Information Society is an American electronic band from Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota, initially active from 1982 to 1997, primarily consisting of Kurt Harland Larson, Paul Robb, and James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band in 2006, initially with Christopher Anton as lead vocalist, then with Harland rejoining them as lead vocalist by 2008.
Kain is a character and the main protagonist and title character of the Legacy of Kain video game series. First introduced in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain in 1996, he was created by Denis Dyack and Silicon Knights, and has appeared in all subsequent Legacy of Kain games under the direction of developer Crystal Dynamics. Between games, he serves as either the central playable character, or as an antagonist, but in all his depictions he has consistently been described as an antihero.
Legacy of Kain is a series of dark fantasy action-adventure video games primarily developed by Crystal Dynamics and formerly published by Eidos Interactive. The first title, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, was created by Silicon Knights in association with Crystal Dynamics, but, after a legal battle, Crystal Dynamics retained the rights to the game's intellectual property, and continued its story with four sequels. To date, five games comprise the series, all initially developed for video game consoles and later ported to Microsoft Windows. Focusing on the eponymous character of Kain, a vampire antihero, each title features action, exploration and puzzle-solving, with some role-playing game elements.
Raziel is a fictional character and a main protagonist in the Legacy of Kain video game series. Introduced in 1999 as the lead and playable character of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, he was created by Amy Hennig, Seth Carus and Arnold Ayala of Crystal Dynamics. He reappears as the protagonist of Soul Reaver 2, and returns as a playable character alongside series eponym, Kain, in Legacy of Kain: Defiance, which closes his story arc.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is a 1999 action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for the PlayStation and Windows. A port to the Dreamcast developed by Nixxes Software was released in 2000, serving as Nixxes' first project. The second game in the Legacy of Kain series, Soul Reaver is the sequel to Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Soul Reaver was followed by three games, one of which, Soul Reaver 2, is a direct sequel.
Crystal Dynamics, Inc. is an American video game developer based in San Mateo, California. The studio is best known for its games in the Tomb Raider, Legacy of Kain, and Gex series.
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain is a 1996 action-adventure video game developed by Silicon Knights and published by Crystal Dynamics for the PlayStation. A Microsoft Windows port developed by Semi Logic Entertainments was released by Activision under license from Crystal Dynamics in 1997, which was re-released digitally via GOG.com in 2021. The game is the first title in the Legacy of Kain series.
Nosgoth was a free-to-play multiplayer action game, developed by Psyonix and published by Square Enix for Microsoft Windows through digital distribution. It was a spin-off from the Legacy of Kain series of action-adventure games, and took place in its eponymous fictional universe. Nosgoth employed a player versus player system in which each match consisted of two rounds. Teams were composed of characters assigned to one of two races: vampires, designed around hack and slash combat; and humans, whose gameplay was styled after third-person shooters. Between rounds, teams would switch to control the opposing race, and the team which accumulated the most points by fighting their counterparts won the match.
Soul Reaver 2 is a 2001 action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive. It is a sequel to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and the third game in the Legacy of Kain series. Originally developed as a PlayStation and Dreamcast project, it was reworked into a PlayStation 2 and Windows title in early production. Soul Reaver 2 was followed by two sequels, Blood Omen 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance, in 2002 and 2003.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. It is the fifth and final game in the Legacy of Kain series.
Blood Omen 2 is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows and GameCube. It is the fourth title in the Legacy of Kain series and is the sequel to the first game in the series, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, with Blood Omen's protagonist, the vampire Kain, returning as the central character.
Don't Be Afraid is a 1997 album by electro/synthpop group Information Society. The album adds industrial elements and guitars. The album was recorded with Kurt Harland remaining the sole member of the band, featuring collaborators Fred Maher and Steve Siebold of Hate Dept. The album features a more conceptual sound unlike past material, with Harland describing the album's themes as "extremes of emotion and sensation". The eighth track, "Ozar Midrashim", is used extensively in the video game Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, as the theme of the main character Raziel.
Pure Energy: The Very Best of Information Society is a compilation album by the electronic band Information Society. It is generally poorly regarded by band members.
Oscillator is an EP by Information Society. It was their first new commercial release after six-year break.
Amy Hennig is an American video game writer and director, formerly for the video game company Naughty Dog. She began her work in the industry on the Nintendo Entertainment System, with her design debut on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City. She later went to work for Crystal Dynamics, working primarily on the Legacy of Kain series. With Naughty Dog, she worked primarily on the Jak and Daxter and Uncharted series, the latter of which she created.
Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun is a cancelled action-adventure video game that was in development by Climax Studios for Square Enix Europe, with an accompanying multiplayer component developed separately by Psyonix. Conceived as the sixth entry in the Legacy of Kain series, Dead Sun entered production for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox 360. It was cancelled in 2012 after three years of development. Square Enix Europe and Psyonix salvaged the planned multiplayer mode, which they reconceptualized as Nosgoth, a standalone free-to-play title.
Nixxes Software B.V. is a Dutch video game developer based in Utrecht. It was founded by former demoscene developer Jurjen Katsman in 1999 to port the game Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver to the Dreamcast. In July 2021, the company was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment as part of PlayStation Studios to help bring its games from PlayStation platforms to personal computers. As of 2020, 40% of Nixxes' work comprises game ports, with the remainder being co-development efforts like the production of art assets.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise is an upcoming 2025 dark fantasy action-adventure graphic novel written by Joshua Viola and Angie Hodapp with pencil/inks by Juan Samu, colors by Zac Atkinson, letters by Jeremiah Lambert, cover art by Dave Rapoza, Matthew Therrien, and Aaron Lovett, and concept art by Daniel Cabuco, Aaron Lovett, and Juan Samu. The graphic novel is set to be published by Bit Bot Media. A part of the Legacy of Kain franchise, it is a prequel to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver featuring Raziel and Kain.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is an action-adventure video game compilation developed and published by Aspyr. It contains remastered versions of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (1999) and Soul Reaver 2 (2001), entries in the Legacy of Kain series originally developed by Crystal Dynamics. It was released on December 10, 2024, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Soul Reaver.
