Thunder Lotus Games Explained

Thunder Lotus Games
Foundation:2014
Hq Location City:Montreal
Hq Location Country:Canada
Key People:Will Dubé
Industry:Video games
Products:Jotun
Sundered
Spiritfarer
Num Employees:34

Thunder Lotus Games is an independent video game development studio based in Montreal, Canada. Founded in 2014, the company is most known for developing Jotun (2015), Sundered (2017) and Spiritfarer (2020).

History

The studio was founded in 2014 after founder Will Dubé quit his original job at a mobile video game studio to launch his own project, Jotun on Kickstarter for funding.[1] He originally wanted to name the studio "Lotus Games", though he ultimately avoided this name due to confusion with another company named Lotus Entertainment.[2] The game had a successful crowdfunding campaign which raised over $64,000, surpassing Dubé expectations. The game became a financial success after its launch in 2015, attracting more than 1 million players.[3] The success of the first game allowed the company to start development on their next game, Sundered, a Metroidvania game inspired by Rogue Legacy and Super Metroid. It reached its crowdfunding target a day after its Kickstarter campaign was launched.[4]

Following the release of Sundered, the company signed with investment fund Kowloon Nights for the release of their next game, Spiritfarer. It was a commercial success, selling more than 1 million copies.[5] The company currently has 16 employees. 14 of them are full-time developers, while the remaining two are responsible for publishing the games.[3]

Games

Year Title Platform(s) Genre(s)
2015JotunPC, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, StadiaAction-adventure, puzzle
2017SunderedPC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, StadiaRoguelike, Metroidvania
2020SpiritfarerPC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, StadiaManagement simulation
202433 ImmortalsPC, Xbox Series X/SAction, roguelike

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Meet the Developer Behind Hand-Drawn Viking Adventure Jotun, Thunder Lotus Games. James. Billcliffe. The Escapist. June 22, 2015. January 29, 2021.
  2. Web site: Interview: Will Dubé on Mythology, Art and Big Bosses in Jotun: Valhalla Edition. Ron. Delvillano. Nintendo Life. September 7, 2016. January 29, 2021.
  3. Web site: Spiritfarer wants to talk to you about death. Rebekah. Valentine. Gameindustry.biz. July 11, 2019. January 29, 2021.
  4. Web site: Sundered, the eldritch horror Metroidvania, blows away its Kickstarter goal in six hours. Andy. Chalk. PC Gamer. January 18, 2017. January 29, 2021.
  5. Web site: On love, death, sustaining an indie studio and following Keanu Reeves onstage. Martin. Robinson. Eurogamer. September 27, 2019. January 29, 2021.