Root Creator Launches Buried Giant Studios

The designer behind acclaimed strategy games Root, Oath, and Arcs, Cole Wehrle, is leaving publisher Leder Games to found a new studio called Buried Giant Studios. In a move that reshapes part of the indie tabletop landscape, he is taking two key game lines with him while leaving the breakout hit Root in Leder’s hands.

A New Chapter for a Defining Indie Designer

Over the last decade, Cole Wehrle has become one of the most recognizable designers in the board game hobby, especially in strategy and thematic games. His work at Leder Games helped define a specific flavor of modern tabletop: asymmetric conflict, political maneuvering, and emergent storytelling layered over whimsical art.

Now, with the announcement of Buried Giant Studios, that creative energy is moving into a more independent form. While Leder Games will continue to manage and expand the Root franchise, Buried Giant will assume control of the Oath and Arcs properties and focus on fulfilling current projects and developing future designs built on similar narrative-heavy foundations.

Who Is Cole Wehrle, and Why Does This Matter?

To understand why this shift is significant, it helps to know what Wehrle has contributed to tabletop design so far:

• Asymmetric conflict design: Root popularized highly asymmetric factions in a woodland war, each playing with unique actions and scoring systems.
• Living-history sandbox: Oath introduced a persistent campaign where each session changes the political makeup and deck of the next.
• Compact epic campaigns: Arcs built a space opera with short, linked campaigns and branching story arcs.

These titles arrived in a broader wave of crowdfunding-fueled designer-led studios, where individual voices and experimental mechanics could coexist alongside more traditional publisher-driven releases. That trend coincided with the rapid expansion of the board game market and the growth of crowdfunding platforms as a major funding channel for tabletop projects, according to industry reporting from outlets such as Forbes and the Financial Times.

From Leder Games to Buried Giant: What’s Changing?

The heart of the news is a structural change in who owns and stewards specific game lines.

Games Staying with Leder Games

Leder Games retains ownership and control of the Root intellectual property (IP). That includes:

• The current Root core game and expansions
• Future development within the Root IP
• Licensing and merchandising around the woodland war setting

This is important because Root has become a flagship title for Leder, expanding their staff and helping raise their profile internationally through translations, digital adaptations, and merchandise.

Games Moving to Buried Giant Studios

In contrast, Leder Games has agreed to transfer two major Wehrle designs to the new studio:

• Oath: A sweeping, generational political saga of a crumbling empire where each playthrough alters the next.
• Arcs: A modular, campaign-oriented space strategy game that blends tight, tactical play with narrative stakes.

Buried Giant Studios will own these IPs and be responsible for their continuation, including expansions, reprints, and potential cross-media opportunities.

Who’s Going to Buried Giant Studios?

Buried Giant isn’t a solo venture. Several long-time creative partners are joining Wehrle in the new studio, forming a team that already has a shared language and track record.

Kyle Ferrin’s Signature Visual Style

Illustrator Kyle Ferrin, whose art has become inseparable from the identity of Root, Oath, and Arcs, is a central part of the move. His illustrations combine childlike charm with hints of menace and political tension, creating a contrast that has helped these games stand out on shelves and online.

That visual identity has real commercial impact: research on product and package design emphasizes that distinctive, cohesive visual branding supports recognition and customer loyalty in saturated markets. For Buried Giant, retaining Ferrin’s style means continuity for fans following the new studio, even as new settings and mechanics are introduced.

Additional Collaborators

According to the announcement, Wehrle and Ferrin are building Buried Giant alongside:

• Drew Wehrle: Cole’s brother, who has previously collaborated on development and project management.
• Ted Caya and other long-time partners: Part of the wider creative and operational ecosystem that has supported past releases.

This founding cast suggests Buried Giant will start with a tight-knit team that already understands the demands of running large Kickstarter campaigns, managing expansions, and maintaining communication with a dedicated fanbase.

What Happens to Oath and Arcs Now?

Buried Giant’s first priorities are practical and immediate: continuing support for existing projects that thousands of players have already backed or purchased.

Fulfilling Oath: New Foundations

The expansion Oath: New Foundations is a key near-term project. Buried Giant will take on the responsibility for its fulfillment. That includes:

• Production and printing logistics
• Coordinating with distribution partners and fulfillment centers
• Providing updates to backers and customers

On-time and transparent fulfillment is crucial. Industry surveys consistently show that late or poorly communicated deliveries are among the biggest pain points for backers of crowdfunded games. Taking over this task gives Buried Giant an early opportunity to prove its reliability and communication style.

