About Us

About Us

Dark Unicorn Games is a tabletop and video game company based in Apex, NC. Founded in 2016, our full-service team has expertise in all facets of game development, including art, design, and engineering.

Our three founding members have a combined 80 years of game industry experience. We’ve worked on an astounding variety of platforms, formats, and genres, from physical tabletop products to consoles, from mobile games and live ops support to bleeding edge virtual and augmented reality.

We are creators first and foremost, which means we’re passionate about our original intellectual properties, but we also have extensive experience developing games for existing brands through our partnerships with Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Marvel Comics, Universal, Fox Studios, Namco Bandai, Sony, IBM, Raytheon, and many others.

Some of the most popular brands we’ve brought to market include X-Com, Civilization, inFAMOUS II, Firefly, Robotech, Puzzle Quest, Pac-Man, Curious George, Dora the Explorer, and Spy vs. Spy. Our team has successfully shipped over 75 titles and products.

We love this stuff!

Dark Unicorn Games is:

ADAM COGAN: Game Design
A writer and game designer since 1997, Adam has served as the creative lead on both original creations and existing IPs. Adam has created games for companies such as Spark Plug Games, Namco Bandai, Konami, Sucker Punch Productions, 38 Studios, Vicious Cycle Software, and Hasbro Interactive.

Adam has written several independent comics, including The Black Coat (Ape Entertainment), Temple Run (Ape Entertainment), and the creator-owned Villains (Viper Comics), which was optioned by Universal Studios to become a major motion picture. His abiding love for comics inspired him to create the Super Powered Smash Masters card game.

BEN LICHIUS: Art Direction
Ben has been in the game industry since 1998 and has worked for such companies as Take 2, Hasbro, Vicious Cycle Software, and Spark Plug Games. He has developed many unique IPs as well as managed properties for companies like Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Universal, Marvel Comics, and Fox Studios.

He’s also worked on a number of comic books. Ben is the co-creator of The Black Coat, creator of Hero of Alexandria, and writer on Temple Run and Rise of the Guardians, based on the DreamWorks film (all for Ape Entertainment).

JOHN O’NEILL: Engineering and Business
John has been in the game industry since 1994 and has worked for such companies as MicroProse, Hasbro, and Vicious Cycle Software. John was the director of business development for Vicious Cycle Software and responsible for the cutting-edge middleware solution, the Vicious Engine, before founding Spark Plug Games in 2008.

Along with his extensive gaming industry and professional consulting experience, he also brings his academic training in computer science with a Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina State University, where he also serves on the Department of Computer Science Strategic Advisory Board.