Klei Entertainment

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.

Klei Entertainment Inc.
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FoundedJuly 2005 (2005-07)
HeadquartersVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Key people
Jamie Cheng
Jeffrey Agala
Products
Number of employees
~100
ParentTencent
(2021–present)[1]
Websiteklei.com

On January 25, 2021, Klei became a subsidiary of the Chinese holding conglomerate Tencent.

Employees

History

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 acquired seed funding for Klei by selling his THQ shares earned at Relic and getting a $10,000 loan from his brother.[5] 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[6] 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,[7] then for Mac OS X on December 9, 2010.[8][9] 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.[10][11]

The company assisted with Slick Entertainment's N+, the Xbox Live Arcade port of the Adobe Flash game N.[12] In 2008, Klei developed Sugar Rush, a casual massively multiplayer online game.[13] They announced in late August 2010, that development had stopped and the game had been canceled.[14] The company's fourth original title, Shank, was announced at Penny Arcade Expo 2009.[15] 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.[16]

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.[17]

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.[18]

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.[19]

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.[20]

Culture

Co-founder Jamie Cheng sought a company culture where employees live balanced lives.[21] He built Klei on the theory that game studios could make popular, interesting games with a reasonable budget during normal hours at a fair price and still be successful.[21] Since then, Klei has gained a reputation in the video game industry as a successful studio that treats its employees well and maintains balance.[22]

Games

Games Developed
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 Rotwood Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Dread Pilots Windows Early access: 2024

Games Published
Year Title Developer Platform(s) Notes
2024 Beastieball Wishes Ultd. Windows
TBA Mind Over Magic Sparkypants Windows
Lab Rat Chump Squad Windows, Xbox Series X|S

References
  1. "Tencent acquires majority stake in Don't Starve studio Klei Entertainment". PC Gamer. January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  2. "Klei - It rhymes with play". Klei.com. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  3. Plante, Chris (2013-05-29). "The Birth and Re-birth of Klei". Polygon. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  4. Wallis, Alistair (2006-09-29). "Road To The IGF: Klei Entertainment's Eets". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
  5. "Profile: Jamie Cheng". Centre for Digital Media. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
  6. Remo, Chris (2009-10-22). "Q&A: Klei Founder Cheng Discusses Shank, Animation, Repression". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
  7. "Eets on Steam". Steam. Archived from the original on 2011-02-02.
  8. Nelson, Randy (2010-12-09). "Eets unleashed on Mac, 75% off via Steam". Joystiq. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  9. "Eets: Hunger it's Emotional". Kruger Heavy Industries. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  10. Fahey, Mike (2007-04-23). "Another XBLA Double: Pinball and Eets". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  11. "Eets: Chowdown - Xbox.com". xbox.com. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  12. "Legend of Zelda remade in N+". Klei Entertainment. 2008-03-20. Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
  13. Greene, Maggie (2008-06-21). "Nexon's Sugar Rush Arena in Closed Beta". Kotaku. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  14. "Sugar Rush Free-to-Play online arena combat game". Klei Entertainment. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
  15. Tong, Sophia (2009-09-04). "Shank Hands-On". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2009-09-07. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  16. Cheng, Jamie (2010-03-04). "Klei signs with EA Partners for Shank". Klei Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
  17. "Don't Starve Together | Klei Entertainment". www.klei.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  18. "Invisible Inc". Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  19. Wawro, Alex. "On its 10th birthday, Viking Squad dev Slick joins forces with Klei". Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  20. 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.
  21. Plante, Chris (2013-05-29). "The birth and re-birth of Klei". Polygon. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  22. "Why We Can't Shake Crunch and How We Can Do Better". Love Thy Nerd. 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
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