 Logo since August 2019 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Key people | Amir Rao (studio operations) |
| Products | |
Number of employees | 23 [1] (2023) |
| Website | supergiantgames.com |
Supergiant Games, LLC is an American independent video game developer and publisher based in San Francisco. It was founded in 2009 by Amir Rao and Gavin Simon, and is known for the games Bastion , Transistor , Pyre , and Hades .
Supergiant Games was formed by Amir Rao and Gavin Simon in 2009. Both had been working at the Los Angeles studio of Electronic Arts, involved with the Command & Conquer series. [2] In 2009 they agreed to quit their job, move into the same house, and begin to work on a new game together. Artist Jen Zee became the studio's third member, and, later, its art director. [3] Musician Darren Korb was hired for audio and music work. [4] [5] They employed a number of freelance programmers and developers at various times during the development of their first game. [6] [7]
Their first game, Bastion , received high critical praise, including being listed among several "Game of the Year" lists from game journalists. [8] It was first shown in mid-development at the 2010 Penny Arcade Expo as one of many highlighted indie games. [9] This attracted several publishers who wanted to help distribute the game; Supergiant Games chose Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, leading to the game's distribution on Xbox Live Arcade and also as a premiere title during the 2011 "Summer of Arcade" promotion. [10]
In March 2013, Supergiant Games announced their next title, Transistor , released on May 20, 2014. A promotion video was released on March 19. [11] The game features a female protagonist, Red, in a cyberpunk-like city, who has acquired a powerful weapon that she is nearly killed for possessing. [12] The game features a similar isometric viewpoint to Bastion [13] and was also met with critical acclaim. [14]
In April 2016, Supergiant Games announced their third game, Pyre , released on July 25, 2017, for Microsoft Windows, Linux and PlayStation 4. It was described as a party-based role-playing game. [15] In a break from their previous games, Pyre does not use an isometric viewpoint; the player's party travels across a 2D overworld, and combat takes place in a separate arena. The combat system is also very different, being described as "fantasy basketball". [16] Pyre was again regarded fondly by critics and was named Game Informer 's best indie RPG for that year. [17]
Supergiant's next game, Hades , was revealed at The Game Awards 2018 and released on September 17, 2020, following an early access release from December 2018. Hades is an action roguelike game based on Greek mythology, where the player character Zagreus uses a combination of weapons, magic, and abilities to defeat enemies in procedurally-generated dungeons and escape from his father, Hades. [18] Hades was met with critical acclaim, selling over 1 million copies and reaching "universal acclaim" status on Metacritic, [19] [20] with several awards won. It was nominated for nine awards at The Game Awards 2020, including for game of the year. Hades would end up winning two awards for Best Independent Game and Best Action. Hades also won the best game award at the 2020 BAFTA Games Awards, the 2020 D.I.C.E. Awards, and the 2020 Game Developers Choice Awards [21]
At The Game Awards 2022, Supergiant announced Hades II . Like the original Hades, it will be a roguelike game based on Greek mythology and it will be developed in early access. [22] [23]
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Genre(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Bastion | Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS | Action role-playing game |
| 2014 | Transistor | Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Switch, iOS, Apple TV | Action role-playing game, Turn-based strategy |
| 2017 | Pyre | Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4 | Action role-playing game, Sports video game |
| 2020 | Hades | Windows, macOS, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, iOS | Action role-playing game, Roguelike |
| TBA | Hades II | TBA |
Roguelike is a style of role-playing game traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player character. Most roguelikes are based on a high fantasy narrative, reflecting their influence from tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons.
Yoko Shimomura is a Japanese composer and pianist primarily known for her work in video games such as the Kingdom Hearts series. She graduated from the Osaka College of Music in 1988 and began working in the video game industry by joining Capcom the same year. She wrote music for several games there, including Final Fight, Street Fighter II, and The King of Dragons.
The Game Developers Choice Awards are awards annually presented at the Game Developers Conference for outstanding game developers and games. Introduced in 2001, the Game Developers Choice Awards were preceded by the Spotlight Awards, which were presented from 1997 to 1999. Since then, the ceremony for the Independent Games Festival is held just prior to the Choice Awards ceremony.
A role-playing video game, commonly referred to as a role-playing game (RPG) or computer role-playing game (CRPG), is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character immersed in some well-defined world, usually involving some form of character development by way of recording statistics. Many role-playing video games have origins in tabletop role-playing games and use much of the same terminology, settings, and game mechanics. Other major similarities with pen-and-paper games include developed story-telling and narrative elements, player character development, complexity, as well as replay value and immersion. The electronic medium removes the necessity for a gamemaster and increases combat resolution speed. RPGs have evolved from simple text-based console-window games into visually rich 3D experiences.
