Kowloon Nights, a video game investment fund, added 23 more projects to its lineup. With more than $ 100 million in funds available, Kowloon Nights said it has supported more than “40 teams worldwide”.
The new partnerships, which include financing for Spiritfarer, Paradise Killer, and Oxenfree developers, were announced on Thursday. Kowloon Nights announced its investment fund in 2018 with a series of games with budgets ranging from $ 500,000 to $ 5 million, including one of The Last Guardian creator Fumito Ueda. In its second year, Kowloon Nights added 10 more projects, some of which were launched last year. (Beloved Thunder Lotus game management simulator Spiritfarer and Timberline Studio The red lantern are among them.)
Twenty-three more games will be funded this time, including projects from previous Kowloon Nights partners such as Thunder Lotus.
“We are incredibly proud to work with such talented studios and developers, whose innovative work has already brought games to the community ranging from OlliOlli for Paradise Killer for Absolve for Spiritfarer for Oxenfree and more, ”said Lindsey Rostal, a Kowloon Nights partner in a press release. “We feel that Kowloon is in a unique position to help developers pursue their vision while building sustainable studios.”
The full list of newly funded titles is below, with descriptions straight from Kowloon Nights. Some are projects that were already under development, like early games 30XX, She dreams elsewhere, and Garden Story. Other games on the list, such as Paradise Killer the developer Kaizen Game Works and Oxenfree and After party developer Night School Studio, have not yet been announced.
Founded in 2019, Alpha Channel is an independent studio comprised of industry veterans based in Toronto, Canada. Focused on creating beautifully realized worlds, rich in history and imagination, Alpha Channel’s first project is Tankhead, a Metroidvania-style game with a focus on exploration and exciting vehicle gameplay.
Seattle’s Batterystaple began in 2013 with the mission of using open development and the player’s voice to build crisp, reproducible action games that you can enjoy with a friend. The current Batterystaple project, 30XX, is a continuation of the millennium towards its first successful platform for action, 20XX.
- Brimstone – Unannounced title
Brimstone is an independent studio in Skövde, Sweden, focused on creating stylized system-based games. The studio is currently working on an unannounced fantasy kingdom-building game.
Dreamlit is a Los Angeles-based studio with talents distributed globally. In order to provide rich and imaginative experiences, Dreamlit is developing Towers, an open world adventure that revolves around the reconstruction of the ancient Shimu civilization and the cultivation of diverse ecosystems.
- Fireplace – Unannounced title
Fireplace Games is a new studio in Montpellier, France, that strives to respect the workers and actors of the industry, as well as the time and intelligence of the players. The team aspires to create character-driven experiences in inspiring settings and is currently working on its first game – a cloak and sword adventure inspired by the Spanish golden age.
Fkkcloud is an independent development studio based in Seattle that combines proven mechanics and genres to offer a new and attractive experience. The studio’s debut game will be a pure expression of that idea, which draws on the Persona and Devil May Cry series to create something truly new.
Founded in Helsinki, Finland in 2001, Frozenbyte is best known for the colorful series of Trine puzzle platforms. The team is currently working on Starbase, a space-themed MMO with a focus on the construction and design of spaceships and stations, exploration, resource collection, elaboration, trade and combat on a large scale.
- Collection tree – TFM: The first men
Gathering Tree is a game development studio based in Istanbul, Turkey, with a legacy of making community-focused, modifiable, expandable, reproducible, strategically deep and heavy-content games. Based on previous versions Overfall and Battle commanders, the studio’s next game, entitled TFM: The first men, is coming to Steam Early Access this year.
- Studio Goblinz – Legend of Keepers
Based in France, Goblinz Studio is a remote team of developers who also co-produce and publish RPGs and tactical management games. The next studio title, Legend of Keepers, is the perfect combination of dungeon management and Roguelite elements.
- Kaizen Game Works – Unannounced title
Kaizen Game Works is a UK studio formed to make games that surprise people and make the world a better place. After the positive reception and the success of Paradise Killer, the team is looking forward to embarking on a new opportunity with Kowloon Nights.
