9 Kings

Lore & Background

9 Kings was developed over two years by Sad Socket, an indie studio based in São Paulo and New York City founded by childhood friends Rafael Melo and André Young. The developers aimed to create "a casual game for strategy fans who are also very busy people," viewing it as an experimental project without anticipating commercial success. After the prototype was nominated for Best Game at Gamescom LATAM, the team scaled up development and completely revamped the game for its full release.

A demonstration version titled "3 Kings" was released on Itch.io on May 25, 2024, featuring only three playable kings; this page was deactivated after the early access launch in 2025. The game's minimalistic design and deep, replayable mechanics have been noted in public reception. 9 Kings was nominated for Best Early Access Game at the Golden Joystick Awards 2025.

Reader's Guide

9 Kings is significant as a title that achieved notable commercial success from an experimental indie project. Its early access launch on May 23, 2025, saw it sell over 250,000 copies in its first week, reaching Steam's global top sellers charts, and over 400,000 copies in its first month. The game's rise to prominence began during March's Steam Next Fest, where it became the most played strategy game of the event, generating global notability. The developers, Sad Socket, had not anticipated this level of success, having originally conceived the game as a casual experience for busy strategy fans. The pivot to scale up development came after the prototype's nomination at Gamescom LATAM. The continued critical acclaim from the public and the Golden Joystick nomination underscore its impact within the roguelike and strategy genres during the early 2020s.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed over two years by Sad Socket, a studio founded by childhood friends Rafael Melo and André Young.
• A demonstration version called '3 Kings' was released on Itch.io on May 25, 2024, and was deactivated after the early access launch.
• 9 Kings sold over 250,000 copies in its first week of early access.