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Dark Rift Entertainment

Games & Interactive
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Founded
2014
Employees
11-50
Offices
0

About Dark Rift Entertainment

Dark Rift Entertainment was an independent video game developer founded in 2014 in Orange County, California. Its work spanned mobile development and projects intended for PC and consoles, with capabilities in game design, concept art, prototyping, 3D art and modeling, character development, and interactive storytelling.

The studio set out to develop original entertainment franchises that combined several game genres. Its creative direction brought together first-person and third-person action, tower-defense systems, and real-time hero management. After releasing an initial mobile title, the company expanded its development team and pursued a larger interactive entertainment project.

Development work

Between 2015 and 2016, Dark Rift Entertainment partnered with Lenovo Gaming on GameState, a hybrid action and tower-defense project. The collaboration was showcased across gaming communities, including Machinima and Rooster Teeth. The supplied research identifies it as a development project rather than a commercially released console game.

Alongside its own projects, the studio's reported capabilities included full-cycle video game development and multi-platform design. Its work connected visual development and character creation with gameplay prototyping and interactive narrative.

The company began in Irvine and later consolidated its operations in Huntington Beach. Following the GameState campaign in 2016–2017, development activity wound down and team members moved to other companies in the games and entertainment industries. The studio ceased active commercial operations around 2017.

More about Dark Rift Entertainment

Founders and early collaborators

  • Kevin Cooper was identified as President and co-founder during the studio's operating period. He developed the business idea while studying Game Art at Full Sail University after leaving a legal career.
  • Nigel Nikitovich was identified as co-founder, Vice-President and Creative Director. A childhood friend of Cooper, he previously worked in computer animation at Blizzard Entertainment and collaborated remotely with Cooper before the studio's establishment.
  • Full Sail classmate Edo Von Muralt joined as a 3D Art Generalist. Later recruitment brought in experience from Electronic Arts, 2K Games and 20th Century Fox.

Broader creative plans

The studio explored science-fiction comic books and graphic novels as potential extensions of its entertainment franchises. These were reported plans rather than confirmed published releases.

Subsequent career history

After the studio's development activity ended, Nikitovich moved to Final Strike Games as a Senior Game Designer.

Notable credits

1 credit
  • GameState (development project, 2015–2016)

Offices

Current and former locations of Dark Rift Entertainment

2 locations

  • Huntington Beach office

    Former office
    15241 Transistor Ln, Huntington Beach, CA 92649, USAHuntington Beach, California, United States
    About this office

    Former overall headquarters and production facility shared with Ultimate Media Ventures. The premises were subsequently vacated and offered for commercial lease.

    View map

  • Irvine office

    Former office
    Irvine, California, United States

    Opened 2014

    Historical founding location established in 2014. Operations subsequently consolidated in Huntington Beach.

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