Sunless Sea is a survival/exploration role-playing video game with roguelike elements developed by Failbetter Games. The game was released on 6 February 2015 for Windows and OS X following a successful Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the project. The game takes place in the universe of Failbetter's browser adventure game Fallen London, in which Victorian-era London has been moved beneath the Earth's surface to the edge of the Unterzee, a vast underground ocean. On 11 October 2016, the game's first downloadable content Zubmariner was released, which allows players to explore beneath the surface of the "zee". A sequel, Sunless Skies, was announced in September 2016. It surpassed its funding goals on Kickstarter and was released on 31 January 2019.
Gregory A. Kasavin is an American video game writer and designer at Supergiant Games. Before entering game development, Kasavin was the site director and executive editor at the gaming news website GameSpot for over ten years.
An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. Because of their independence and freedom to develop, indie games often focus on innovation, experimental gameplay, and taking risks not usually afforded in AAA games. Indie games tend to be sold through digital distribution channels rather than at retail due to a lack of publisher support. The term is synonymous with that of independent music or independent film in those respective mediums.
Twisted Pixel Games, LLC is an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. Originally a contractor, Twisted Pixel releases games based on its own intellectual properties such as The Maw and 'Splosion Man. The company uses its own proprietary engine, known as Beard, to power its games. On October 12, 2011, it was announced that Twisted Pixel had become part of Microsoft Studios. However, Twisted Pixel separated from Microsoft, and became an independent company again on September 30, 2015. In November 2021, the company became a subsidiary of Oculus Studios.
Bastion is an action role-playing video game developed by independent developer Supergiant Games and originally published in 2011 by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. In the game, the player controls "the Kid" as he moves through floating, fantasy-themed environments and fights enemies of various types. It features a dynamic voiceover from a narrator, and is presented as a two-dimensional game with an isometric camera and a hand-painted, colorful art style. Bastion's story follows the Kid as he collects special shards of rock to power a structure, the Bastion, in the wake of an apocalyptic Calamity.
Western role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in the Western world, including The Americas and Europe. They originated on mainframe university computer systems in the 1970s, were later popularized by titles such as Ultima and Wizardry in the early- to mid-1980s, and continue to be produced for modern home computer and video game console systems. The genre's "Golden Age" occurred in the mid- to late-1980s, and its popularity suffered a downturn in the mid-1990s as developers struggled to keep up with changing fashion, hardware evolution and increasing development costs. A later series of isometric role-playing games, published by Interplay Productions and Blizzard Entertainment, was developed over a longer time period and set new standards of production quality.
Transistor is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Supergiant Games. The game was released in May 2014 for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4, for OS X and Linux in October 2014, and iOS devices in June 2015. Transistor sold over one million copies across all platforms by December 2015.
Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alpha, alpha, and/or beta, while the developer is able to use those funds to continue further development on the game. Those that pay to participate typically help to debug the game, provide feedback and suggestions, may have access to special materials in the game. The early-access approach is a common way to obtain funding for indie games, and may also be used along with other funding mechanisms, including crowdfunding. Many crowdfunding projects promise to offer access to alpha and/or beta versions of the game as development progresses; however, unlike some of these projects which solicit funds but do not yet have a playable game, all early access games offer an immediately playable version of the unfinished game to players.
Darren Korb is an American songwriter, composer, and voice actor. Korb is best known for writing the music featured in Bastion, Transistor, Pyre and Hades, all of which were developed by indie developer Supergiant Games. Korb also voice-acted in the latter two games, including providing the voice for Zagreus, the protagonist of Hades.
Pyre is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Supergiant Games. It was released in July 2017 for Microsoft Windows, Linux and PlayStation 4, and in August 2017 for macOS. Elements from sports games were incorporated into the title's gameplay. It was the third game developed by Supergiant following Transistor (2014) and it received generally positive reviews upon release.
Golf Story is a 2017 video game developed and published by Australian studio Sidebar Games for the Nintendo Switch. The game was released in North America, Europe, and Australia on 28 September 2017. Golf Story is an adventure game with role-playing (RPG) elements based on the sport of golf. Originally designed as a Wii U release, Golf Story had a lengthy development time, and Sidebar sought assistance from Nintendo to finish the game and release it for the Switch. It was influenced by the Game Boy Color version of Mario Golf, released in 1999.
Hades is a 2020 roguelike video game developed and published by Supergiant Games. It was released for macOS, Nintendo Switch, and Windows following an early access release in December 2018. It was later released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in August 2021, and was released for iOS in March 2024 through Netflix Games.
Logan Cunningham is an American actor. He is best known for his voice roles in video games developed and published by American independent video game development studio Supergiant Games. Cunningham's voice over work in video game titles has received recognition from the video game industry. He was conferred the Performer in a Supporting Role BAFTA Award in 2021 for his work as multiple characters in the roguelike video game Hades.
Jen Zee is an American artist and the art director for Supergiant Games. She joined Supergiant Games in March 2010 as a contractor on Bastion and was quickly brought on as the full time art director for the company. Her art has received positive accolades from critics, and for her work on Hades, she received numerous awards, including the 2021 BAFTA Games Award for Artistic Achievement.
