Supergiant Games was formed by Amir Rao and Gavin Simon in 2009. Both had been working at the Los Angeles studio of Electronic Arts, involved with the Command & Conquer series.[2] In 2009 they agreed to quit their job, move into the same house, and begin to work on a new game together. Artist Jen Zee became the studio's third member, and, later, its art director.[3] Musician Darren Korb was hired for audio and music work.[4][5] They employed a number of freelance programmers and developers at various times during the development of their first game.[6][7]
Their first game, Bastion, received high critical praise, including being listed among several "Game of the Year" lists from game journalists.[8] It was first shown in mid-development at the 2010 Penny Arcade Expo as one of many highlighted indie games.[9] This attracted several publishers who wanted to help distribute the game; Supergiant Games chose Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, leading to the game's distribution on Xbox Live Arcade and also as a premiere title during the 2011 "Summer of Arcade" promotion.[10]
In March 2013, Supergiant Games announced their next title, Transistor, released on May 20, 2014. A promotion video was released on March 19.[11] The game features a female protagonist, Red, in a cyberpunk-like city, who has acquired a powerful weapon that she is nearly killed for possessing.[12] The game features a similar isometric viewpoint to Bastion[13] and was also met with critical acclaim.[14]
In April 2016, Supergiant Games announced their third game, Pyre, released on July 25, 2017, for Microsoft Windows, Linux and PlayStation 4. It was described as a party-based role-playing game.[15] In a break from their previous games, Pyre does not use an isometric viewpoint; the player's party travels across a 2Doverworld, and combat takes place in a separate arena. The combat system is also very different, being described as "fantasy basketball".[16]Pyre was again regarded fondly by critics and was named Game Informer's best indie RPG for that year.[17]
At The Game Awards 2022, Supergiant announced Hades II. Like the original Hades, it is a roguelite game based on Greek mythology and it is currently being developed in early access.[22][23]
