What’s in a Name? How We Became “Human Head” Studios

Human Head Studios celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, and we’re proud to have a passionate community of fans who know and love our games. Having worked on almost two dozen projects, we’re best known for games like the critically acclaimed, award-winning Rune Classic and Prey. We’ve also contributed to the development of mega-hits Bioshock Infinite, World of Tanks, and Batman: Arkham Origins. One key thing about the company remains largely unknown to most, however… how did we get our name?

Sure, you can behead people in Rune - and we use our creative human heads all the time during development. But why “Human Head” Studios? Well, it’s kind of a funny story.

Prior to establishing Human Head Studios, the co-founders worked at Raven Software. During that time, an employee sent an email about a lost envelope of cash - had anyone come across it, could they please return it, etc.. Jokingly, other employees followed suit with various items they’d (not really) lost and wanted returned. One of those emails included a simple, yet hilarious request: “has anyone seen my lost bag of human heads?”

When the day came to name the studio, the co-founders each scribbled down a list of names and shared them with the group. The one that really stuck out and had all of them smiling was “Human Head Studios.” It resonated with the founders on a personal level, but also from a game development and entertainment standpoint (for the human head). There was the added benefit that the company was founded by three programmers and three artists; the right and left sides of the human brain.

By putting their heads together (hah) the co-founders had found a name that was a great fit - twenty years later, we still proudly call ourselves Human Head Studios.