OUAN502 - Supergiant Games

I found out about the games studio Supergiant Games from our PPP task where we had to present a studio to the class. This is one of the studios that caught my attention and I wanted to find out more about the studio. Something that drew me to it in particular is that I remember learning that the studio is small and actually only has one person to fulfil each role within the process, so for example they have an artist, musician, director, game designers etc and just everything they need to create a game with. The studio is actually mentioned as an American 'video game development' company, perhaps referring to their experimental approach to game design and the process of creating them in general. They are also based in San Francisco, California. The studio itself was was founded in 2009 by Amir Rao who handles the studios operatins and design, and Gavin Simon, who is the studios engineer and also a designer. In 2009, whilst working for the Electronic Arts studio in California they both decided to quit their jobs with EA and move into a house together to begin working on a new game. To manage the project they hired musician Darren Korb for audio and music work, a member of the group that is now a permanent member of the team there. To source other freelancers and developers for the project they employed different people throughout the making of the first game. From what I've learned the studio is well known for the two main titles that they have created named; Bastion and Transistor. The art styles in particular of both of these games I really like - specifically the choice of colours and the consistency throughout all of the work attributed to the games.

In terms of the companies success within the work they have produced, their first game, Bastion, received a huge amount of praise from both the community and the media. It was also listed in several "Game of the Year" lists that were created by game journalists. The game was first shown in mid-development at the 2010 Penny Arcade Expo as part of its "PAX 10" highlight ten upcoming independently developed games. This attracted a lot of attention as a result, and several publishers wanted to help distribute the game. Ultimately Supergiant Games decided that Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment shared the same vision they had for the game and selected them as their publishing partner. Following this, in March 2013, Supergiant Games announced their follow up title to the successful Bastion in the form of Transistor. The game features a female protagonist named Red. It is set in a sort of cyberpunk-like city, and I really like the use of imagery and the themes that are used throughout the game to represent visually the game's title. The studio is currently in a good place, and in April 2016 they announced their third game Pyre, which is scheduled for released in 2017 on the Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 platforms.


Bastion, (2011)


Transistor (2014)