Yesterday, Root and Oath designer Cole Wehrle announced in a letter posted to the Leder Games website that he, along with Leder’s in-house artist Kyle Ferrin, had formed a new company, Buried Giant Studios, with Wehrle’s brother Drew Wehrle and former Leder Director of Operations Ted Caya.
According to a press release from Buried Giant, the studio plans “to make interactive games with expressive systems, emergent gameplay, and player-centered storytelling.” Other Leder veterans like designer Joshua Yearsley (Root: Marauder and Homeland expansions) and graphic designers Pati Hyun and Megan Ganey have joined. Caya’s first title as a designer, Take, was cancelled by Leder in December 2025 and it’s unclear if it will be resurrected under the Buried Giant Banner.
Cole and his brothers Drew and Blake, both of whom are involved in the company, already published under Wehrlegig Games. According to Cole, that company will be rolled into Buried Giant as a semi-independent imprint with “greatly enhanced operations.” Another Buried Giant team member, Cardner Babakitis (Hot Dog Numberwang), also has her own independent studio, Odd Candy.
According to multiple sources, including Patrick Leder himself, this is an amicable split in the works for a while. In a Bluesky post, Leder stated he had “nothing but admiration for the skill and craft [Cole and Kyle] bring to the field” and is “excited to see what both organizations accomplish. Buried Giant now hold the rights to and all remaining stock of both Oath and Arcs, while Root and all expansions will remain with Leder Games. Ferrin will also continue to work on Root as artistic needs demand.
Images via Buried Giant Games
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