View source for Company:KOG Studios

{{Infobox company
| name         = KOG Co.
| logo         = KOG logo.png
| caption      = 
| type         = [[Finance:Privately held company|Private]]
| founded      = {{Start date and age|2000|05|01}}
| key_people   = Dong Gyu Lee ([[Social:Chief executive officer|CEO]])
| location     = Daegu, {{wipe|South Korea}}
| industry     = Video games
| subsid       = KOG Games
| website      = {{URL|https://www.kog.co.kr}}
}}

'''KOG Co.''', better known as '''KOG Studios''', is a South Korean game development company based in Daegu. They specialize in producing online [[Finance:Free-to-play|free-to-play]] games, and currently publish the side-scrolling action [[Finance:Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPG]], ''[[Software:Elsword|Elsword]]'' and the [[Early access|early access]] action MMORPG, ''KurtzPel: Bringer of Chaos''. They have also developed the game ''[[Software:Grand Chase|Grand Chase]]''.

== History ==

KOG Co. was founded on May 1, 2000. Their first game, ''[[Software:Grand Chase|Grand Chase]]'', an action [[Software:Side-scrolling|side-scrolling]] MMORPG, launched in August 2003. After being a large success in South Korea, the game expanded to mainland {{wipe|China}} and {{wipe|Japan}}, as well as the [[Earth:Americas|Americas]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://levelupgames.uol.com.br/levelup/noticias/levelup/novidades/chegou-grand-chase-comece-a-jogar-agora-02-08-2006.lhtml |title= 'Grand Chase is here! Start Playing Now!' |publisher=Level Up! Games |language=pt |date=2006-08-02}}</ref> It was notable for reaching mass popularity in [[Earth:South America|South America]], breaking the record of most played online game in {{wipe|Brazil}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://gnn.gamer.com.tw/8/42478.html |title=KOG Claims that '3 Heroes' has achieved good results in Brazil |date=2010-02-18 |publisher= GNN Gamer |language= ko |access-date=2020-07-21}}</ref> [[Company:Ntreev Soft|Ntreev Soft]] began publishing ''Grand Chase'' for North America in early 2008. KOG ceased support for the game in 2015, 12 years after its initial release.

In 2010, KOG Studios partnered with Philippine company [[Company:Level Up! Games|Level Up! Games]], the publisher of ''[[Software:Grand Chase|Grand Chase]]'' in South America, to found '''Kill3r Combo''', a subsidiary company headquartered in Irvine, California, with the objective of bringing KOG's games to North America.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/02/25/kill3rcombo-unveils-first-game-elsword |title=Kill3rCombo Unveils First Game Elsword |date=2011-02-24 |website=IGN |accessdate=2013-02-19}}</ref> Their first game was ''[[Software:Elsword|Elsword]]'', which began open beta testing in North America on April 27, 2011, and released on July 2, 2014.

In June 2012, KOG Studios purchased LevelUp!’s interest in Kill3rCombo to become the sole owner, and officially changed the company's name to KOG Games Inc.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mmorpg.com/elsword/news/kill3rcombo-fully-acquired-by-kog-changes-name-2000077945 |title=Kill3rCombo Fully Acquired by KOG, Changes Name |date=2012-10-04 |publisher=MMORPG.com |accessdate=2013-02-19}}</ref> Since then, KOG Games has been responsible for publishing their games in the [[Earth:Americas|Americas]].

Although ''Elsword'' received some criticism for pay to win systems,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gamecritics.com/kristin-renee-taylor/elsword-review |title=Elsword Review |first=Kristin |last=Taylor |date=2012-06-16 |publisher=GameCritics  |access-date=2020-07-21}}</ref> the game was generally well-received, and peaked with 2,500 active players on Steam in August 2013.

''KurtzPel Bringer of Chaos'' was first announced in the South Korean game exhibition G-Star 2017,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.inven.co.kr/webzine/news/?news=188180 |title=KOG's new PC online game 'KurtzPel', first released at G-Star 2017 |date=2017-10-30 |publisher=INVEN |language=ko |access-date=2020-07-21}}</ref> and entered worldwide [[Software:Steam (service)|Steam]] [[Early access|early access]] on April 30, 2019.

