I'm Cooper, the founder of Clay Bird Games and designer of CRED! It’s a bit surreal writing this as even getting to this point in this journey seems a little bit like a dream. Since most of you have zero idea of who I am, let me give you a little background!

I've been a board game enthusiast my entire life. Family stories still circulate about toddler-me inventing wild, logic-free games with ever changing rules to play with everyone. As I grew up, game nights became a cornerstone of how I connected with friends and loved ones. Designing my own game was always a “quiet” bucket-list dream, but publishing one? That wasn't even on my radar.

As a gamer, I like to put myself in the “theme-r” camp. Don’t get me wrong, a game must have solid mechanics to actually sing, but I’m a sucker for a good/well implemented theme. Throughout my gaming experience, I, like most gamers I think, have gone through a lot of phases. As far back as I can remember I recall playing all the traditional mass market games and raiding my grandparents closet when visiting to dabble in some awesome “vintage” titles. As I got a little older, I started to discover various party games and what I’d classify as more welcoming hobby games. I think the game I can truly attribute as my gateway into the hobby was Batman: Gotham City Strategy Game. As an avid Batman fan growing up, this game just blew my mind. It was the first time I really got to see what this awesome hobby had to offer outside of those titles we all have heard of off the Target shelf. Shortly after, I was gifted The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire, and again my naive gamer mind couldn’t handle it. From that point on, I was hooked – there was no going back.

Gaming through the years - Dice Tower Cruise, Dice Tower West, Coop Con, Dice Tower Studios, CRED prototype, and our collection!

Throughout high school and college, I was always the go-to host for game nights and loved sharing this hobby with anyone I could. My first real collection started to take shape after Annie and I got married and we moved into our first home. I finally had space for a proper board game shelf - and it didn’t take long before that shelf turned into 2, into 3….you know how this goes! During that time, I tried just about everything and anything I could get my hands on. Now, about 8 years later, I like to think my collection is more curated and has a nice sprinkle of a little bit of everything. Some of my current favorites include Dead Reckoning (I’m a sucker for any game with a pirate theme!), A Feast for Odin, Lost Ruins of Arnak, My Father’s Work, and Ark Nova. While I typically lean into the heavier, more complex games, I also find a lot of joy in lighter titles when a long game night or weekend isn’t in the cards. When I’m not gaming, you’ll typically find me spending time with my family, getting in some lap time in the racing sim, watching hockey, or binging the next show I’m into.

Prior to being a stay-at-home dad to my son Clay (and soon to be son number 2!), I started my professional career working for the Vegas Golden Knights NHL franchise in Las Vegas. As a hockey player growing up, I still pinch myself at the amazing opportunity that was. My wife and I moved to Vegas straight out of school as I joined them prior to their inaugural season and until the end of season 4. After that, we moved to Austin, TX as I took a new role for a consulting company in project management. While being back in Texas was an awesome experience (with both Annie and I attending college there), I ended up being let go just about a month prior to the arrival of our first son.

Which leads us to the end of 2023 when our first son, Clay, was born—a joyful milestone amid a chaotic year. Since I was let go just before my paternity leave was supposed to kick in, suddenly, the future was wide open. During those early, sleep-deprived days at home, I started chatting with my father-in-law, Randy, about board games and why we love them so much. He had never been much of a board game fan, but has always been very intentional about trying to learn more about the hobby my wife and I have grown to love so much. One day, he half-jokingly suggested I create a custom game the whole family could enjoy during holidays—something themed around his world of commercial real estate development. He pictured a custom monopoly board of sorts - I had other ideas.

What emerged was CRED—a mid-weight Euro-style game of strategy, creativity, and real-world development decisions. Between baby duties, I spent weeks researching, prototyping, and iterating with Randy's insights on the ins and outs of the industry. Our first playtest? An epic (okay, exhausting) 8 hours with my wife and her parents. I braced for them to swear off gaming forever.

Instead, he was hooked. He dove in—suggesting tweaks, shortening turns, refining mechanics—and has played now more times (and iterations) than I can count. It's become a genuine way for us to bond over this hobby which I never thought would happen. That spark, born from a simple family conversation, showed me I might have something worth sharing. I remember the night I was going to bring up the idea of actually doing something with this game/idea to my wife Annie. Before I could even get the words out, she said “you have to do it!”. She’s always been my biggest supporter, and I (and Clay Bird Games) wouldn’t be here at this point today without her. I can’t thank her enough for encouraging me and supporting me to take the leap. Honoring our son (nicknamed "Clay Bird" since baby days), I launched Clay Bird Games in 2026 from Colorado.

Our mission is straightforward: create and publish engaging hobby board games with real-world themes, innovative-yet-accessible mechanics, and strategic depth that welcomes both hardcore gamers and newcomers. We want tables filled with fun, creativity, tough decisions, and laughter—no matter who's playing.

Our first game, CRED, is in the final stages of development. We're aiming to bring it to the tabletop community via a crowdfunding launch in 2027. It's a tycoon-style experience that captures the fun (and tough choices) of commercial real estate development—perfect for fans of tycoon experiences, smart strategy, and meaningful player interaction.

Whether you're a seasoned hobbyist, a tycoon-game lover, or someone who enjoys supporting indie designers and passionate entrepreneurs, we hope you'll join us. This is about more than games—it's about the connections they create.

Follow our journey, cheer on CRED's progress, and let's build something great together.

Thanks for stopping by!

- Cooper

Where It all Began

Clay Bird Games

Location