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 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 sought a company culture where employees live balanced lives, building Klei on the belief that game studios could make popular, interesting games with a reasonable budget, normal hours, and a fair price while still being successful.[5] Cheng acquired seed funding for Klei by selling his THQ shares earned at Relic and getting a $10,000 loan from his brother.[6] 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[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]
The company assisted with Slick Entertainment's N+, the Xbox Live Arcade port of the Adobe Flash game N.[10] In 2008, Klei developed Sugar Rush, a casual massively multiplayer online game.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13]
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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.[14]
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.[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 |
| 2025 | Rift of the NecroDancer | Brace Yourself Games | Windows, Nintendo Switch | |
| 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 September 7, 2018.
- ^ a b c Plante, Chris (May 29, 2013). "The Birth and Re-birth of Klei". Polygon. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- ^ Wallis, Alistair (September 29, 2006). "Road To The IGF: Klei Entertainment's Eets". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Plante, Chris (May 29, 2013). "The birth and re-birth of Klei". Polygon. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "Profile: Jamie Cheng". Centre for Digital Media. May 27, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ Remo, Chris (October 22, 2009). "Q&A: Klei Founder Cheng Discusses Shank, Animation, Repression". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on May 10, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Nelson, Randy (December 9, 2010). "Eets unleashed on Mac, 75% off via Steam". Joystiq. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
- ^ Fahey, Mike (April 23, 2007). "Another XBLA Double: Pinball and Eets". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
- ^ "Legend of Zelda remade in N+". Klei Entertainment. March 20, 2008. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Greene, Maggie (June 21, 2008). "Nexon's Sugar Rush Arena in Closed Beta". Kotaku. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
- ^ Tong, Sophia (September 4, 2009). "Shank Hands-On". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 7, 2009. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ Cheng, Jamie (March 4, 2010). "Klei signs with EA Partners for Shank". Klei Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 27, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ Wawro, Alex. "On its 10th birthday, Viking Squad dev Slick joins forces with Klei". Retrieved July 24, 2017.
- ^ 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.