Our Story
Zesty Games is an independent publishing and creative studio, dedicated to fostering human connection, creating memorable moments of fun, and making the world a better place one game at a time.
We believe that tabletop games have the power to bring people together, promote empathy and understanding, and encourage collaboration. Through our games, we hope to inspire positive change in individuals and communities.
Our games stand out for their unique mechanics, compelling storylines and stunning original artwork. From quick play cards, to brain teasing puzzles, to action-adventure quests, we are focused on creating games that can be shared and enjoyed with future generations, making them timeless and memorable.
Meet the Founders
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Holly & Howl
Bonded Pair
Holly & Howl became best friends in 4th grade and have been together ever since. Their shared love of fantasy and gaming has led to a lifetime of magic and collaboration. Zesty Games brings together everything that they have worked towards as artists, writers, makers and creators.
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Holly Hawk (they/them)
Game Design, Art & Production
Holly is a trans non-binary artist with a background in Shakespeare and classical oil painting. They are always up for rolling the d20 to see what adventure awaits! You can find them either deeply entrenched in fabricating prototypes, wandering through Stardew Valley, or chanting in moonlit stone circles.
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Matthew "Howl" Borjeson (he/they)
Game Design & Writing
Howl is a prolific writer and an alumnus of the Delta Lambda Phi Social Fraternity. When not playing Skyrim or Starcraft, he loves to pair games with gourmet food and wine. For example, try an oaked Chardonnay with Unstable Unicorns, the subtle bitter finish is like your inevitable defeat!
Our Games
Boss Fight
Boss Fight is a deck building & dice throwing game where you amass armies of the elements to take on high damage Bosses! No more grinding through hundreds of minions or pawns. Boss Fight takes you straight to the action.
Your epic battles take place in Alantia, a continent rich in history, magic and culture. The people and creatures are greatly influenced by the terrain. Each of the kingdoms draws their power from one of the six elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Light, & Shadow.
Garden Wars
Holly & Howl were sitting in a park, on an idyllic pandemic day, when BAM! Garden Wars burst into being and we began to plan out our goals for WORLD DOMIN- umm WORLD PEACE!
For our inaugural game, we were inspired by our childhood family gardens and Kathleen Leary’s playful artwork. Garden Wars was designed to be portable and quick play with lots of boisterous “Take That!” moments. We hope it brings you much joy at family game nights, on camping trips, at the bar, and all over the world.
The Cursed Amulet
In collaboration with Donut Mouse Studios, we are creating a party game based off the soon to be hit show The Cursed Amulet: The Amulet’s Curse. In a game of social deception and chaotic magic, you play either the Wizard, Bard, Druid or Paladin and one of you is cursed. But only the cursed one knows their fate!
Coming to Kickstarter Fall ‘24.
Growth From the Ground Up
Zesty Games is an independent game publisher on the rise. Our goal is to make the world more fun, encourage imagination, and create quick play tabletop games.
Do you want to help Zesty Games viable as a company? Great news! You can still join our quest to bring more joy into the world.
Every dollar that you donate, supports a small independent game business of hardworking nerds. We have dedicated our lives to art, games and storytelling. With your help, we can manifest our visions into reality. Thank you so much!
“We want to bring more joy and fun to the world. What better way to do that than with a card game? Especially one with silly fruits and cute bunnies?”
— Matthew “Howl” Borjeseon, on Garden Wars