Founded in 2002

Ice-Pick Lodge is an independent video game developer originally founded in Moscow, Russia, in 2002 by Nikolay Dybowski and Ayrat Zakirov. Describing itself as a "creative laboratory" rather than a traditional game studio, the team focuses on creating experimental and atmospheric titles that challenge the player's morals and perception. They are best known for their "survival" games with deep, unconventional narratives and surreal art styles, including the cult classic Pathologic (2005), The Void (2008), Knock-Knock (2013), and the reimagined Pathologic 2 (2019).
2019