Game Designer

Justin D. Jacobson

Justin D. Jacobson — game designer and publisher, active 2017–2023, known for reimplementations and tactical fighting/card games.

1 Games

Biography

Justin D. Jacobson is an attorney and the founder/president of Restoration Games. Our database lists 12 games under his name; earlier he published RPG material with Blue Devil Games. He won the 2004 About.com Shared Pieces Design Competition for Golem and combines legal work with professional game publishing.

Career

From 2017 Jacobson emerged prominently with Restoration Games, producing reprints, licensed titles and family-friendly fighting games. His projects span classic remakes to Unmatched skirmishes and arena-style designs. Recurring mechanics in his catalogue include Hand Management, Action Points, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Line of Sight and Point-to-Point Movement. He frequently collaborates with designers such as Rob Daviau and Noah Cohen and emphasizes tactical card conflict and player interaction.

Most Famous Games

Key titles include Thunder Road: Vendetta (2023), Return to Dark Tower (2022) and Unmatched: Battle of Legends, Volume One (2019). Other notable releases are Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar (2018) and Downforce (2017). Several of these received Board Game Quest and Golden Geek recognitions.

Design Style

Jacobson's work tends toward thematic, combat-focused card games that combine tactical positioning with card-driven resolution. Many releases modernize older concepts while keeping high player interaction.