Messhof
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2013
- Employees
- 1-10
- Offices
- 1
About Messhof
Messhof is an independent video game developer and publisher based in Venice, Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2013 by Mark Essen and Kristy Norindr, the studio develops competitive multiplayer games, precision arcade action titles and stylized adventures. Its work combines demanding mechanics with distinctive visual direction, ranging from minimal pixel art to expressive 3D environments.
The studio grew from Essen’s earlier experimental games, released under the personal handle Messhof before the company was established. That background in art and arcade design informed the studio’s commercial catalogue, where movement, timing and immediately understandable rules often create challenging play.
From fencing duels to open-world cycling
Nidhogg, released commercially in January 2014, brought the studio wider recognition through its two-player swordplay and tug-of-war progression. Originally commissioned for the NYU Game Center, the game was refined over four years before its commercial release. Nidhogg 2 followed in August 2017, broadening the combat with additional weapons and a claymation-inspired visual style.
Between those releases, Messhof launched an expanded commercial edition of Flywrench in August 2015. The precision action game challenges players to navigate obstacles by changing a spacecraft’s colour and movement state, extending the studio’s interest in compact rules and demanding execution.
Wheel World, released in July 2025 with publisher Annapurna Interactive, moved the studio into 3D exploration and narrative-focused adventure. Originally announced as Ghost Bike, it follows cyclist Kat through a stylized world of racing, bicycle restoration and supernatural stakes.
In August 2026, Messhof released the self-published Blood Dungeon, combining acrobatic platforming with auto-attacking horde combat in a 2D action roguelike. Together, these projects show a catalogue spanning local competitive play, precision challenges and exploratory adventures.
Messhof develops original intellectual property for PC and consoles. Its capabilities encompass game design, software development, multiplatform adaptation, self-publishing and custom arcade installations for exhibitions.
More about Messhof
Leadership
- Co-founder Mark Essen serves as Creative Director, guiding game mechanics and art. He earned an MFA from UCLA’s Design Media Arts programme.
- Co-founder Kristy Norindr leads operations, business administration and production. Her background includes production management at the USC Game Innovation Lab and Meteor Games, alongside studies in Gender Studies and Cinema and Media Studies.
Production and operating model
- For Wheel World, the studio worked with distributed developers and contractors across the United States and internationally, anchored by its co-founders in Venice.
- The report describes the studio’s finances as sustained by long-tail sales of its existing catalogue.
- Daedelus composed the electronic soundtrack for the expanded commercial edition of Flywrench.
Recognition
- Nidhogg received the Independent Games Festival Nuovo Award and the IndieCade Game Design Award.
- Nidhogg 2 was a finalist for Fighting Game of the Year at the 2018 DICE Awards.
- Wheel World was a finalist for Racing Game of the Year at the 2026 DICE Awards.
Notable credits
5 creditsOffices
Where Messhof is based
- Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles office
HeadquartersPrimary studio base and administrative headquarters in the Venice neighborhood.
Open roles
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