Supergiant Games, LLC is an American company that creates and sells video games. It is located in San Francisco and was started in 2009 by Amir Rao and Gavin Simon. The company is known for making the games Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, Hades, and Hades II.

History

Supergiant Games was created in 2009 by Amir Rao and Gavin Simon, who both previously worked at EA Los Angeles. They were involved in making games for the Command & Conquer series. After leaving Electronic Arts, the two men moved into the same house and began working on a new game together. Artist Jen Zee joined the company as the third member and later became the art director. Musician Darren Korb was hired to handle audio and music. In 2009, the company had seven permanent employees, all of whom are still with Supergiant as of 2025. The studio also used freelance programmers and developers during the creation of their first game.

Their first game, Bastion, received high praise from critics and was listed on several "Game of the Year" lists. It was first shown in mid-development at the 2010 Penny Arcade Expo, where it was highlighted as an indie game. This attracted several publishers interested in distributing the game. Supergiant chose Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, which led to the game being released on Xbox Live Arcade and as a premiere title during the 2011 "Summer of Arcade" promotion.

In March 2013, Supergiant announced its next game, Transistor, which was released on May 20, 2014. A promotion video was shared on March 19. The game’s main character, Red, is a singer in the cyberpunk city of Cloudbank. She loses her voice and her bodyguard in a traumatic event but gains a powerful sword shaped like a USB drive. The game uses a similar isometric viewpoint to Bastion and was also well-received by critics.

In April 2016, the studio announced its third game, Pyre, which was released on July 25, 2017, for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and PlayStation 4. It was described as a party-based role-playing game. Unlike previous games, Pyre does not use an isometric viewpoint. Instead, players control a group of characters who travel across a 2D overworld, and combat takes place in a separate arena. The combat system is described as "fantasy basketball," where players compete in games called Rites. Winners can gain absolution for past crimes and return from exile in a wasteland called the Downfall to their homeland, the Commonwealth. Pyre was praised by critics and named Game Informer’s best indie RPG for that year.

Supergiant’s next game, Hades, was revealed at The Game Awards 2018 and released on September 17, 2020, after an early access release starting in December 2018. Hades is an action roguelite game based on Greek mythology. The player controls Zagreus, who uses weapons, magic, and abilities to fight enemies in procedurally generated dungeons and escape from his father, Hades. The game was highly praised, sold over 1 million copies, and received "universal acclaim" on Metacritic. It won two awards at The Game Awards 2020: Best Independent Game and Best Action. Hades also won Game of the Year awards at the 17th British Academy Games Awards, the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, and the 21st Game Developers Choice Awards.

At The Game Awards 2022, Supergiant announced Hades II. Like the original Hades, it is a roguelite game based on Greek mythology. The game was available in early access from May 6, 2024, until its official release. The protagonist, Melinoë, is the daughter of Hades and the younger sister of Zagreus. She was raised by the witch Hecate to defeat the Titan Chronos after he attacked her family, leaving them imprisoned and unreachable. Hades II was released on September 25, 2025, and received similar praise as Hades.