Developing an Add-On for Arcs

In addition to Oath, the team has signaled that an add-on product or expansion for Arcs is in the works. While details are not fully disclosed, this suggests:

• Additional campaign paths or narrative modules
• New factions, scenarios, or map elements
• Refinements based on feedback from early players

Because Arcs was designed from the start as a campaign-oriented system, expansions are a natural fit and can extend the game’s lifespan significantly for engaged groups.

Why Leave Root Behind?

One of the most striking aspects of this transition is that Root, the game most associated with Wehrle, is not moving to Buried Giant. Instead, it remains a core property of Leder Games. There are both creative and business reasons this makes sense.

Root as a Flagship for Leder Games

By all indications, Root has been commercially vital for Leder, helping the company grow its staff, upgrade offices, and secure a global fanbase. Media coverage and industry rankings frequently place Root among the most influential modern board games, alongside titles from other major publishers.

Keeping Root with Leder provides stability for the publisher and allows their internal team to continue extending the line. At the same time, leaving Root behind frees Buried Giant to experiment with new ideas rather than being locked into stewarding an already sprawling franchise.

Creative Space for New Systems

From a design perspective, Wehrle’s later works already show a desire to move beyond Root’s model:

• Oath focuses on continuity between games and the evolution of institutions over time.
• Arcs emphasizes modular campaigns with branching storylines rather than standalone asymmetric skirmishes.

With Buried Giant, those lines can continue evolving without the pressure of constantly returning to the woodland war. That may produce more experimental systems, hybrid campaign structures, or even cross-game design ideas that link multiple titles in one narrative universe.

What This Means for Players and the Hobby

For players and retailers, the immediate question is simple: how disruptive is this change going to be? In the near term, the answer appears to be “not very.” However, the long-term implications are substantial.

Short-Term Impact

In the short run, you can expect:

• Root support to continue through Leder Games, with reprints and potential expansions handled as before.
• Oath and Arcs to remain in print, now under Buried Giant’s oversight.
• Fulfillment of Oath: New Foundations and related products to transition to the new studio.

Retailers may see some minor changes in distribution channels or product codes, but the consumer-facing products themselves should remain familiar.

Long-Term Implications

Over the longer term, this shift reflects and reinforces several broader trends in tabletop gaming:

1. Designer-led studios: High-profile designers increasingly leverage their personal brand to launch independent studios, aligning creative control and business decisions.
2. Fragmentation of IP ownership: Games and expansions may live under different companies over time, as rights are transferred or licensed.
3. Greater emphasis on narrative continuity: Titles like Oath and Arcs point toward long-form, story-driven gaming that straddles the line between board games and roleplaying campaigns.

Research on creative industries suggests that such shifts—where creators gain more direct control over their IP—can encourage innovation while also increasing business risk for smaller studios. Buried Giant will likely need to balance ambitious designs with sustainable production and fulfillment practices.

Future Directions for Buried Giant Studios

While specific unannounced projects haven’t been detailed, the studio’s early roadmap is easy to imagine based on its founders’ past work and public statements.

Possible Focus Areas

• Deep, expandable strategy games: Systems designed with long lifespans and multiple expansion paths.
• Persistent or semi-legacy campaigns: Games where choices carry forward, reshaping future sessions.
• Strong visual storytelling: Titles that use distinctive art to communicate theme and tone at a glance.

Opportunities and Challenges

As an independent studio, Buried Giant gains flexibility but also inherits challenges:

• Funding and cash flow: Crowdfunding can provide upfront capital but introduces volatility and heavy expectations.
• Logistics and fulfillment: Manufacturing, shipping, and customs have become more complex, especially for smaller companies.
• Community management: Enthusiastic fanbases can be a powerful asset but require consistent communication and support.

How well Buried Giant navigates these issues will likely determine whether it becomes a long-term fixture in the hobby or remains a niche experiment.

FAQ: Buried Giant Studios and the Future of Root, Oath, and Arcs

Will Root still get new content?

Yes. Root remains with Leder Games, which has every incentive to continue supporting and expanding one of its most successful titles. Players can reasonably expect reprints and potential new content in the future.

Who is responsible for Oath: New Foundations?

Buried Giant Studios will handle production and fulfillment for Oath: New Foundations. Backers should receive updates from the new studio regarding timelines, shipping, and any logistical changes.

Will the art of future Oath and Arcs products change?

Unlikely in the near term. Illustrator Kyle Ferrin is joining Buried Giant, which means ongoing releases for Oath and Arcs should retain the visual style that fans already recognize.

Does this split affect existing copies of Root, Oath, or Arcs?

No. Ownership changes and studio restructuring don’t affect the physical copies already on your shelf. The main impact is on future printings, expansions, and support.

Is Buried Giant planning entirely new games?

The founding team has indicated that new projects are part of the plan beyond maintaining Oath and Arcs. Details haven’t been fully revealed, but their track record suggests more experimental strategy and narrative designs are likely.