Company:Sad Socket
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Founder | Rafael Melo Andre Young |
| Headquarters | New York, New York São Paulo, Brazil |
| Products | 9 Kings Ending Tau |
| Website | www |
Sad Socket is an indie game studio based in São Paulo and New York City. The studio was founded by the childhood friends Rafael Melo and André Young[1][2]. The studio gained public attention with the release of the strategy indie game 9 Kings.[3][4][5]
History
The founders met in childhood and had been casually producing games since 2005. Rafael and André followed different paths and reunited in 2021 to found the studio. André Young built a notable career as a content creator in Brazil focused on game development and diversity[6], while Rafael Melo moved to New York City, where he established a career as a creative director[7][8] and musician[9][10], before reuniting to focus on developing original video games.
9 Kings, the studio’s most prominent release, sold over 250,000 copies within its first week, receiving positive reviews from both critics and players, with a 93% approval rating on Steam from more than ten thousand reviews[11][12][13]. The game reached a peak of over 13,900 concurrent players during the second weekend after launch[14]. By the end of its first month in Early Access, ‘‘9 Kings’’ had surpassed 400,000 copies sold, establishing itself as one of the biggest launches in the history of the Brazilian video game industry.[15]
Sad Socket has been working in partnership with Hooded Horse and its catalogue has recently become a part of Microsoft's Game Pass.[16]
As the development of ‘‘9 Kings’’ continues[17], the studio announced it continues to focus on its most ambitious project to date, titled ‘‘Ending Tau’’.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rosa, Vika (June 25, 2024). ""Fun and addictive minimalist civilization": 9 Kings is a Brazilian strategy roguelike that you need to know". IGN Brasil. https://br.ign.com/gamescom-latam/125790/feature/civilization-minimalista-divertido-e-viciante-9-kings-e-um-roguelike-brasileiro-de-estrategia-que-vo. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
- ↑ の記事一覧, Chandler (June 13, 2025). ""I was shortlisted for gamescom and thought, 'Damn, I have to get serious about this!"". Game*Spark.jp. https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2025/06/13/153974.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=tweet. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
- ↑ Jenkins, Dwayne (2025-05-24). "'9 Kings' Is a Game I Need Y'all To Play; It's a Roguelike Kingdom Management Deck-Builder, and I Must Break It (Demo Impressions)" (in en-US). https://www.vice.com/en/article/9-kings-is-a-game-i-need-yall-to-play-its-a-roguelike-kingdom-management-deck-builder-and-i-must-break-it-demo-impressions/.
- ↑ "Manor Lords publisher's new strategy game just hit early access and it's already 94% rated" (in en-US). 2025-05-23. https://www.pcgamesn.com/9-kings/out-now-roguelike-deckbuilder-strategy-game.
- ↑ Wilson, Tom (2025-06-20). "Don't Sleep On 2025's Best Roguelike With 92% Positive Reviews" (in en). https://screenrant.com/9-kings-steam-reviews-best-rougelike-2025/.
- ↑ pullig (2023-09-18). "Andre Young - Pullig Influencers" (in pt-BR). https://pulliginfluencers.com.br/andre-young/,%20https://pulliginfluencers.com.br/andre-young/.
- ↑ "Young Lions revela jovens que irão representar o Brasil em Cannes" (in pt). 2017-05-04. https://propmark.com.br/young-lions-revela-jovens-que-irao-representar-o-brasil-em-cannes/.
- ↑ Adlatina. "Ferraz, Paiva y Melo: Este comercial es muy especial para nosotros y el oro es la celebración de ello | Adlatina" (in es). https://www.adlatina.com//publicidad/ferraz-paiva-y-melo:-%E2%80%9Ceste-comercial-es-muy-especial-para-nosotros-y-el-oro-es-la-celebraci%C3%B3n-de-ello%E2%80%9D.
- ↑ Argentina, Billboard (2024-11-07). "Identidad y nostalgia: "Absolutely Almost Sure" de Late Again" (in es). https://billboard.ar/industria/identidad-y-nostalgia-absolutely-almost-sure-de-late-again/.
- ↑ Amorosi, A. D. (2025-09-26). "The Stages of Brazilian, Brooklyn-Based Bedroom Recording Artist and Multi-Hyphenate Late Again" (in en-US). https://jazztimes.com/features/profiles/the-stages-of-brazilian-brooklyn-based-bedroom-recording-artist-and-multi-hyphenate-late-again/.
- ↑ "9 Kings clears 250,000 sales one week into Early Access" (in en-US). 2025-06-02. https://www.dbltap.com/news/9-kings-clears-250000-sales-one-week-into-early-access.
- ↑ "9 Kings: It's A Good Video Game - Aftermath" (in en). 2025-05-26. https://aftermath.site/9-kings-pc-roguelike-deckbuilder-impressions-pc-steam.
- ↑ Fraser Brown (2025-08-08). "Every game is a roguelike deckbuilder now, but I've finally found a few that have stopped me being a hater" (in en). PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/every-game-is-a-roguelike-deckbuilder-now-but-ive-finally-found-a-few-that-have-stopped-me-being-a-hater/.
- ↑ Oliveira, Matheus. "9 Kings atinge pico de jogadores simultâneos no Steam 10 dias após lançamento". https://www.gameblast.com.br/2025/06/9Kings-atinge-pico-de-jogadores-simultaneos-no-steam.html.
- ↑ Fernandes, Saulo (2025-06-25). "9 Kings ultrapassa 400 mil vendas e revela roadmap de atualizações no Acesso Antecipado" (in pt-BR). https://www.gamersegames.com.br/2025/06/25/9-kings-ultrapassa-400-mil-vendas-e-revela-roadmap-de-atualizacoes-no-acesso-antecipado/.
- ↑ Partis, Danielle (2025-08-05). "Coming to Game Pass: Assassin's Creed Mirage, 9 Kings (Game Preview), Rain World, and More" (in en-US). https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/08/05/xbox-game-pass-august-2025-wave-1/.
- ↑ Rick Lane (2025-10-12). "Strategy roguelike 9 Kings finally has 9 kings, though a new perk lets you revert it to 8 kings if nine kings proves too many" (in en). PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/strategy-roguelike-9-kings-finally-has-9-kings-though-a-new-perk-lets-you-revert-it-to-8-kings-if-nine-kings-proves-too-many/.
External links
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