Supergiant Games

Supergiant Games is a developer and publisher.

Supergiant Games Webpage, Facebook

An independent American game studio based in San Francisco. It gained worldwide recognition with its debut production, 2011's Bastion. Supergiant Games develops titles for PC, consoles, and mobile devices.

History

In 2009, Amir Rao and Gavin Simon left Electronic Arts, where they had worked on the Command & Conquer series, to start their own development studio. Darren Korb soon joined the team to take charge of the sound design for their debut work. Additionally, freelance programmers also contributed to the development of this still-mysterious project.

Bastion, a straightforward path to success

In 2010, the team was ready to showcase their project to the public for the first time. Bastion, as this action RPG was named, made its debut at the PAX 10 convention. The game drew interest from many publishers, but the team ultimately chose to partner with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Bastion, distinguished by its narrator who described the hero's actions in real time, was released for Xbox 360 and PC in 2011. In the following years, the title also appeared on mobile devices (2012), PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita (2015), Xbox One (2016), and Nintendo Switch (2018). The game's success gave the team the boost they needed to start their second project.

Transistor

Transistor, as the game was named, was announced in March 2013 and released on PC and PlayStation 4 in May 2014. As with their previous title, it later became available on other platforms, including smartphones and tablets (2015) and Nintendo Switch (2018). The creators returned with another action RPG, this time taking players on a journey through a cyberpunk world. Like its predecessor, it was both a critical and commercial hit.

Pyre

The third title in Supergiant Games' portfolio was Pyre, announced in April 2016. Launched for PC and PlayStation 4 in July 2017, the game was also an action RPG, though it incorporated elements from visual novels, MOBAs, and even sports games. Competitions against opponents used rules similar to team sports, with a commentator adding to the immersive match experience. The title received critical acclaim, reflected in its high ratings.

Hades, the studio's first series

The world first learned about Supergiant Games' fourth project on December 7th, 2018, during The Game Awards; at the same time, it launched in Early Access on the newly opened Epic Games Store. Hades, as the game was named, is an action title with RPG and roguelike elements, immersing players in a world drawn from Greek mythology.

Hades rapidly gained popularity among players. Its full version arrived on PC and Nintendo Switch in September 2020, and on PlayStation and Xbox consoles less than a year later. In March 2024, the game also became available on Apple mobile devices.

Hades was a major success for Supergiant Games. The game sold exceptionally well - reaching its first million units by September 2021 - and according to Metacritic, it earned an average score of 93/100 from industry media, regardless of platform. Additionally, the title won numerous Game of the Year awards (BAFTA, DICE Awards, GDC) and became the first game ever to receive a Hugo Award.

Seizing the moment, in December 2022, Supergiant Games announced Hades II, making Hades the studio's first project to receive a sequel. The game entered Early Access on May 6th, 2024, with many signs suggesting it would match the artistic and commercial success of the original. It's worth noting that at its peak around launch, the game drew over 100,000 concurrent players on Steam.