ProgCore and GUNGNIR Launch ProgCore Press, Bringing Dark Fantasy and TTRPG Worlds to Wider Distribution

ProgCore, LLC and GUNGNIR Entertainment are joining forces to launch ProgCore Press, a new publishing imprint built around dark fantasy, sword & sorcery, and roleplaying game worlds.

The partnership brings ProgCore, the indie multimedia studio founded by Todd Stashwick and David Nett, into GUNGNIR Entertainment’s publishing family and distribution network. GUNGNIR has been expanding its reach across books, graphic novels and genre storytelling, including a recent distribution relationship with Macmillan Publishers.

For ProgCore, the move is about solving one of the hardest problems facing independent creators: discovery. Nett said the studio has already built an ambitious slate across books, video, music, podcasts and more, but reaching the right audience remains a challenge. The new relationship gives ProgCore broader marketing and distribution support without abandoning the studio’s independent creative identity.

The first release under the new arrangement will be ProgCore Fantasy: Dark Age of Theer, a 300-page dark fantasy resource for collaborative storytelling and tabletop roleplaying games written by Stashwick and Nett. The book expands the original World of Theer with gaming advice, setting material and more than 20 short stories from contributors including Anjali Bhimani, Wil Wheaton, Terry Matalas, Cecil Castellucci, Marc Bernardin, Erol Otus and Jasmine Bhullar.

The project also features more than 150 pieces of original art, including work from Bob Eggleton, Erol Otus and Julia Maddalina. A signed early edition limited to 150 copies sold out in March 2026, with fulfillment to crowdfunding backers expected this fall and a wider retail release planned for spring 2027.

GUNGNIR CEO Matt Medney described the partnership as a natural fit between two creator-driven companies interested in pushing bold genre work. The teams are already developing additional releases for 2027 and 2028, including a fantasy roleplaying cocktail book, a graphic novel and short story collection set in Theer, and adventure modules compatible with games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Shadowdark.

Stashwick is known to genre fans for roles including Captain Liam Shaw in Star Trek: Picard and Deacon in 12 Monkeys, while also co-writing Skydance Games’ Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. Nett has a long background in independent genre media, including the RPG-themed series GOLD, streaming productions, theater and fan-focused projects.

With ProgCore Press, the two companies are betting that creator-owned fantasy worlds can scale without sanding away the strange, risky edges that made them interesting in the first place. For tabletop and dark fantasy fans, Dark Age of Theer will be the first major test of that mission when it reaches retail in 2027.