Welcome to the Minor Leagues
Maybe we should stop trying to bring AAA into other spaces and start finding a new type of game to love: the mid-tier game.
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Lowering Barriers in Game Development
Manafold Games is a small studio that helps teams design and ship systems-heavy games, while building our own original titles. We partner with studios, nonprofits, and publishers to deliver thoughtful experiences that fit modern players' lives.
What We Do
Manafold Games combines hands-on co-development, production leadership, and original IP development. We join teams where they are, bring structure and clarity to complex problems, and help ship games that feel deep without overwhelming busy players.
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Co-development for live and in-flight games
We embed with your team to scope, design, and deliver features. That can mean building new systems, owning a vertical slice, or acting as a focused pod that unblocks your roadmap.
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Production and product leadership
We bring senior experience in roadmapping, scope definition, live operations, and cross-team coordination. Our goal is simple: predictable delivery that supports the business and respects the team.
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Original games and mission-driven projects
We also build our own titles and take on end-to-end projects for partners. This keeps us close to the realities of development and lets us bring fresh ideas and proven patterns back to co-dev clients and publishers.
How We Partner
We like small teams, clear goals, and honest conversations. A typical engagement falls into one of these shapes.
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With studios
We join as a co-dev pod or product partner, focused on a specific feature set, mode, or system—from early design through launch.
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With nonprofits and organizations
We build tailored games that express a mission, teach a concept, or support a community—while still feeling like real games.
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With publishers and investors
We develop and test original concepts, then look for the right partners to take them to a wider audience.
Why Manafold
Systems first
We are happiest in the messy middle where design, product, and engineering meet: card systems, economies, live events, and progression.
Senior experience, small footprint
You get production and product leadership without having to staff a full-time senior role before you are ready.
Player-centered, mission-aware
We like games that respect players' time and attention—and we understand both commercial and mission-driven goals.
Latest Insights
Our perspectives on game development and the industry.
Tearing Down to Build Up
How studying existing games through teardowns can help us build better recipes for game development.
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Asset First Development
Why we start with what we have instead of what we want, and how the UE4 Mannequin inspired our development philosophy.
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Start a Conversation
If you need help with a systems-heavy feature, a live game roadmap, or a mission-aligned project, we'd love to hear about it. We're happy to start with a short call or a lightweight review of your current plans.
Get in touch