Korn Having a Blast with Space Raccoons Card Game
Published: 2:30 PM Wednesday, September 30, 2026
What began as a class project has turned into a card game that takes players on a fun and challenging galactic journey with furry, black-masked, and ring-tailed characters. Mercer Islander Brandon Korn and two fellow Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) game design students have released Space Raccoons: Raccoons in Space after nearly three years of development.
Korn, 24, shared insights about the game, which he and co-designers Will Buxton and William Tallarico describe as a “chaotic card game of cosmic junk and clever critters.”
“In Space Raccoons, you play as a raccoon in space, rummaging through a space trash heap, trying to collect the coolest space junk for your own collection,” Korn explained. Players also aim to hide items that their opponents desire, with the ultimate goal of having the best collection by the game’s end.
The game was fully funded through Kickstarter and features 100 cards, available to the public for about six months. Korn is impressed by Buxton’s polished artwork, which helps create a family game night-type vibe.
“People have loved it. The first thing that everyone says is how great the art is, which I can’t agree more with,” said Korn, a 2025 RIT graduate with a degree in game design and development.
The design team wanted to evoke the aesthetic of games like Exploding Kittens, showcasing cute animals in unexpected places. Over 300 of the 350 copies printed have sold, showcasing the game’s popularity.
The choice of raccoons came as Buxton believed they would be fun to draw, while the space theme adds a science fiction flair. The game nods to classic sci-fi with iconic trash items, including lightsabers and portal guns.
Korn is thrilled with the team’s success in bringing Space Raccoons to life. “Seeing where it was and where it is now is just night and day. I’m so happy that it’s finally out and I can show it to people,” he said. Currently, he is interviewing for professional game designer positions.
Korn grew up playing board games with his family, starting with Catan. He designed his first game at eight and has continually nurtured his creativity. In college, he worked on various projects, from RPGs to VR titles, and in high school, he enjoyed running Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.
He appreciates the social aspect of gaming, emphasizing, “Winning is the best part of hanging out… I think there’s kind of no better activity to do to just kind of hang out with people you care about.”
Space Raccoons is available for $25 at Island Books and on the trio’s website: Space Raccoons.
