Richard Garfield and Skaff Elias Join Forces with Mind Control Software on Ground-Breaking Online Strategy Game

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Award-winning video game developer Mind Control Software announced today that it has joined forces with Richard Garfield and Skaff Elias — creators of Magic: The Gathering and its Pro Tour — to develop a revolutionary online strategy game, code-named Mind Twist (www.themindtwist.com).

Since Garfield invented his genre-creating product, Magic: The Gathering, the market for tabletop strategy games has consistently passed the billion dollar mark each year. In his work with Mind Control Software, Garfield plans to bring the elements of tabletop gaming to the digital realm, using the same gaming expertise and creative genius that devised one of the biggest tabletop franchises in history.

“We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Richard and Skaff, and the genuine rock star talent they bring to our team,” said Andrew Leker, CEO, Founder, and Chief Designer of Mind Control Software. “These guys have been delivering compelling social entertainment experiences in the tabletop realm for years, and it’s only now in this new era of social media that the same experiences are possible online.”

“The potential of digital games fascinates me and I left Wizards of the Coast to pursue them,” said Richard Garfield. “Mind Control has the expertise to bring my designs to a new generation of gamers, and the platform technology to build the right ‘meta-game’ around them.”

Both Garfield and Elias have also joined Mind Control Software’s advisory board and will be involved with several other projects at Mind Control, in addition to the development of Mind Twist.

Mind Twist is a free-to-play game with a microtransaction-based business model built on Mind Control Software’s state-of-the-art Orbital Game Platform. Orbital is a soup-to-nuts game engine at the heart of dozens of shipped games, and now, in addition, it supports play across different gaming devices. Mind Twist will launch on Facebook and iPhone, with other platforms added over time. Players can currently follow the game on Twitter (@TheMindTwist) and Facebook.

“We are proud that our technology will be bringing Richard’s vision to life,” Leker continued. “We are confident that the man who rebuilt tabletop games into a billion dollar industry will be instrumental in leading a new age of online gaming.”

About Mind Control Software

For over a decade Mind Control Software (www.mind-control.com) has developed games and online game technologies for the industry's leading game publishers. During this time Mind Control Software won multiple prestigious awards for its unique and compelling designs, including Best Computer Role-Playing Game of the Year award from the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Magazine and Independent Game of the Year awards from the Independent Games Festival (IGF). Chief designers, Andrew Leker and Marc LeBlanc, have over 30 years of game design and development experience between them, and are frequently featured as speakers at developer workshops and conferences. In addition to its work on the Mind Twist Initiative, Mind Control Software is currently engaged in a variety of design and development projects for top tier publishers.

About Richard Garfield

Richard revolutionized the hobby gaming industry and launched an entirely new category when he designed the world's first trading card game - Magic: The Gathering. Magic has continued to thrive for 15+ years while Richard has also published a steady stream of other award-winning card games and board games.

About Skaff Elias

Skaff has been responsible for the design of many games (both at Wizards of the Coast and elsewhere), including Magic, but his biggest contribution came from his invention of the revolutionary system of "organized play" which included a Pro Tour, allowed Magic to transition from fad into evergreen brand, and later fueled the Pokemon CCG phenomenon.