We started as players back in 2019 with the dream of making the ultimate competitive miniature game. That became Skytear, our MOBA board game. I don’t think we fully succeeded at that lofty goal—but here we are almost a decade later, with 10,000+ players across 8 languages keeping the universe alive. Something must have worked out 🙂
After Skytear and three years of expansions and support (plus a pandemic that forced us to pivot), we released Skytear Horde in 2023—a solo-focused card battler. We expanded it over three yearly releases and then called it “done.” Enough is enough.
Now in 2025, with the crowdfunding and release of Onward—the spiritual sequel to Skytear—we’ve started a new chapter for Skytear Games. We have 4 titles lined up for 2026, our first RPG book, and even a video game!
The only constant is that all our games live in Olan Taa, our shared universe. Sometimes that world shows up in a serious, epic way. Other times, in a lighter, more playful form depending on the target audience. (You’ll see this yourself in a dice game to be announced for ages 8+)
We want to eventually visit all the common “families” of board games, but always through our own lens. A deck-builder area control is already in the works, and a dice-pool builder too. But there are so many more left to explore: dungeon crawlers, open-world adventures, or even light and punchy 20-minute dueling games… it’s all still to be designed!
So, will you join our journey as a designer?
What we are Looking for
We’re not chasing every idea under the sun but still, we’re pretty open…
- Playable in 90 minutes or less. We love tense, interactive games, but they should respect the clock. If a session often creeps past an hour and a half, it’s not what we’re after.
- Strong interaction. We’re drawn to games where players affect each other, not just solitaire puzzles. Whether that’s direct conflict, clever drafting, or tug-of-war over resources, it should spark table talk.
- A clear hook. Every great design has that “why should I play this instead of the hundred other games out there?” factor. Maybe it’s a surprising theme, a twist on a familiar mechanism, or a way of creating tension that feels new.
- Range. Our roots are in hobby games for ages 14+ but we are expanding into family+ games for younger audiences. In both cases, we want something with replayability and personality.
- Thematic but re-skinnable: thematic games are a plus on our books and the possibility to re-skin it in our universe is an absolute must. On the plus side, Olan Taa is pretty big and we can approach it from either a serious or more lighthearted angle…
In short: if you’d be proud to demo your game at a convention, with strangers sitting down and saying “that was fun, let’s play again,” it’s probably a good fit for us.
What Stage Should the Game Be?
We don’t need perfection, but we do need something we can play.
- Tested, not theoretical. The game should have gone through at least a handful of playtests with real players. You should already know that it runs from start to finish without breaking.
- Rules that carry the game. They don’t need to be polished but complete, yes. We should be able to play on our own just by reading the rules.
- It does not need to look nice. The looks don’t matter yet as long as it’s functional.
- Room to grow. A good submission is one you’re excited about, but also open to changing. Our job is to help trim, shape, and polish the design into its best self.
- Not overproduced. If you’ve already invested in art, graphic design, and a Kickstarter page, you’re probably past the stage we can help.
Think of the stage as “minimum viable game”: something you’d be happy to pull out at a game night, explain quickly, and get people through a full session.
How to Submit
Send an email to giacomo@playskytear.com with the following:
- A short profile
Tell us a bit about yourself. We care about people as much as we care about designs. - A one-pager
Cover the essentials: player count, duration, age range, theme, core mechanics, what’s the hook - A short gameplay video
A few minutes is enough. Don’t worry about production quality—record it on your phone if you want. We just need to quickly grasp how the game plays. - Must-have components
A simple list of what the game physically requires (dice, miniatures, special cards, etc.).
Optional extras like a PnP file, Tabletop Simulator mod, or full rules are welcome, but not required at this stage.
What to Expect After
- We’ll always confirm that we got your submission.
- We aim to let you know within two weeks whether we want to take the conversation further. If you haven’t heard from us by then, you can safely assume we’re passing.
- We can’t promise detailed feedback for everyone, but if your game seems like a fit we’ll follow up to talk more.
- Your design remains 100% your property until and unless we make a publishing agreement. We cannot sign NDAs under no circumstances.
- You can send us multiple designs, but please send one game per email so we can review each on its own.
We’re a small team and we treat submissions with the same honesty and care we’d hope for if we were in your shoes. Thanks for considering us 🙂
-Giacomo