- Massive damage – unannounced title
Founded by mobile application pioneers Ken Seto and Garry Seto in 2010, Massive Damage is a Toronto-based independent game studio that focuses on offering compelling experiences that combine game genres in unexpected ways. After the successes of Halcyon 6 and Star Renegades, the studio is excited to partner with Kowloon Nights on its next title.
- Empire Metric – Unannounced title
Founded by veteran AAA directors Nicholas Routhier and Pier-Luc Papineau, Metric Empire is a Montreal-based indie game development studio with a mission to provide players with empirically designed high-quality games. The team is currently working on its first unannounced title.
- Mimimi Games – Codename Süßkartoffel
Based in Munich, Germany, Mimimi Games was founded by Dominik Abé and Johannes Roth in 2008. In 2016, Mimimi rekindled interest in the tactical genre in real time with Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. After this success, the team launched Desperados 3, the long-awaited prequel to the beloved classic Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive, to critical acclaim. The studio is currently working on its first self-published tactic game and the third in real time: Codename Süßkartoffel.
- Night School Studio – Unannounced title
Known for their award-winning adventures Oxenfree and After partyNight School Studio is an independent game developer known for player-driven narratives that combine wonder, danger, humor and building visionary worlds. Night School is working hard to expand the limits of interactive narrative with its newest unannounced title.
- Plethora Project – Common’hood
Plethora Project is an independent studio based in Detroit, Michigan. The latest studio project, Common’hood, is an emotional community management game focused on producing a new habitat for a neighborhood that has been hit by an economic collapse.
- Rogue Snail – Unannounced title
Rogue Snail is a completely remote game studio with a diverse team based in Brazil. The studio worked on acclaimed titles like Chroma Squad, Relic Hunters Zero, Legend of relic hunters, and Star Vikings – and is currently working on its newest title, which is funded in collaboration with Kowloon Nights.
- Roll7 – Unannounced title
Roll7 is a BAFTA winning studio based in London, UK, with a stellar remote team working around the world. The team, whose previous work includes skateboard title OlliOlli and futuristic sports game Alloy Laser, is pleased to announce its first collaboration – the studio is working alongside remarkable new creative talent to create a hybrid genre that pushes the flow state gameplay into a new bombastic space.
- Games / Picogram of Rose City – Garden Story
Rose City Games and Picogram are based in Portland, Oregon. Inspired by the games they grew up playing, they are dedicated to telling fantastic stories that engage players through stunning artwork and unforgettable soundtracks. Garden Story exemplifies these values through its charming pixel art and community-focused history.
- Sabotage Studio – Sea of stars
Founded five years ago in Quebec City, Sabotage Studio is entirely dedicated to creating the definitive editions of the genres that team members loved as children. They are now working on Sea of stars, a turn-based RPG set in the same universe as its previous title, The messenger.
- SIGONO – OPUS: Echo of Starsong
Founded in mid-2013, SIGONO is an independent game development studio based in Taiwan. After the successful launches of Opus: the day we found Earth and Opus: Whisper Rocket, SIGONO hopes to continue its journey on the OPUS series with Kowloon Nights for the next OPUS: The Echo of Starsong.
- Sloclap – Unannounced title
Founded in 2015 in Paris, France by AAA development veterans, Sloclap is a team passionate about rigid gameplay, precise and responsive controls, challenging experiences and incredible visuals. In 2017, the studio launched the online multiplayer combat game, Absolve, and its newest title presents a stimulating twist in the action of martial arts.
- Studio Zevere – She dreams elsewhere
Founded in 2016 in Cleveland, OH, Studio Zevere is a one-man game and film studio that aims to tell elegant, culturally relevant and emotionally rich stories from new perspectives with a voice that is all its own. The studio is currently working hard on its debut title, She dreams elsewhere, scheduled for launch in 2021.
- Thunder Lotus – unannounced title
Founded in 2014, Thunder Lotus is a collective of AAA, indie and mobile expatriates based in Montreal, Canada, whose passion for engaging, hand-drawn interactive experiences is evident in their Game of the Year title, Spiritfarer. The team hopes to continue its relationship with Kowloon Nights through future titles.