Exclusive: "I Got Tired of Waiting", Why the Creators of Cataclysm Arcade Built a TCG You Can Play with Just a Single Booster Pack

With a radical and vibrant art style set in a post-apocalyptic world, the latest TCG darling to hit the crowd-funding scene, Cataclysm Arcade, looks to offer some exciting twists to the genre. Designed to be played with a single booster pack per player, Arcade’s goal is to deliver an approachable and easy-to-get-into card game while still providing strategic depth and the same tense and exciting social gaming experience that the TCG genre is known for. We had a chance to crack some packs and spend some coins in the arcade recently, and came away impressed with the twists that its designers and Mothership Games co-founders, Brian David-Marshal and Jay Van Hoy, have introduced to the TCG mold. We had a chance to speak with Brian and get an even deeper look at the code behind this arcade, learning more about how the game came to be, the inspiration behind some of its characters and mechanics, and more. Cataclysm Arcade’s Kickstarter campaign is currently running through July 8, 2026, with an expected delivery in Q4 2026. IGN: How long have you been working on Cataclysm Arcade? BDM: The storyworld that the game lives in is something I have been pecking away at for a few years. It was b