Derek Funkhouser Joins the Senior Leadership Team at Wise Wizard Games
Brings Years of Expertise in Game Design, Development, and Community Management from Board Game Spotlight, Druid City Games, and Skybound Entertainment.
March 8, 2022 – Framingham, MA – Wise Wizard Games LLC, the creators of Star Realms and other popular strategy games, announced today that Derek Funkhouser has joined their leadership team as Director of Game Development. Derek will report to CEO Rob Dougherty and be responsible for leading the company’s game development and production process. The company has previously announced several new upcoming titles, including Robot Quest Arena, KAPOW!, and Richard Garfield’s Riders of Chaos. They also plan to continue to expand their evergreen product lines, including plans for Hero Realms Dungeons and the Star Realms: Rise of Empire legacy-style game.
“I’m super excited for Derek to head up our project management, taking games through the stages of design, development, production, and manufacturing.With his help and expertise we will be able to get our new games in backers hands and on store shelves faster while maintaining the quality our customers have come to expect. I’m also really looking forward to working with Derek on game design and development. This is going to be fun!” said Rob Dougherty, CEO of Wise Wizard Games.
“Scaling the game development and production pipeline is critical for the company’s growth, and Derek has fantastic skills to help take the company to the next level. We also plan to continue to support Derek’s love of community building online and at conventions worldwide.” said Debbie Moynihan, COO of Wise Wizard Games.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Wise Wizard Games, and I’m thrilled to be joining the leadership team where I’ll be able to impact every part of the business,” said Derek Funkhouser. “Wise Wizard Games is also supportive of the ongoing mission of Board Game Spotlight and my desire to travel to board game conventions around the world, and I’m very happy about that too.”
Prior to joining Wise Wizard Games, Derek had four years of experience working as a Game Designer and Developer working on titles such as Tidal Blades, Wonderlands War, Trial by Trolley, Valor and Villainy: Lludwik’s Labyrinth, and many more. He also has more than a decade of experience in project management and organizational leadership. He entered the game industry as a professional in 2018, starting out as a full-time content creator for The Board Game Spotlight. Later, Derek was hired as Game Development Manager for Skybound Tabletop in 2019 where he worked until 2022. Derek is married to Lizzy Funkhouser, and they have one child, Sebastian (4). Join Rob and Derek on our Wizard Weekly Livestream today at 11 am EST.
About Wise Wizard Games
Wise Wizard Games LLC was founded in 2013 by two Magic: the Gathering Hall of Famers Rob Dougherty and Darwin Kastle. Their first game, Star Realms, a space combat deckbuilding game, exploded in popularity and has won 7 Game of the Year awards. Their games are known for being easy to learn while also having enough strategic depth for even the most advanced gamers.
For more information, visit wisewizardgames.com, like our Wise Wizard Games Facebook Page, and follow Wise Wizard Games on Twitter @wwizardgames
Wise Wizard Games Press Contact: | Debbie Moynihan | [email protected]
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