Veteran Talent Behind Several Best-Selling Games Form New Women-Led Studio Focused on Creating Games with Broad Appeal – First Playable Demo at the IGDA’s Indie Media Connect During GDC
SEATTLE and LOS ANGELES: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2025 – New independent game studio Wicked Fox Games has launched a crowdfunding campaign for its inaugural game, Rise of Elements. The game is a narrative-rich, champion-led competitive RPG wrapped around a PvP elemental Match-3 puzzle mechanic. The Kickstarter campaign, which went live on Tuesday, offers backer rewards including exclusive skins, closed playtesting and early access, physical items and other perks depending on the support tier. The campaign runs March 4–April 3, 2025.
Rise of Elements is the fully realized version of a prototype first created by Wicked Fox CEO Terry Redfield and another member of the current team nearly a decade ago. Rise of Elements players compete in Argos’ Tournament of Champions in a quest to achieve mastery of the elements and rid the world of Aetheron of the Void’s impending threat. It can be played competitively or more methodically through various single-player or multiplayer modes, including Timed, Moves, and Story modes, with the possibility of additional modes in the future.
Players select from a roster of diverse champions, each with their own set of moves, strengths and weaknesses, and special elemental abilities. The variety of champions, attributes, and play styles adds layers of tactical strategy to the elemental gem-based gameplay. Wicked Fox plans to lean into this aspect for future expansion, potentially releasing new champions and battle arenas, as well as collaborations.
Currently, the game contains one such collaboration with the talented streamer and TV host Trisha Hershberger, who has teamed up with the studio to voice and create the champion Cordelia, the Enthusiastic Inventor. Another collaboration in the works is with streamer and voice actress Lily Ki, also known as LilyPichu, on future champion Emily, Queen of the Dead. Backers for Rise of Elements will be able to follow along on the development of these champions and more. “One of the studio’s primary focuses is to create diverse characters and relatable stories – often rooted in a culture’s mythology, that will resonate and be accessible to a broad range of players,” said Redfield. “We truly enjoy working with these creators and our community to further develop these distinctive and detailed characters.”
Rise of Elements is just the first title from Wicked Fox Games. Founded in 2024 by Redfield and CTO Caerie Houchins, the leadership team has held pivotal roles on numerous hit games, including VALORANT, Candy Crush, Dungeons and Dragons, League of Legends and Psychonauts. The studio has several other projects underway in various stages of design and pre-production and is actively seeking funding and/or strategic partnerships.
Slated for release in the second half of 2026, Rise of Elements is expected to launch as a premium PC (Steam) and web-based game, with plans to bring it to additional platforms.
About Wicked Fox Games
Founded in 2024, Wicked Fox Games is a remote, independent, and women-led game development studio that values inclusion and strives to create diverse, compelling characters and stories. The studio leadership has held leading roles at notable studios such as King, Wizards of the Coast, Niantic, Riot, and Bungie, where they worked on several best-selling games in the multiplayer and puzzle genres, including League of Legends, VALORANT, and Candy Crush: All Stars. The team is currently working on its debut title, Rise of Elements.
