Ice-Pick Lodge

Ice-Pick Lodge is a Russian video game developer based in Moscow, founded in 2002 by Nikolay Dybowski. The studio became known in Russia after releasing its first project Pathologic.^[1]

Ice-Pick Lodge

Company type	Private
Industry	Video games
Founded	2002; 22 years ago (2002)
Founder	Nikolay Dybowski
Headquarters	Moscow , Russia
Number of employees	16 (2016)
Website	ice-pick.com

Games

Released

Title	Details
Pathologic Original release date(s):[2] RU: June 9, 2005 UK: 2006	Release years by system: 2005 – Microsoft Windows
	Notes: An open world first-person shooter role-playing game about surviving in a plague-ridden town. Divided into three chapters, based on the three player characters: "The Bachelor", "The Haruspex", and "The Devotress" ("The Changeling" in Pathologic Classic HD) Published by Buka Entertainment in Russia, and G2 Games in the UK.[2] Won the award for "Most Non-Standard Game" Russian Game Developers Conference in 2005.[3]
The Void Original release date(s):[4][5][6] RU: April 17, 2008 UK: October 23, 2009 WW: December 16, 2009	Release years by system: 2008 – Microsoft Windows
	Notes: A horror adventure game about soul trapped in "The Void" While the original Russian version was published by ND Entertainment, the English version available on Steam is self-published.[6] Won the "Most Non-Standard Game" award at the Russian Game Developers Conference in 2007.[7]
Cargo! The Quest for Gravity Original release date:[8] April 21, 2011	Release years by system: 2011 – Microsoft Windows
	Notes: Published by bitComposer Interactive and VIVA Media[8]
Knock-Knock Original release date:[9] October 4, 2013	Release years by system: 2013 – Microsoft Windows[9] 2014 – iOS,[10] Android[11] 2015 – PlayStation 4[12] 2016 – PlayStation Vita[13] 2017 – Xbox One[14]
	Notes: A side-scrolling horror adventure game in which the player explores a cabin in the woods. Self-published by Ice-Pick Lodge[14] Funded by a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, which raised $41,021 prior to the game's release.[15]
Pathologic Classic HD Original release date:[16] October 19, 2015	Release years by system: 2015 – Microsoft Windows
	Notes: An HD remaster of Pathologic with a new translation and voice-acting The game was developed by General Arcade[17] and published by Good Shepherd Entertainment[16]
Pathologic 2 Original release date:[18] 23 May 2019	Release years by system: 2019 — Microsoft Windows,[18] Xbox One[19] 2020 — PlayStation 4[20]
	Notes: A full-scale re-imagining of Pathologic Initially planned to be released in three parts: "The Haruspex", "The Bachelor", and "The Changeling" The final game only includes "The Haruspex" route while "The Bachelor" route evolved into Pathologic 3. Published by tinyBuild[18] Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, which raised $333,127 prior to the game's release.[21] On October 28, 2019, a DLC entitled The Marble Nest was released[22]
Know By Heart Original release date:[23] 10 February 2022[24]	Release years by system: 2022 — Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android[25]
	Notes: An adventure game about childhood friends reuniting in an old Russian town.
Franz Original release date:[25] 16 October 2023 [26]	Release years by system: 2023 — iOS, Android
	Notes: A mystery game by Nikolay Dybowski, using concepts that were considered for the bachelor route of Pathologic 2.[27] Ice-Pick Lodge's first game developed with artist Nemo Soda, who recently joined the studio.

Upcoming

Title	Details
Neuro Skazka Original release date:[25] TBA	Release years by system: TBA — iOS, Android
	Notes: A game dealing with the evolution of a universe ruled by a sleeping god. A project by Nemo Soda, a new member of the company.
Pathologic 3 Original release date:[25] 2025	Release years by system: 2025 — Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Playstation 5 [28]
	Notes: A complete reimagining of the Bachelor's route from the original Pathologic with dramatically different mechanics.[29] Published by HypeTrain Digital

Awards

In 2005, Pathologic won several awards in Russia. These being: “Game of the Year” by the Best Computer Games magazine, “Best Russian Game of the Year” by Gameslife And “Best Debut of the Year” by Playground. It was also listed in Ixbt as being one of their top 5 games of the year, and in Igromania as one of their top 3, alongside Half-Life 2 and GTA:San Andreas.^[30] Both Pathologic and The Void won the "Most Non-Standard Game" award at the Russian Game Developers Conference in 2005 and 2007, respectively.^[3][7] Pathologic 2 won the “Excellence in Game Design”, “Excellence in Game Narrative” and “Best Desktop Game” awards at DEVgamm 2019. It was also the conference’s Grand Prize winner.^[31]

References

1. "Pathologic Russian Reception". Web Archive. 14 February 2005. Archived from the original on 5 December 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
2. "Ice-Pick Lodge". Ice-Pick Lodge. 2005. Archived from the original on 22 February 2006.
3. "КРИ 2005 - Конференция Разработчиков компьютерных Игр". Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
4. "The Void on GOG.com". GOG. 2019. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
5. "Ice-Pick Lodge Forums • View topic – US release date?". Forum.ice-pick.com. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
6. Single-player (14 December 2009). "The Void on Steam". Store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
7. "КРИ 2007 - Конференция Разработчиков компьютерных Игр". Archived from the original on 6 March 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
8. "Cargo! The Quest For Gravity – Gamespot". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
9. Marchiafava, Jeff (9 October 2013). "Review; Knock-Knock". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
10. "Ice-Pick Lodge on Twitter". Twitter. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
11. "Ice-Pick Lodge on Twitter". Twitter. 29 May 2014. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
12. "Knock-Knock on PS4". PlayStation Store. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
13. "Knock-Knock on PS Vita". PlayStation Store. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
14. "Buy Knock-Knock – Microsoft Store". Microsoft Store. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
15. "Knock-knock by Ice-Pick Lodge". Kickstarter. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
16. "Pathologic Classic HD On Steam". Steam. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
17. "General Arcade projects - Pathologic Classic HD". General Arcade. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
18. Pathologic 2 - Release Date Trailer | Children of Gorkhon
19. "Buy Pathologic 2 - Microsoft Store". Microsoft Store. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
20. "Pathologic 2". PlayStation Store. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
21. "Pathologic (Мор.Утопия) by Ice-Pick Lodge". Kickstarter. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
22. "THE MARBLE NEST IS HERE". Ice-Pick Lodge. 28 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
23. Know by heart - Announcement Trailer
24. Know by heart - Steam Store
25. ""What we do at Ice-Pick Lodge": new games, plans, and more - Teletype". Teletype. 6 July 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
26. "Twitter". Twitter. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
27. "What we do in Ice-Pick Lodge". Google docs. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
28. "Pathologic 3 announced for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC". Gematsu. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
29. "Pathologic 3 announced with time travel mechanic, due for release in 2025". Rock Paper Shotgun. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
30. "Pathologic Russian Reception". WebArchive. 14 February 2005. Archived from the original on 5 December 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
31. "DEVgamm 2019 award winners". DEVgamm. 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2021.

External links

• Companies portal
• Russia portal

• Official website