Kan Gao
Video game developer (born 1988/89)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kan "Reives" Gao is a video game developer, writer, director, and composer. He is the founder of Freebird Games, an independent studio known for its narrative-driven games built using the RPG Maker engine.
Kan R. Gao | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1988 or 1989 |
| Other name | Reives |
| Notable work | To the Moon |
Early and personal life
Gao initially grew up in China and immigrated to Canada at the age of 11.[1] The immigration process was challenging for his family, who worked long hours to make ends meet, resulting in Gao spending much of his time alone.[2] During high school, Gao was an aspiring writer working on a novel. However, he discovered the RPG Maker engine, which allowed him to create interactive stories with visuals and audio.[3] Gao taught himself to play the piano during high school lunch breaks, though he only began proper composition with game development.[2]
On August 8, 2017, Kan Gao mentioned he was getting married in the upcoming month.[4]
Career
Before To the Moon, Gao created several free, narrative-focused games within the RPG Maker community, including Quintessence: The Blighted Venom and The Mirror Lied.[1][5][6]
In 2008, Gao established the Canada-based Freebird Games as an independent studio to create interactive stories.[7] Gao is the only employee of it, but he does receive assistance "via commissions from many talented folks who kindly contribute [...] and sometimes via bartering".[8] Freebird Games later released To the Moon, which was its first commercial title.[6] In 2018, it was made public that Gao was involved in the script and supervision for an upcoming animated film adaptation of To the Moon.[9]