Seven apps, one game
Art in Photoshop, layout in InDesign, stats in a spreadsheet, rules in Google Docs, files in Drive. None of them talk to each other.
With the Studio: One project holds every component, every file and the rulebook.
Early access
Your game works. Your files don’t.
Most board games stall between a prototype that plays well and a print run: art in one app, card stats in a spreadsheet, rules in a doc, and a factory that sends the files back. Game Tribe Studio puts every card, token, board, box and rulebook in one place, and gives you files your factory can print.
Free in early access · Works in your browser · Your files stay yours
The problem
Making the game is the fun part. Getting it printed isn’t.
We learned this making Nataterra. These are the jobs that eat months between a finished prototype and a print run, and what the Studio does about each one.
One change, a hundred cards
Rebalance a stat after playtesting and you re-export the whole deck by hand, then hope you didn’t miss one.
With the Studio: Link a spreadsheet and the deck rebuilds itself when a row changes.
Files the factory sends back
Wrong bleed, RGB instead of CMYK, low-resolution art, a die line from the wrong template. Every round costs weeks.
With the Studio: Print checks on every card, real die lines and CMYK before anything leaves.
Rules that drift from the cards
The rulebook says one thing, the cards say another, and backers find it before you do.
With the Studio: Rules written beside the components they describe, with names linked both ways.
Art lost in email threads
Which picture is final? Which card is it for? Briefs, sketches and feedback scattered across inboxes.
With the Studio: Art briefs built from your components, with feedback pinned to the sketch.
A price you’re guessing
Quotes arrive as PDFs and you still don’t know what one copy costs, or what to charge backers.
With the Studio: Quotes side by side, a landed cost per copy and pledge tiers that add up.
Everything in the box
Every step from prototype to print run.
Shown here: Afterfall, our next game, being made in the Studio.
01
Data-driven decks
Link a spreadsheet and the whole deck builds itself. Change a row, every card follows.
02
Punchboards, laid out for you
Tokens packed onto die-cut boards automatically, front and back lined up, on the size that wastes least.
03
Rulebook beside your components
Write the rules next to the pieces they describe, with a grammar check and a page planner.
04
A component list the factory understands
Every piece with its code, size, material and printing, ready for quotes.
And everything else a print run needs
Real die linesFactory sizes, with bleed, cut and safe zones drawn for you.
The box, in 3DEverything measured and packed, inserts and trays included.
Print checksResolution, bleed and colour checked on every card.
CMYK and proofsReal printer profiles, and every proof round tracked.
Art briefsBriefs, sketches and finals, straight onto the cards.
Quotes and pricesFactory quotes side by side, turned into a price per copy.
Work together, liveSee who’s here, follow cursors, pin comments on cards.
Play before you printPrint and play PDFs and Tabletop Simulator files.
Your work, safeSaved as you go, with versions and full backups.
How it works
From prototype to production in three steps.
Design
Start from a component template, drop in your art and link your card data.
Check
Pick materials and let the print check catch bleed, colour and resolution issues.
Export
Download factory-ready files, or send them straight to a manufacturer for a quote.
Made by a studio that ships
We built the tool we needed.
Game Tribe designs and publishes its own games. Nataterra went from first prototype to a Kickstarter that raised three times its goal, a full print run, and players around the world. Every feature in the Studio comes from a step we had to do by hand.
Need a hand?
Production help, from people who’ve done it.
File and proof checks, factory quotes, costs and pricing, and help getting the most from the Studio. Consultations open soon.
Get early access.
We’re inviting designers in small groups so we can listen properly. Leave your email and we’ll send your invite as places open.
Questions, answered.
Do I have to start from a blank page?
No. Pick what you’re making and the Studio sets it up for you. Click Tokens, choose Circle, drop in your art, and it’s done: bleed, cut line and safe zone already drawn. Tokens and tiles come as circles, squares, hexes and triangles, or any shape traced from a PNG. Decks come at poker, bridge, tarot, mini or square size, with five ready card styles. Boards, dice, rulebooks and the box are just as quick. Or start from a ready-made set: a sample game, a deck builder, a worker placement game or a card battler.
Does the box work with plastic trays and inserts?
Yes. Upload your insert as an STL file and the Studio fills its wells with your cards, tokens and dice, the way factories pack trays, then sizes the box around it. Only the tray’s own height counts, and you can turn the whole box around in 3D.
Do I own my designs and files?
Yes. Everything you create and upload stays yours. You can download a complete backup of any game at any time.
Which manufacturers can I use?
Any. The Studio makes files at standard factory sizes for cards, tokens, boards, boxes and rulebooks, and you can lay a factory’s own template over your design to check it before you send anything.
Can my illustrator or team work in the same project?
Yes. Invite collaborators and illustrators, choose what each person can see, and leave comments pinned right on the cards. Illustrators you invite are always free.
When can I start?
Game Tribe Studio is in early access with a small group of designers. Join the waiting list and we’ll invite you as places open. Early access is free.
