KO_OP

KO_OP is a Canadian game studio cooperative based in Montreal. It was founded in 2012.

KO_OP
TypeCorporation
IndustryVideo games
FoundedApril 1, 2012 (2012-04-01)
FoundersSaleem Dabbous
Bronson Zgeb
Headquarters
Montreal
,
Canada
ProductsGnog
Goodbye Volcano High
Websiteko-opmode.com

History

Studio director Saleem Dabbous and programmer Bronson Zgeb founded KO_OP in 2012 to make "visually arresting avant-garde games".[1] The studio is run as a workers cooperative with equal salary and decision-making between co-owners.[2][3] Dabbous and Zgeb used personal savings to launch the company and relied on work-for-hire to finance its own games. They struggled with inexperience in their over-scoped early projects, as they moved through a dozen prototypes and eventually cancelled two projects in full production.[1]

Gnog was nominated for Excellence in Visual Art at the 2016 Independent Games Festival[4] and released in 2017.[5] KO_OP also built "The Mirror of Spirits", an expansion for Lara Croft Go, in 2016.[6]

List of games
Game Platform(s) Initial release date
GNOG PlayStation 4 May 2, 2017
iOS November 28, 2017
Microsoft Windows July 17, 2018
macOS
Winding Worlds Apple Arcade May 15, 2020
Ridiculous Fishing EX Apple Arcade July 14, 2023
Goodbye Volcano High[7] PlayStation 5 August 29, 2023
PlayStation 4
Microsoft Windows

References
  1. Sinclair, Brendan (October 18, 2016). "Inexperience as an advantage". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  2. McAloon, Alissa (March 12, 2019). "The 'equal pay and equal say' structure of the game dev studio KO_OP". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  3. Klepek, Patrick (March 12, 2019). "Giving Workers Equal Power Isn't Radical. This Studio's Done It For Years". Vice. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  4. Cameron, Phill (February 10, 2016). "Road to the IGF: KO_OP's GNOG". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  5. Couture, Joel (August 9, 2018). "Building the monstrous transforming puzzle heads of GNOG". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  6. Priestman, Chris (December 21, 2016). "The independent studio behind some of Lara Croft GO's best levels". Kill Screen. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  7. Romano, Sal (May 11, 2023). "Goodbye Volcano High delayed to August 29". Gematsu. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
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