Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
In this interview I speak with Besim Uyanik and Jon Manker of ION Game Design about their bold 2026 initiative: MinION — a monthly subscription program delivering a compact, standalone board game each month, designed as an entry point into ION’s award-winning strategy universe. We explore the thinking behind making “big game” depth accessible in a smaller format, how MinION bridges into their core titles, and why they’re launching it in early 2026.
We also dive into ION’s production update: how they manage physical game manufacturing, their approach to video game adaptations, and their educational initiatives aimed at bringing strategic gaming to wider audiences.
Timecode:
00:00 Intro
01:30 Essen
06:23 MinIon Games
17:04 Educational Games
24:12 Ion Game Design and Video Games
32:44 Production Pipeline
For more info on the MinION project, see:
iongamedesign.com/pages/minion
☕ If you enjoyed the video, please consider supporting the channel via Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
In this interview I speak with Besim Uyanik and Jon Manker of ION Game Design about their bold 2026 initiative: MinION — a monthly subscription program delivering a compact, standalone board game each month, designed as an entry point into ION’s award-winning strategy universe. We explore the thinking behind making “big game” depth accessible in a smaller format, how MinION bridges into their core titles, and why they’re launching it in early 2026.
We also dive into ION’s production update: how they manage physical game manufacturing, their approach to video game adaptations, and their educational initiatives aimed at bringing strategic gaming to wider audiences.
Timecode:
00:00 Intro
01:30 Essen
06:23 MinIon Games
17:04 Educational Games
24:12 Ion Game Design and Video Games
32:44 Production Pipeline
For more info on the MinION project, see:
iongamedesign.com/pages/minion
☕ If you enjoyed the video, please consider supporting the channel via Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
