Studio Showdown: build a game studio, ship a hit, beat your friends.

Late 2026. Follow the Kickstarter page and Kickstarter notifies you at launch. Join the waitlist and we email you the day before, with the launch-day price.

Progress updates and the launch date before anyone else. Reserve with a $1 deposit and you also lock in one of 500 offers for 25% off the Shark Whisper tier: base game, expansion, bonus cards, and poster.

It holds one of the 500 spots in your name and counts toward your pledge. Cancel before production and it is refunded in full.

[TEAM: how the discount is applied. For example: On launch day everyone with a reservation gets a backer-only link that applies the 25% to the Shark Whisper tier.]

500. The counter on the offer card shows how many are left.

[TEAM: platform and window. For example: The deposit is paid on a secure checkout page. You can refund it yourself any time before we lock production in (month).]

The price is announced the day the Kickstarter opens. Waitlist members get it by email the day before. Reservation holders pay 25% less than that.

[TEAM: confirm. For example: It is refunded automatically within 14 days. You do not need to ask.]

[TEAM: regions now, costs on the campaign page. For example: We plan to ship to the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, and Australia. Shipping costs and VAT are listed on the campaign page.]

[TEAM: estimated delivery window. For example: We are targeting delivery within (N) months of the campaign closing. The production timeline is on the campaign page.]

[TEAM: late pledge or retail plan. For example: Late pledges open after the campaign at the Kickstarter price. The 25% reservation offer is Kickstarter only.]

Demystified Studios with VGCD Academy, a team of game industry veterans in San Ramon, California: Michael Chang, Alex Fuentes, Cindy Reyes, Neal Alcaraz, Shaun Brodie, and Johnny Ryan Weaver. Their bios are above.

Between them: Mass Effect, FIFA Ultimate Team, Madden NFL, The Sims, RuneScape, Monopoly Go, Star Trek Online, and Neverwinter.

[TEAM: one sentence on each. For example: Demystified Studios is the game studio that designed and published Studio Showdown. VGCD Academy is its sister program that teaches video game business and design.]

Two to four players, fifteen to forty-five minutes. An investor scores each pitch: another player or the AI judge. Ages thirteen and up. [TEAM: confirm play time and age. The May 2026 rulebook covers say 15 to 60 minutes and ages 13 and up; its back cover says 15 minutes and ages 8 and up.]

Closest to Munchkin-style sabotage with a studio-running theme and a pitch round at the end. You pick features, manage cash like a studio, play Sabotage cards on your rival, and finish with a live pitch to an investor.

No. Every card, character, and box panel is drawn by the team's artists.

Five decks: CEO and Location, Gameplay Features, Genre, Market, and Sabotage. A game board, studio cashflow statements, dice, and the rulebook. 175 pieces in all. [TEAM: confirm the piece breakdown.]

After launch, each player pitches their game in four questions: who it is for, which three games are its comparables, how big the market is, and why it deserves a 99 on Metacritic. The investor scores the pitch from 1 to 100 and awards funding to match. Add that to your sales and co-dev income, and the studio with the most cash wins.

Short. In round one you take a single action, such as swapping a feature card or using your CEO's ability, then pay your burn. In round two you draw a Sabotage card, play it right away, and pay your burn. In round three you flip three market cards, roll dice for every genre match, add up your sales, then pitch. About a minute per turn, a few minutes for the pitch.

The pitch is how the investor funds you, so it stays. But it does not have to be a performance: with the AI judge you type your pitch in and it scores you. For a faster game, skip the cash tracking and play for the best pitch.

Yes, an illustrated rulebook with a gameplay video. [TEAM: add a link to the rulebook PDF once the final version is out, and say whether a print-and-play demo is planned.]

New CEOs, new cities, and new sabotage cards. [TEAM: add counts or a few card names.]

A fast, competitive card-based tabletop game where you run a video game studio. Pick a CEO and a city, build a game from feature cards, survive the market, sabotage your rival, then pitch to an investor. Most cash at the end wins.

A card-based tabletop game with a small board. Five decks do the work; the board holds your studio and the market, and a cashflow sheet tracks your money.

It launches on Kickstarter in late 2026. Join the waitlist or follow the Kickstarter page to get the date.

The price is announced on Kickstarter launch day, and Kickstarter is the first place to buy it. Waitlist members get the price by email the day before. A $1 reservation locks in 25% off.

Three rounds and a pitch. Round one, build: take one action with your feature cards and pay your burn. Round two, chaos: draw and play a Sabotage card. Round three, launch: flip the market, roll for sales. Then pitch your game to the investor. Most cash wins. See the full walkthrough above.

Yes. Ages thirteen and up, and the pitch round rewards storytelling as much as strategy. Playtesters report fourteen-year-olds beating the adults. It also doubles as a hands-on lesson in cash flow and pitching, which is why VGCD Academy uses it. [TEAM: confirm classroom use.]

Dominion for the deck-building, Munchkin for the sabotage, and Shark Tank for the pitch at the end. If you like Munchkin, Dominion, or Exploding Kittens, this is in your lane.