Klei Entertainment
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | July 2005 |
| Headquarters | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Key people | Jamie Cheng Jeffrey Agala |
| Products | |
Number of employees | ~100 |
| Parent | Tencent (2021–present)[1] |
| Website | klei.com |
Klei Entertainment Inc. (/kleɪ/ KLAY[2]) is a Canadian video game development company located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Klei was formed in July 2005 by Jamie Ching Cheng. Their best-known titles include Don't Starve and Oxygen Not Included.
On January 25, 2021, Klei became a subsidiary of the Chinese holding conglomerate Tencent.
History
[edit]Jamie Cheng founded Klei Entertainment in July 2005.[3] Prior to the formation of Klei, Cheng worked as a specialist AI programmer at Relic Entertainment, formerly owned by THQ.[4] Cheng acquired seed funding for Klei by selling his THQ shares earned at Relic and getting a $10,000 loan from his brother.[5] With the initial funding secured, Cheng partnered with Jeffrey Agala to become co-founder and Creative Director at the studio. In 2009, Klei had 11 employees[6] and as of May 2013, it had grown to 35 employees.[3]
Their first title, Eets, was first released on March 27, 2006, for Microsoft Windows, then for Mac OS X on December 9, 2010.[7] Between those two releases, the game was ported to the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade platform and released on April 25, 2007. Retitled to Eets: Chowdown, this version featured 120 new levels and an action minigame called Marsho Madness.[8]
The company assisted with Slick Entertainment's N+, the Xbox Live Arcade port of the Adobe Flash game N.[9] In 2008, Klei developed Sugar Rush, a casual massively multiplayer online game.[10] They announced in late August 2010, that development had stopped and the game had been canceled. The company's fourth original title, Shank, was announced at Penny Arcade Expo 2009.[11] It was released on August 24, 2010, for the PlayStation 3, August 25, 2010, for the Xbox 360, and October 26, 2010, for Microsoft Windows.[12]
Klei's survival adventure game Don't Starve was released on April 23, 2013. Don't Starve was released in a 2-for-1 beta format on Steam, allowing players to purchase two copies of the game for the price of one. Before it was officially self-published, Klei sold more than 300,000 copies of Don't Starve at a price of $15 each.[3] On April 21, 2016, Klei released a stand-alone multiplayer version of Don't Starve called Don't Starve Together, which has regular updates and individual downloadable content.
On July 2, 2013, it was announced that their next release would be titled Invisible, Inc., a turn-based espionage game released on May 12, 2015.
In 2017, Klei Entertainment acquired Slick Entertainment. Slick founder Nick Waanders and CEO Jamie Cheng previously worked together at Relic Entertainment, which established a working relationship that later allowed the companies to merge.[13]
Klei announced in January 2021 that they had agreed to allow Tencent to acquire a majority stake in the company. Klei would remain in full control of its products, but the Tencent acquisition would help them reach the gaming market in China.[14]
Culture
[edit]Co-founder Jamie Cheng sought a company culture where employees live balanced lives.[15] He built Klei on the theory that game studios could make popular, interesting games with a reasonable budget during normal hours at a fair price and still be successful.[15]
Games
[edit]Games Developed
[edit]| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Eets | Mac OS X, Windows, Xbox 360 | |
| 2008 | N+ | PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS | Engine only |
| 2010 | Sugar Rush | Windows | Cancelled |
| 2010 | Shank | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| 2012 | Shank 2 | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| 2012 | Mark of the Ninja | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, Xbox 360 | |
| 2013 | Don't Starve | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, iOS, Android | |
| 2014 | Eets Munchies | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, iOS | |
| 2015 | Invisible, Inc. | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, PlayStation 4, iOS | |
| 2016 | Don't Starve Together | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | |
| 2018 | Mark of the Ninja: Remastered | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | |
| 2019 | Oxygen Not Included | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows | Early access: 2017 Released: 2019 |
| 2019 | Hot Lava | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, iOS | |
| 2021 | Griftlands | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Early access: 2019 Released: 2021 |
| TBA | Dread Pilots | Windows | Early access: 2024 |
| Rotwood | Windows | Early access: 2024 |
Games Published
[edit]| Year | Title | Developer | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Crypt of the NecroDancer | Brace Yourself Games | Windows, Linux, OS X | |
| 2024 | Beastieball | Wishes Ultd. | Windows | In development |
| TBA | Mind Over Magic | Sparkypants | Windows | Early access: 2023 |
| Lab Rat | Chump Squad | Windows, Xbox Series X|S |
References
[edit]- ^ "Tencent acquires majority stake in Don't Starve studio Klei Entertainment". PC Gamer. January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Klei - It rhymes with play". Klei.com. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ a b c Plante, Chris (2013-05-29). "The Birth and Re-birth of Klei". Polygon. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
- ^ Wallis, Alistair (2006-09-29). "Road To The IGF: Klei Entertainment's Eets". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
- ^ "Profile: Jamie Cheng". Centre for Digital Media. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
- ^ Remo, Chris (2009-10-22). "Q&A: Klei Founder Cheng Discusses Shank, Animation, Repression". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
- ^ Nelson, Randy (2010-12-09). "Eets unleashed on Mac, 75% off via Steam". Joystiq. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
- ^ Fahey, Mike (2007-04-23). "Another XBLA Double: Pinball and Eets". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
- ^ "Legend of Zelda remade in N+". Klei Entertainment. 2008-03-20. Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
- ^ Greene, Maggie (2008-06-21). "Nexon's Sugar Rush Arena in Closed Beta". Kotaku. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ^ Tong, Sophia (2009-09-04). "Shank Hands-On". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2009-09-07. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
- ^ Cheng, Jamie (2010-03-04). "Klei signs with EA Partners for Shank". Klei Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
- ^ Wawro, Alex. "On its 10th birthday, Viking Squad dev Slick joins forces with Klei". Retrieved 2017-07-24.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (January 22, 2021). "Yet Another Game Dev Acquired By Tencent, And This Time It's Don't Starve Maker Klei". GameSpot. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ a b Plante, Chris (2013-05-29). "The birth and re-birth of Klei". Polygon. Retrieved 2019-01-15.