Challenge Reality
VIDEO GAME PRODUCERS/DEVELOPERS
Note: Upon talking to the teacher, it was decided that I was capable of writing about other topics rather than those given in the project document.
NINJA THEORY
SQUARE ENIX
ARKANE STUDIOS
KLEI ENTERTAINMENT
Klei Entertainment was founded in 2005 by Jamie Cheng in Vancouver, Canada as an independent video game development studio. Upon creation, Cheng was worried that video game companies were exploiting their employees with too much work and unpaid hours. Because of this, he decided to make Klei Entertainment into a company that not only created interesting and popular games but that offered a stable and well-paid environment to its employees. Relatively small, the studio has 35 employees. And yet, despite the aggressive competition bigger studios have created, KE has produced several fairly well known games. Among these are Shank (2010), Mark of the Ninja(2012) and Don’t Starve(2013). In fact, Don’t Starve was such a hit that the company is still adding new content to this day. The game has even given birth to Don’t Starve Together (a multiplayer version of the original game) and Oxygen Not Included.
As an added note, Klei Entertainment thought of making the game free-to-play but decided against it after opting to set the game and its future extensions at a relatively low price.
Raphael Colantonio used to work for Electronic Art but, after being disgruntled by the company’s new goals when Playstation was released, founded Arkane Studios in 1999. Created in France, the studio has been expanding and now owns a division in Austin, Texas. Their first game was Arx Fatalis, an action role-playing game which was released for the Windows and Xbox platforms. This game was released in 2002 . Other games that have marked Arkane Studios history are “Call of Duty,” “Bioshock” and the famous “Dishonored” saga. Interestingly, ZeniMax Media bought Arkane Studios in 2010 and supported the development team with the creation of “Dishonored.” This proved such a success that the company has released two sequels and a spinoff.
At this moment, they are planning to release “Wolfenstein: Youngblood” across several platforms in July 2019.
Square Enix was founded after Enix Corporation and Square Co., Ltd merged in 2003. It is a Japanese company that develops, publishes and distributes its own video games. They are the creators of the famous game franchises “Final Fantasy,” “Dragon Quest,” and “Kingdom Hearts.” Together, these three franchises have sold millions upon millions of copies and have made Square Enix one of the most successful video game companies in history.
In the mid 1980s and before the merging with Enix Corporation, Square was at the verge of bankruptcy. However, it was miraculously saved by “Final Fantasy.” In fact, the name was chosen not only because it sounded good when abbreviated to “FF,” but because if it had failed, it ‘would’ have been the CEO’s last ditch effort to save the company. Hence, it would have been the company’s final fantasy. Luckily, the franchise was an overwhelming success and allowed for the creation of Square Enix as it is now known.
Ninja theory is a video game development studio founded in Cambridge, England in 2004. For most of its history, it has worked with other companies to create controversial but intriguing games. From their first famous game “Heavenly Sword (2007)” to “DMC: Devil May Cry” to their newest game “Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (their first self-published game),” Ninja Theory has achieved a rightful place under the international spotlight. After Hellblade’s success, Ninja Theory signed a contract with Xbox Game Studios and is currently working on a secret project with them. It is said that Xbox will release details of the project this year (2019), but these are only rumors. There are a lot of expectations, and Ninja Theory fans are anxiously waiting to see if the studio will maintain the level it gained with their latest game.