=== KOG Games ===

KOG Games (previously as Kill3r Combo from 2010 to 2012) is a subsidiary company of KOG Co., and since 2012, publishes games from KOG in the [[Earth:Americas|Americas]]. It is headquartered in Irvine, California and currently publishes ''[[Software:Elsword|Elsword]]'' and ''KurtzPel'' on the [[Software:Steam (service)|Steam]] store. KOG Games also briefly published ''HeroWarz'', a MMORPG developed by ''A.Storm'', in July 2016, but the servers were closed a few months later.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mmorpg.com/herowarz/news/players-reminded-of-march-26th-pause-2000095504 |title=Players reminded of March 26th pause |date=2017-03-19 |publisher=MMORPG.com |access-date=2020-07-21}}</ref>

== Games ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Platform(s)
! Genre
! Publisher(s)
! Status
|-
! 2003
| ''[[Software:Grand Chase|Grand Chase]]''
| [[Engineering:Personal computer|PC]]
| Action [[Software:Side-scrolling|Side-scrolling]] 2D MMORPG
| {{Vgrtbl|NA|[[Company:Ntreev Soft|Ntreev Soft]] (2008–2015)|WW|KOG Games (2021–)}} {{collapsible list|{{Vgrelease|KOR|[[Company:Netmarble|Netmarble]] (2003–2015)|TW/HK|Gamania (2006–2013)|BR/PHL|[[Company:Level Up! Games|Level Up! Games]] (2006–2015)|SEA|AsiaSoft (2009–2013)|IDN|PT Megaxus (2010–2015)}}}}
| Active
|-
! 2007
| ''[[Software:Elsword|Elsword]]''
| [[Engineering:Personal computer|PC]]
| Action [[Software:Side-scrolling|Side-scrolling]] [[2.5D|2.5D]] MMORPG
| {{vgrtbl|NA|KOG Games (2011–)}} {{Collapsible list|{{vgrelease|KOR|[[Company:Nexon|Nexon]] (2007–) |TW/HK|Gamania (2008–) |JP|NHN Japan (2009–) |EU|[[Company:Gameforge|Gameforge]] (2010–) |CHN|Giant Interactive (2011–) |TH|AsiaSoft (2012–) |BR/PHL|[[Company:Level Up! Games|Level Up! Games]] (2013–)}}}}
| Active
|-
! 2012
| ''Fighters Club''
| [[Engineering:Personal computer|PC]]
| Brawler Action MMORPG
| {{vgrtbl|KOR|[[Company:Nexon|Nexon]] (2012–2015)}} {{Collapsible list|{{vgrelease|JP|NHN Japan (2012–2015) |TW|[[Company:Garena|Garena]] (2014–2017)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://n.yam.com/Article/20131205942379 |title=Elsword developer KOG will launch the fighting game Fighters club in Taiwan next year |publisher=YamNews |date=2013-12-05 |language=zh}}</ref>}}}}
| Closed<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mmohuts.com/news/kog-games-announces-closure-of-korean-fighters-club-servers |title= KOG Games announces closure of korean Fighters Club servers |website=MMOHuts |date= 2015-10-04}}</ref>
|-
! 2014
| ''Ultimate Race''
| [[Engineering:Personal computer|PC]]
| [[Software:Racing game|Racing]] MMORPG
| {{vgrtbl|KOR|[[Company:Nexon|Nexon]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mmoculture.com/2014/10/ultimate-race-developer-kog-reveals-its-first-racing-online-game |title=Ultimate Race developer KOG reveals its first racing online game |publisher=MMOCulture |date=2014-10-02}}</ref>}}
| Unknown
|-
! 2015
| ''AIMA Online''
| [[Engineering:Personal computer|PC]]
| Action MMORPG
| {{vgrtbl|KOR|[[Company:Nexon|Nexon]] (2015–2016)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mmoculture.com/2015/09/aima-nexon-korea-launching-new-kog-action-online-game-next-week |title= Aima - Nexon Korea launching new KOG action online game next week |publisher=MMOCulture |date=2015-09-27}}</ref>}}
| Closed<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mmoculture.com/2016/10/aima-nexon-korea-is-shutting-down-action-mmorpg-after-14-months |title= Aima - Nexon Korea is shutting down action MMORPG after 14 months |publisher=MMOCulture |date=2016-10-13}}</ref>
|-
! 2018
| ''[[Software:Grand Chase#Grand Chase: Dimensional Chaser|Grand Chase: Dimensional Chaser]]''
| [[Software:Android (operating system)|Android]], [[Software:IOS|iOS]]
| [[Software:Mobile game|Mobile]] [[Software:Real-time strategy|Real-time strategy]] MMORPG
| {{vgrtbl|WW|KOG Games (2018–)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kog.co.kr/games/board_view/1419?&bid=9&page=3 |title= Grand Chase of Kakao officially opened |publisher=KOG |date=2018-01-30}}</ref>}}
| Active
|-
! 2020
| ''KurtzPel: Bringer of Chaos''
| [[Engineering:Personal computer|PC]]
| Action 
| Active
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

[[Category:Video game development companies]]

{{Sourceattribution|KOG Studios}}