 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | July 2005; 20 years ago (2005-07) |
| 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 Canadianvideo game development company located inVancouver,British Columbia. Klei was formed in July 2005 by Jamie Cheng. Their best-known titles includeDon't Starve andOxygen Not Included.
On January 25, 2021, Klei became asubsidiary of the Chinese holding conglomerateTencent.
Jamie Cheng founded Klei Entertainment in July 2005.[3] Prior to the formation of Klei, Cheng worked as a specialist AIprogrammer atRelic Entertainment, formerly owned byTHQ.[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, forMicrosoft Windows, then forMac OS X on December 9, 2010.[8] Between those two releases, the game was ported to the Xbox 360 via theXbox Live Arcade platform and released on April 25, 2007. Retitled toEets: Chowdown, this version featured 120 new levels and an action minigame calledMarsho Madness.[9]
The company assisted with Slick Entertainment'sN+, the Xbox Live Arcade port of theAdobe Flash gameN.[10] In 2008, Klei developedSugar Rush, a casualmassively 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 atPenny Arcade Expo 2009.[12] It was released on August 24, 2010, for thePlayStation 3, August 25, 2010, for theXbox 360, and October 26, 2010, for Microsoft Windows.[13]
Klei's survival adventure gameDon't Starve was released on April 23, 2013.Don't Starve was released in a 2-for-1 beta format onSteam, 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 ofDon't Starve at a price of $15 each.[3] On April 21, 2016, Klei released a stand-alone multiplayer version ofDon't Starve calledDon'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 titledInvisible, 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 allowTencent 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]
| 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 |
| 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 |