Our story
We’re Matt and Zara, we're award-winning board game designers on a mission to inspire people to protect our world's biodiversity through the power of games.
We're now based in Scotland where we fulfil our passions for nature, rewilding and board games!
We designed our first game, Kavango, while living and working on conservation in Botswana.
Kavango is based on the incredible real life success stories of rewilding that we’ve been so fortunate to see and engage with.
The idea for Kavango was sparked by visiting nature reserves which had been transformed over as little as 20 years from degraded farm land into thriving wildernesses. It was the best antidote to our climate anxiey and proof that change is possible and cause for hope is all around us.
Through Kavango we wanted to create a joyful and fun gaming experience where you will feel immersed in southern Africa's vibrant wilderness. We believe that an optimistic narrative can inspire and motivate people into creating a better world. We hope playing our games will inspire you to protect wildlife and biodiversity wherever you are.
50% of our profits support conservation charities in the Kavango region and together we’re turning play into purpose - thanks so much for being part of our community.
Our design process is made up of four parts: telling a story, working out game mechanics, creating the art, and physically creating & marketing the game. We split this between us.
Matt's background is in engineering and sustainability. He works out the mechanics and balance of our games and oversees the product design. We're so proud to have won the Green Games Guide Award for Sustainable Product Design 2026!
Matt is also our in-house artist and graphic designer and his beautiful hand-drawn artwork brings the wilderness to life on your table.
Zara has had a career in conservation working across southern Africa on combatting the illegal wildlife trade and globally on protecting our Ocean and Seas. She is also a trustee for the Beaver Trust in the UK.
As our very own conservation expert, Zara ensures that our games capture a realistic narrative around conservation and create a true-to-life experience for players. Zara is our story-teller in chief and keeps the design process grounded in our wider purpose and mission.