KO OP
{{Short description|Game studio cooperative}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox company
| name = KO_OP
| logo = KO OP logo 2015.svg
| logo_size = 250px
| type = Corporation
| industry = Video games
| fate =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| founded = {{Start date and age|2012|06|01}}{{Cite web |title=KO_OP |url=https://presskit.ko-opmode.com/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=presskit.ko-opmode.com}}
| founders = Saleem Dabbous
Bronson Zgeb
| defunct =
| hq_location_city = Montreal
| hq_location_country = Canada
| area_served =
| key_people =
| products = Gnog
Goodbye Volcano High
| owner =
| num_employees =
| num_employees_year =
| parent =
| website = {{URL|ko-opmode.com/}}
}}
KO_OP is a Canadian game studio cooperative based in Montreal. It was founded in 2012.
History
Studio director Saleem Dabbous and programmer Bronson Zgeb founded KO_OP in 2012 to make "visually arresting avant-garde games".{{Cite web |last1=Sinclair |first1=Brendan |title=Inexperience as an advantage |work=GamesIndustry.biz |date=2016-10-18 |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-10-18-inexperience-as-an-advantage |language=en |accessdate=2020-01-12 |df=mdy-all }} The studio is run as a workers cooperative with equal salary and decision-making between co-owners.{{Cite web |last1=McAloon |first1=Alissa |title=The 'equal pay and equal say' structure of the game dev studio KO_OP |work=Gamasutra |date=2019-03-12 |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-equal-pay-and-equal-say-structure-of-the-game-dev-studio-ko_op |language=en |access-date=2020-01-12 |df=mdy-all }}{{Cite web |last1=Klepek |first1=Patrick |title=Giving Workers Equal Power Isn't Radical. This Studio's Done It For Years. |work=Vice |date=2019-03-12 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/giving-workers-equal-power-isnt-radical-this-studios-done-it-for-years/ |language=en |access-date=2020-01-12 |df=mdy-all }} Dabbous and Zgeb used personal savings to launch the company and relied on work-for-hire to finance its own games. They struggled with inexperience in their over-scoped early projects, as they moved through a dozen prototypes and eventually cancelled two projects in full production.{{r|inexperience}}
Gnog was nominated for Excellence in Visual Art at the 2016 Independent Games Festival{{Cite web |last1=Cameron |first1=Phill |title=Road to the IGF: KO_OP's GNOG |work=Gamasutra |date=2016-02-10 |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/road-to-the-igf-ko_op-s-i-gnog-i- |language=en |access-date=2020-01-12 |df=mdy-all }} and released in 2017.{{Cite web |last1=Couture |first1=Joel |title=Building the monstrous transforming puzzle heads of GNOG |work=Gamasutra |date=2018-08-09 |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/building-the-monstrous-transforming-puzzle-heads-of-i-gnog-i- |language=en |access-date=2020-01-12 |df=mdy-all }} KO_OP also built "The Mirror of Spirits", an expansion for Lara Croft Go, in 2016.{{Cite web |last1=Priestman |first1=Chris |title=The independent studio behind some of Lara Croft GO's best levels |work=Kill Screen |date=2016-12-21 |url=https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/independent-studio-behind-lara-croft-gos-best-levels/ |language=en-US |accessdate=2020-01-12 |df=mdy-all }}
List of games
| class="wikitable sortable" width="auto" style="text-align: center" |
| Game
! Platform(s) ! Initial release date |
|---|
| rowspan="4"| GNOG
| {{dts|May 2, 2017}} |
| iOS
| {{dts|November 28, 2017}} |
| Microsoft Windows
| rowspan="2"| {{dts|July 17, 2018}} |
| macOS |
| Winding Worlds
| {{dts|May 15, 2020}} |
| Depanneur Nocturne
|May 26, 2020 |
| Ridiculous Fishing EX
| {{dts|July 14, 2023}} |
| rowspan="3"| Goodbye Volcano High{{cite web|url=https://www.gematsu.com/2023/05/goodbye-volcano-high-delayed-to-august-29|title=Goodbye Volcano High delayed to August 29|last=Romano|first=Sal|website=Gematsu|date=11 May 2023|access-date=11 May 2023}}
| rowspan="3"| {{dts|August 29, 2023}} |
| PlayStation 4 |
| Microsoft Windows |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|https://ko-opmode.com/}}
{{Portal bar|Companies|Video games}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:KO_OP}}
Category:Video game companies of Canada
Category:Worker cooperatives of Canada
Category:2012 establishments in Quebec
Category:Canadian companies established in 2012
Category:Video game companies established in 2012