Deck13 Interactive (2001)
From Point-and-Click Adventures to The Surge's Industrial Soulslike
Founded in 2001 in Frankfurt am Main by Jan Klose and Florian Stadlbauer, Deck13 Interactive stands as one of modern Germany's premier interactive production houses. Originating with celebrated comedic point-and-click franchise Ankh, Deck13 co-developed 2014's Lords of the Fallen—the first prominent Western Soulslike—before perfecting tactical limb-dismemberment combat across The Surge (2017) and The Surge 2 (2019).
From Comic Egyptian Point-and-Clicks to Western Soulslikes
Deck13 first captured widespread critical acclaim in 2005 with Ankh, a cinematic 3D adventure game capturing LucasArts-style slapstick across ancient Egyptian mythology that swept the German Developer Awards. In 2014, Deck13 partnered with CI Games to produce Lords of the Fallen, proving that the rigorous, stamina-driven combat loop popularized by FromSoftware could be executed with Western high-fantasy production values and proprietary engine technology.
The Surge and the Surgical Combat Innovation
Debuting in 2017, sci-fi action RPG The Surge and its acclaimed 2019 sequel The Surge 2 cemented Deck13's technical autonomy. Centered around exoskeleton-clad industrial laborers in a corporate dystopia, the games introduced an innovative combat mechanic: players aimed attacks at specific unarmored body parts for quick kills or struck armored limbs to sever them and harvest equipment schematics. Acquired by Focus Home Interactive in 2020 for €7.1 million, Deck13 continues to push proprietary tech via its internal FLEDGE engine.