Lobotomy Corporation
A monster management game inspired by the SCP Foundation.
Lobotomy Corporation is a 2018 indie horror rogue-like strategy management simulation game for Windows, made by South Korean studio Project Moon. It takes place in a futuristic dystopia where the player runs a power company that extracts energy from dangerous beings called "Abnormalities." The concept draws inspiration from the SCP Foundation, Warehouse 13, and The Cabin in the Woods. What started as a standalone game later grew into a connected series of games, webcomics, and web novels, including the direct sequel *Library of Ruina* (a deck-building game) and the related title *Limbus Company*.
Development began in January 2015. Project Moon CEO Kim Jihoon said in a 2018 interview that while obsessed with the SCP Foundation, he wanted to play a monster management game but couldn't find one, so he decided to make it himself. He formed a team with college friends, starting with four people and expanding to ten before release.
The game is set in "the City," a dystopia ruled by 26 mega-corporations called "the Wings of the World," each named after a letter (A Corp through Z Corp, though District 26 is unseen on the map). Lobotomy Corporation, or L Corp, produces sustainable energy called Enkephalin by harvesting it from Abnormalities. These creatures emerge from human consciousness and embody deep psychological aspects. Each has an archetype and classification number; some are based on concepts or fears (like The Queen of Hatred or Mountain of Smiling Bodies), some are tool-type with varied effects on employees, and others draw from fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary, Snow White's Apple). The corporation's job is to safely extract energy from them, often through cruel and morally questionable methods. The facility is divided into branches and departments, each managed by a Sephirah.
Released in April 2018, the game sold over 1 million copies by January 2023. In a Rock Paper Shotgun review, Alec Meer praised its atmosphere and design but criticized excessive dialogue and a poor English translation, calling it "awful" and concluding the game was "unnecessarily complicated and too small and repetitive." The English version has since been fully retranslated. The sequel *Library of Ruina* launched for Windows and Xbox One in August 2021, and the third installment, *Limbus Company*, a dungeon role-playing game, came out in February 2023.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Lobotomy Corporation
- Developer
- Project Moon
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
- Released
- April 9, 2018
- Genre
- Management simulation
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Development of Lobotomy Corporation began in January 2015. Project Moon CEO Kim Jihoon explained that while in a college club, he formed a development team with friends. Obsessed with the SCP Foundation, he wanted to play a game where the SCP Foundation contained monsters but could not find one, so he started developing such a game himself. The development team initially consisted of four people, growing to ten prior to release.
The game is set in the City, a dystopia where 26 mega-corporations known as 'the Wings of the World' control the last known remaining bastion of humanity. Lobotomy Corporation, also called L Corp, produces large amounts of sustainable energy called Enkephalin by harvesting it from Abnormalities—creatures manifested from human consciousness that embody deep psychological aspects. The corporation’s task is to extract energy by managing them safely, often requiring cruel and morally questionable practices. The game takes place in a facility under the HQ of Lobotomy Corporation, with departments managed by a Sephirah.
Abnormalities have their own archetypes denoted by classification numbers. Some are based on concepts, fears, or ideas, such as The Queen of Hatred and Mountain of Smiling Bodies. Some are tool Abnormalities with wide-ranging effects on employees, and others are based on fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary or Snow White's Apple.
Reader's Guide
Lobotomy Corporation is significant as the foundational title of Project Moon's connected media universe, which includes the direct sequel Library of Ruina and the later installment Limbus Company. Its premise, inspired by the SCP Foundation, Warehouse 13, and The Cabin in the Woods, helped popularize the monster-containment management genre in indie gaming. The game sold over 1 million copies by January 2023, nearly five years after its April 2018 release. Reception was mixed: a Rock Paper Shotgun review praised its ambience and design but criticized excessive dialogue and a poor English translation described as 'awful'; the English version has since been entirely retranslated. The game's legacy includes teaching the value of bad choices, as noted in a Game Developer article. Its setting—the dystopian City controlled by 26 mega-corporations—and its morally ambiguous energy extraction from Abnormalities have influenced subsequent works in the series, establishing a distinct narrative universe.
Did You Know?
- The game's development began in January 2015, initially with a team of four people that grew to ten before release.
- Project Moon CEO Kim Jihoon was inspired to create the game because he could not find a monster management game based on the SCP Foundation.
- The English translation was entirely retranslated after a review described it as 'awful'.
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