Relic Entertainment
Relic was started in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada by Alex Garden and Luke Moloney in 1997. Their first title, "Homeworld", was released on September 28, 1999 to critical acclaim and successful sales. Though they did not immediately continue working on the franchise (Sierra Entertainment, the game's publisher, owned the rights), the game did have a spin-off, "", developed by Barking Dog Studios and published by Sierra.
Klei Entertainment
Jamie Cheng and Alex Garden founded Klei Entertainment in July 2005. Prior to the formation of Klei, Cheng worked as a specialist AI programmer at Relic Entertainment, then owned by THQ. Cheng acquired seed funding for Klei by selling his THQ shares earned at Relic and getting a $10,000 loan from his brother. Klei had 11 employees in 2009 and as of May 2013 has grown to 35 employees.