Supergiant Games

Supergiant Games is an independent video-game developer and publisher founded in 2009. Based in San Francisco, the studio creates and self-publishes original, narrative-driven action games built around distinctive worlds, responsive combat, hand-crafted art, and music.

The company’s debut, Bastion, introduced its combination of isometric action and reactive narration. Its subsequent releases—Transistor, Pyre, and Hades—each explore a different setting and gameplay structure while retaining a focus on expressive illustration, original audio, and character-driven storytelling. Hades brought the studio’s rogue-like action RPG approach to Greek mythology, while Hades II marks its first direct sequel.

Game development and publishing

Supergiant handles its projects as a full-cycle, first-party operation, spanning:

• Game design, engineering, animation, illustration, narrative, sound design, and quality assurance
• Original interactive audio, orchestral scoring, and voice performance
• Self-publishing, platform compliance, localization, community management, and licensed merchandise
• Development of proprietary technology for cross-platform releases

Its work is released across PC, console, and mobile platforms. The studio focuses on its own intellectual property rather than work-for-hire development, contract co-development, or art outsourcing for third parties.

A deliberately small studio

Founded by former Electronic Arts designers Amir Rao and Gavin Simon, Supergiant began with the team behind Bastion and later established its permanent development headquarters in San Francisco. The company describes its approach as “Small team, big vision,” maintaining a lean team while self-funding projects to preserve creative autonomy.

The studio’s operating model emphasizes sustainable production practices, including anti-crunch policies, paid time off, and measured hiring rather than rapid expansion. This combination of independent publishing, closely integrated disciplines, and long-term creative ownership has shaped Supergiant’s catalogue of action RPGs and rogue-like games.