Mike Elliott (game designer)

Mike Elliott (sometimes credited as Michael Elliott) is a Seattle-based board game, card game and mobile game designer whose titles include Magic: The Gathering, Thunderstone, and Battle Spirits Trading Card Game. Magic head designer Mark Rosewater called him "one of the most prolific Magic designers in the history of the game."[1]

Career

While living in Phoenix, Arizona in the early 1990s, Elliott and several of his friends were active bridge players and competed regularly in tournaments. One evening after a tournament, a friend introduced the group to the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. When Elliott returned home he purchased the game and began playing in Magic tournaments. While at a Magic tournament at Arizona State University Elliott told two fellow attendees what he thought was wrong with the game. During the conversation they revealed that they worked for Wizards of the Coast. One of them, Joel Mick, invited Elliott to fly to Seattle and interview for a position with the company.[2][3]

Wizards of the Coast

Elliott started at Wizards of the Coast in January 1996 as a developer. Afterward he was promoted to designer, and then senior designer.[2] He worked on approximately 30 Magic expansions and introduced new mechanics such as slivers.[1] His Magic related expansions and project included:

Designing

Developing

While at Wizards of the Coast he also designed non-Magic games including Harry Potter Trading Card Game, Neopets Trading Card Game, Hecatomb, and Duel Masters Trading Card Game.[2] Elliott left Wizards of the Coast at the end of 2005.[2]

WizKids

After leaving Wizards of the Coast, Elliott worked for WizKids until the company closed its Seattle office.[4] His titles for WizKids included Star Wars PocketModel Trading Card Game, Halo ActionClix, and DC HeroClix: Batman (Alpha).

Freelance career

As a freelance game designer and developer, Mike Elliott, has designed dozens of games.[5] Notable titles include Battle Spirits Trading Card Game, Thunderstone, Quarriors! and Star Trek: Fleet Captains[6] He also designed Card-Jitsu, an online mini-game in the Club Penguin children's MMO.[7]

Battle Spirits

In 2008 Elliott designed the Battle Spirits Trading Card Game for Bandai. Part of the Battle Spirits franchise—which also includes several anime series, manga serializations and other merchandise such as toys and video games—the TCG was released in Japan in September 2008. Battle Spirits became one of the top selling trading card games of the year.[8]

The game's popularity led to Elliott's appearance in promotional videos,[9] and a new character based on him being added to the anime series Battle Spirits: Shōnen Toppa Bashin. The "Michael Elliott" character was an eccentric American game designer who created the titular Battle Spirits card game played in the series.

Battle Spirits Trading Card Game was released in the United States by Bandai of America on August 14, 2009.[8]

Thunderstone

In 2009 Elliott designed Thunderstone card game for Alderac Entertainment Group. The game won several awards and nominations, including 2010 Golden Geek Best Card Game Nominee, 2010 Japan Boardgame Prize Voters' Selection Nominee, 2010 JoTa Best Card Game Audience Award, 2010 JoTa Best Card Game Critic Award and 2011 Fairplay À la carte Winner.[10]

Quarriors! and Dice Masters

In 2012 Elliott designed the Quarriors! dice building game.[11] Published by WizKids, the game won the 2013 Origins Awards for Best Family, Party or Children's Game.[12]

The Quarriors! Dice Masters system expanded to include The Lord of the Rings Dice Building Game, Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men and Yu-Gi-Oh! Dice Masters.[13] WizKids reported that Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men sold out within its first week of release.[14]

Shadowrun: Crossfire

Eliott helped design Shadowrun: Crossfire, The Adventure Deck-building Game for Fire Opal Media and Catalyst Game Labs. Released in August 2014, the game is a cooperative card game that combines elements of roleplaying games and deck-building card games.[15]

Leiden Labs

In 2014 Eliott founded his own digital gaming startup, Leiden Labs. The company's first game was the casual word-puzzle game Letter Pix for iOS and Android. In it, players take turns finding words in a 10×10 grid of letters and trying to uncover a hidden picture.[16]

Credits

Magic: The Gathering

Computer games

Original game design credits

Trading card games
Single deck card games
Miniatures games
Board games
iOS and digital games
Other brands

References

  1. 1 2 Mark Rosewater (March 8, 2004). "Sliver me Timbers". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Little Metal Dog (September 17, 2013). "Episode 66 – Codes and Keys". Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  3. ↑ (September 10, 2003). "Magic Dossier: Michael Elliott". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  4. ↑ Ryan Sturm and Geoff Engelstein. Ludology. (August 7, 2011). "Episode 13 - CCGs & DBGs". Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  5. ↑ BoardGameGeek. "Mike Elliott". Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  6. ↑ WizKids Star Trek: Fleet Captains. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  7. ↑ John Goodenough. AEG News. (April 8, 2013). "Agent Hunter Design Diary: Espionage and Deduction". Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  8. 1 2 ICv2 (March 9, 2009). "Bandai Brings ‘Battle Spirits TCG’ to U.S.". Retrieved October 4, 2013
  9. ↑ (Nov 18, 2011) "Galaxy Watanabe VS Michael Elliott". YouTube. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  10. ↑ Thunderstone (2009). Board Game Geek. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Quarriors!". WizKids. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  12. ↑ (June 15, 2013). "The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Announces 39th Annual Origins Awards Winners". Origins Game Fair. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  13. ↑ ICv2 (September 5, 2013). "'Yu-Gi-Oh! Dice Masters' Due in Q1". Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  14. ↑ Escapist Magazine (April 25, 2014) "Marvel Dice Masters Meets Incredible Response, Sells Out Rapidly"
  15. ↑ Mike Elliott "Shadowrun: Crossfire". Game Trade Magazine #161. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  16. ↑ AppAddict.net (August 21, 2014) "Newly Available On IOS : PAC-MAN Friends, Panda PandaMonium, Max Gentlemen, Star Wars: Commander, Stalag 17 And More"
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