In honor of our 10th Anniversary, we’re looking back to Renegade’s journey since its founding. This month we look at what happened in 2016 and the games and people that made it special.

In March 2016, Renegade brought on Sara Erickson as one of their first employees to be the Director of Sales and Marketing. Sara entered the industry as co-owner of a local hobby store, Rook’s Comics and Games, in 2006 before moving to the publishing side of the industry. There she worked for Cryptozoic Entertainment and IELLO before accepting a position with industry veteran, Scott Gaeta, at the newly formed Renegade Game Studios. 

“Sara is one of those exceptional people in our industry that really stands out,” said Renegade President Scott Gaeta when asked about Erickson by ICV2 in May 2016. 

Sara would be promoted to Vice President of Sales and Marketing in 2021. Today, Erickson works for Renegade Game Studios as the Event Manager and is taking time to focus on other passions such as her game store and dog training.

Renegade continued to expand its line of quality games throughout 2016. Released in the Spring of 2016 was Kitty Paw in partnership with Aza Chen. This would be the first game with designer and artist Aza Chen to be released with Renegade. Collaborations would continue through the years on games such as Circus Puppy and Fireworks, all featuring Chen’s cute art and captivating game designs. 

The stunning flower card game Lotus was originally released in September 2016. Designed by Jordan and Mandy Goddard, this game gained attention for its beautiful table presence and strategic yet simple gameplay. For a while Lotus was out of print but in 2024, almost over 7 years from its original release, Renegade would bring back the beloved card game! Lotus is now available again and contains an all-new solo mode. This included solo mode adds the new Winter Lotus giving the game even more replayability. This Renegade classic is now back and better than ever.

One of the most notable games to come out of 2016 was Clank!: A Deck Building Adventure. This game by Paul Dennen would begin a partnership between Renegade Games Studios and Dire Wolf that would last for years. The original game, published by Renegade, has been nominated for over a dozen awards and received awards such as the 2017 Mensa Select Award. Over the next few years, Renegade would continue to expand the line with successes such as Clank! In! Space! and Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated until the end of the partnership between the two publishers in 2021. 

2016 was great year for Renegade! We look forward to diving into more of our history with you next month!