increasingly rare in modern games development. With major studios swallowing independent developers at rates that would have seemed unthinkable a decade ago, Facepunch's refusal to join the consolidation wave stands out. Newman's financial security gives him the luxury of choice. He doesn't need the money from an acquisition, which means he can focus on what he values: creative control and the freedom to develop games on his own terms.
That independence extends to other projects as well. Alistair McFarlane, Facepunch's director and COO, told PC Gamer that the studio has been "talking to people", including "big-name companies" about adapting Rust for a film, and it has "definitely had an interest". However, the entertainment industry "is just very slow".
The path to a Rust movie is fraught with complications that go well beyond typical Hollywood red tape. The process involves a lot of pitches with studios taking it, pitching it to writers, nominating themselves, going away to create a script, then pitching to another layer before pitching to studios, creating "a whole pyramid to try and get anything off the ground".
Facepunch founder Garry Newman explained that "Between every step of that, there's about 50 people trying to scam you" and "It has to be someone that you really trust and can count on." Studios have also approached Facepunch simply to obtain rights to prevent competitors from using them, a dynamic that makes any deal more complicated.
The lack of a clear protagonist in Rust, a game where survival itself is the story rather than any particular character arc, poses its own challenge. McFarlane said "I don't even think you need a big-name star" because "I think anyone could probably fill in." That flexibility could work in the studio's favour if the right creative partner emerges.
For now, Facepunch remains focused on what it does best: making games independently and on its own schedule. The studio's willingness to walk away from acquisition money represents a philosophy increasingly difficult to find in an industry where financial pressure often forces even successful developers to seek the security of large corporate backing.