 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | September 25, 2014; 10 years ago (2014-09-25) |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Key people | |
Number of employees | 40 (2019) |
| Website | www |
Airship Syndicate Entertainment, Inc. is an Americanvideo game development company based inAustin, Texas. Founded by several ex-Vigil Games staff includingJoe Madureira and Ryan Stefanelli, in 2014, Airship Syndicate is most known for developingBattle Chasers: Nightwar (2017),Darksiders Genesis (2019) andRuined King: A League of Legends Story (2021).
Vigil Games, the creator of theDarksiders series, was shut down after publisherTHQ declaredChapter 11 bankruptcy. The co-founders of Vigil Games,Joe Madureira returned to work forMarvel Comics, while Ryan Stefanelli joinedCrytek USA and worked onHunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age. AfterHunt's development was rebooted by Crytek and Madureira finished his work on the comics, the two, alongside ex-Vigil Games animator Steve Madureira, decided to start an independent studio with a small team, as they felt that Vigil grew to become too big.[1] When they were choosing the studio's name, they initially considered using the name "Chaotic Evil", but they dropped the name after realizing that it was once used by aporn site.[2] According to Madureira, they ultimately decided to use the title "Airship Syndicate" instead, since the title reflected a "vibe of exploration and otherworldly technologies".[1]
After the company's establishment, it quickly began developing adungeon crawling game, which was described by the team as a "love letter" toJRPG.[3] Initially set to be a newintellectual property (IP), the game was later set in theBattle Chasers universe, which was created by Madureira. Madureira had reservations since he consideredBattle Chasers to be an old comic book series and he was unsure if "fans would care".[2] Nonetheless, whenBattle Chasers: Nightwar launched onKickstarter, it earned more than $850,000, surpassing its initial goal of $500,000. The team expanded since the scope of the project increased significantly during the course of development. The game was released in October 2017 byTHQ Nordic and it was both a critical and commercial success.[2]
After the successful release ofBattle Chasers: Nightwar, the studio began pitching to THQ Nordic, the owner of theDarksiders IP, about a new installment in the series.Gunfire Games was working onDarksiders III, but due to Airship Syndicate's small size, it wanted to create a game with a smaller scope. The new installment, titledDarksiders Genesis, is played from anisometric perspective, unlike other games in the series. It has a two-year development cycle. The game was released to generally positive reviews in December 2019.[4]
AtThe Game Awards 2019, the studio announcedRuined King: A League of Legends Story, a single-playerturn-based role-playing game set in theLeague of Legendsuniverse.Riot Forge published the game.[5] The game was released on November 16, 2021.[6] Airship Syndicate also confirmed that a next-generation console version for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S will be available as a free upgrade at a later date.[7]
During TennoCon 2022, AirShip Syndicate announced that they are collaborating withDigital Extremes for the development of amassively multiplayer online game.[8] The game,Wayfinder, was announced duringThe Game Awards 2022.[9] In November 2023, Digital Extremes announced that their publishing division had been shut down, and Airship Syndicate will regain full control of the property.[10] On January 31, 2024, the company announced it would lay off 12 employees. President Ryan Stefanelli and CEO Joe Madureira will also take a pay cut.[11]
| Year | Title | Publisher | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Battle Chasers: Nightwar | THQ Nordic | Windows,macOS,Linux,PlayStation 4,Xbox One,Nintendo Switch,iOS,Android |
| 2019 | Darksiders Genesis | THQ Nordic | Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One,Stadia |
| 2021 | Ruined King: A League of Legends Story | Riot Forge | Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5, Xbox One,Xbox Series X/S |
| 2024[a] | Wayfinder | Airship Syndicate[b] | Windows, PlayStation 4,[c] PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S |