About Us

The minds behind One Above

We're Matthias and Jan - two board game enthusiasts who refuse to settle for "good enough."

FOTO MATTHIAS & JAN — FOLGT

Matthias Drescher

Co-Founder · IT & Rulebooks

Matthias studied computer science — analytical thinking and breaking down complex problems are in his blood. As a product manager, he puts himself in his users' shoes every day. That's what makes his rulebooks so strong: crystal-clear, fair, and elegantly worded rules. His focus is the fine-tuning of mechanics. At One Above he also runs all of IT: he builds the arena, the platform behind it and our websites.

Jan Schumann

Co-Founder · Design & Designer Support

Jan is incredibly versatile — at his day job he juggles engineering, procurement, warehousing, and sales. When an idea grabs him, the first prototype is built within days. Add a natural talent for design — and our games are a feast for the eyes too. In the nexus he looks after each game designer personally: from CAD modelling and 3D printing to the finished prototype.

What drives us

Three principles behind every game we create.

Thoughtful

Every mechanic, every card, every move - carefully considered down to the finest detail.

Thematic

Our games tell stories. The theme is never just pasted on - it's the foundation.

Uncompromising

Elegance in the mechanics, quality in the components, coherence in the design - we make no compromises.

Why “One Above”?

“One Above” is our name and our standard. It isn't a slogan for our games alone – it's the bar for everything we do.

one above games

Our games

One above means: thought through down to the last card, with a theme that carries the game and components you love to pick up.

one above arena

The arena

One above means: every game gets its own table instead of a one-size-fits-all interface, and the server keeps play fair.

one above nexus

The nexus

One above means: a prototype becomes a playable link that designers are proud to send to publishers.

Always a bit more ambitious, a bit more refined, a bit more extraordinary than expected.