Kan Gao
Kan R. Gao | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1988 or 1989 |
| Other names | Reives |
| Notable work | To the Moon |
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.
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]
References
- ^ a b "Kan Gao: To The Moon and Back". Eurogamer.net. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ a b Glanznig, Matthias (2014-11-26). "Interview with Kan Gao (Freebird Games)". Adventurecorner.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ "Kan Gao on the benefits and drawbacks of designing in RPG Maker". Game Developer. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ Gao, Kan [@Reives_Freebird] (August 8, 2017). "Hey folks, I'd like to ask for some help: I'm getting married in a month, but we're both swamped (Finding Paradise crunch & others) that ..." (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 15, 2026. Retrieved February 15, 2026 – via Twitter.
- ^ published, Giada Zavarise (2017-12-20). "Before he went To The Moon: Kan Gao's curious, poetic early games". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ a b "To The Moon". RPGFan. Archived from the original on August 9, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ Percy Tolentino (September 19, 2025). "Finding Paradise Comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Updated Steam Version This October". GameDaily. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ Cisco, Carlos (2015-03-19). "The Power of Play: Q&A with Indie Game Developer Kan Gao". ScreenCraft. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ O'Connor, Alice. "To The Moon becoming an animated movie". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved February 19, 2026.