Solforge Fusion fulfills Richard Garfield’s five-year plan for hybrid release 

We spoke with MTG creator Richard Garfield about Solforge Fusion’s companion app, design legacy, and developing for both physical and digital play. 

When it comes to Trading Card Games, there’s no name bigger than Richard Garfield. As the original creator of Magic: The Gathering, Garfield introduced the world to a whole new type of game, forever revolutionizing the hobby scene. 

Though he moved on from MTG development long ago, Garfield has hardly rested on his laurels. Ever prolific, the designer has lent his hand to a number of high-profile and successful games in the years since, from King of Tokyo to Keyforge. 

Solforge Fusion is Garfield’s latest project. Having sold over a million decks worldwide, Solforge Fusion is now launching a digital companion app via Kickstarter, opening the game up to a whole new audience. 

We spoke with Garfield about Solforge Fusion, the Kickstarter launch, and how the game is fulfilling plans originally put in place for Keyforge years ago. 

Solforge: From digital to physical and back 

Solforge Fusion is the latest in a specific line of Garfield’s games, stretching back to Keyforge. Following on from Keyforge, the original Solforge was a free-to-play TCG with lane-based combat and unique deck-building. A digital-only product, Solforge ended up shuttered after a limited release window.  

The story of Solforge didn’t end there though. Solforge Fusion rose from the ashes, releasing as a physical game with a unique algorithmically generated printing method, meaning that players’ decks can be more tailored and personalized than ever before.  

“The idea of algorithmically generated cards was touched on in Keyforge.” Garfield told us. “But it was really taken to a much higher level in Solforge and it’s a natural extension of that, which is to say unique decks is terrific, but you can get effectively unique cards as well.” 

Now, after seeing great success as a physical card game, Solforge Fusion is ready to step back into the digital space, with its official companion app launching on Kickstarter.

The companion app translates every aspect of Solforge Fusion into digital play, granting players a great deal of freedom and access to the game no matter where they may be. Including single and multiplayer options and a robust roguelite campaign mode, Solforge Fusion’s digital launch is packed with reasons to play.

Hybrid work 

Stone Blade Entertainment

Solforge has greatly evolved over time, existing in both digital and physical incarnations. Garfield of course is no stranger to designing for all styles of play, with his repertoire covering in-game and online play in equal measure. 

Garfield discussed Solforge Fusion’s hybrid digital/physical nature with us, and how developing for both fields has become a standard in his work. 

“(The process) has been greatly aided by the fact that it began its life with Solforge as a digital product, and all of us are very mindful of the mechanics we use in analog games, that they play well with digital. That wasn’t something that I thought of with Magic and I suffered for it.” 

Magic: The Gathering’s road to digital platforms was a long and arduous one, and Garfield was keen to not see any of his future games meet the same struggle. 

“That’s a mistake that I haven’t made since. All of my games have that in mind from the start. The translation was on the one hand straightforward, but on the other hand that frees us to do more exotic and exciting things, and that’s where the challenge comes in.” 

Garfield revealed that a release in both physical and digital formats was on the cards for Keyforge five years ago, but COVID and organizational problems with the publisher ended up nixing the digital release. It’s gratifying for both creator and platers to finally see the idea come to fruition with Solforge Fusion. 

Kickstarter Struggles and Success 

Stone Blade Entertainment

When asked how working with Kickstarter compared to more traditional publishing avenues, Garfield took the chance to heap praise on Justin Gary and his other co-developers.  

“With Justin, his crew is very good at working with (Kickstarter), so they manage through the challenges that platform provides very well, making it very easy for me.” 

He continued to stress that the platform can be a fantastic place for connecting with an audience but requires full engagement to do so. Thankfully, it seems as though Gary and his team are more than equipped to make sure that Solforge Fusion’s companion app is in a suitable place to launch.  

“The challenge for a lot of games published on Kickstarter is that sometimes you get something which does not have the depth of playtesting and development that it needs. A paper publisher provides that. …It’s possible to sidestep necessary playtesting with Kickstarter. That’s not really a risk when working with somebody like Justin.” 

For Garfield, the greatest strength of Kickstarter is its ability to directly connect with and build up an audience during development, shaping the game in ways that might otherwise never have been possible. 

“Some things to keep in mind when working with Kickstarter are, it’s valuable to be able to cultivate your audience during the design process because the players’ feedback can really guide a project to a much healthier place.” 

In exciting news for Garfield and the project, Solforge Fusion’s digital companion app Kickstarter has met its initial funding goals less than an hour after going live. Now is a great time to jump in, help the project hit additional goals, and lend support to an exciting and unique entry in the TCG space.