The first proof
Monsters on BoardClever choices. Wild combos. One very frightened town.
A thoughtful rebuild with sharper systems, clearer teaching, modular content, and the production care the game always deserved.
Built by a game maker
Experience across games. One long-term vision.
An independent publisher combining tabletop design, commercial digital game experience, and product-building discipline to create premium games with less friction between players and the good part.
Not a one-game project. A publisher being built for the long run.
Studio story
Built by players. Backed by experience.
Cranky Kraken Games was founded and is led by Ivo Neskovic, lead designer of Monsters on Board, entrepreneur, software engineer, Computer Science Lecturer at the University of York, community builder, and lifelong board gamer. He has spent more than a decade around tabletop communities, events, design, and publishing, including helping other publishers bring games across the finish line.
Before Cranky Kraken Games, Ivo co-founded Furious Avocado, a mobile game studio whose titles reached more than 200 million downloads. That experience in game development, technology, product delivery, and academia shapes a practical publishing philosophy: make complex systems clear, finish what you start, and earn trust through the experience people actually receive.
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10+ years
A decade at the table
Player, organizer, community builder, designer, and publishing collaborator.
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200M+
Digital games
Co-founded Furious Avocado, whose games reached more than 200 million downloads.
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University of York
Academia
Computer Science Lecturer, teaching and communicating complex systems.
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Game design
Monsters on Board
Lead designer of Monsters on Board and collaborator helping tabletop projects reach completion.
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Today
Cranky Kraken Games
Building a long-term independent publisher with a catalogue beyond one title.
What survives the table
Games are social memory machines.
The rules matter. The components matter. But what survives is the story people tell afterward.
We make polished tabletop experiences that generate repeat stories: the impossible comeback, the plan that collapsed spectacularly, and the decision everyone is still arguing about later. Not disposable experiences that vanish when the box closes.
Why we exist
Less friction. More time for the good part.
We create premium tabletop experiences that are easier to learn, rewarding to explore, and built to return to the table.
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Gameplay First
Every rule, component, and feature must make the game better.
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Easier to Enter
Clear teaching and purposeful technology get players to meaningful choices sooner.
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Trust Is Earned
Realistic plans, open communication, and reliable delivery over empty hype.
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Worth Returning To
Games should reward repeated play and create stories players want to revisit.
Meet Cranky
Chief Complaints Officer. Full-time mascot. Suspiciously excellent host.
Cranky is the emotional center of the studio: dramatic, overworked, intensely opinionated, and still deeply committed to making sure everyone has a great time.
Keeping the harbor lively while pretending hospitality is a terrible burden.
"If I am grumbling, it is because standards matter. Also because somebody stacked prototype boxes on my favorite chair again."
Permanently annoyed Theatrically competent Warm under the muttering Excellent taste in games
How we work
Small publisher. International crew.
Cranky Kraken Games is founded and led by Ivo, but no memorable game is made alone. Each project brings together a talented international network of specialists who give the work the care it deserves.
- Artists
- Illustrators
- Graphic designers
- Developers
- Editors
- Production partners
- Playtesters
- Creative collaborators
What we are building
One game starts the story. It does not define the destination.
Monsters on Board is the first proof of the approach, not the edge of the map. Cranky Kraken Games is being built to publish more games and support them thoughtfully over time.
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01
Premium tabletop games
Strong systems, premium physical production, less friction to play, and memorable table presence.
Meet Monsters on Board -
02
Thoughtful digital support
Technology used only when it removes friction or creates experiences print cannot.
Explore Beyond the Box -
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A publisher worth trusting
Realistic campaigns, transparent production, and long-term relationships with players and partners.