Origins TCG hands demo players a deckbuilder and 70+ fresh cards in weekend trial

In Brief:

• Through the game’s Discord, Koin Games is running a weekend test that drops more than 70 new cards, five new decks and a deckbuilder into the Origins TCG demo.
• A bigger demo update is in the works, according to the studio, which plans to trial additional content and features over the coming weeks.
• The Steam demo went live July 15 and carries a 96% positive rating from 78 reviews; the full release is listed for Q4 2026.

What’s in the test

Five new decks, upwards of 70 new cards and a deckbuilder are going out to demo players this weekend.

Koin Games revealed the test via a post on X, directing players to its Discord. “We’re preparing a big update for our demo and will be testing new content & features with you in the coming weeks,” the studio said.

Of everything in the batch, deckbuilding is the consequential piece. Decks in Origins are 13 cards, played out on a three-lane board where both players take their turns simultaneously and games finish in about seven minutes. Because over 100 locations cycle through those lanes and alter what a deck is being asked to do, a construction tool shifts how much of that swing players can prepare for.

Demo numbers

Steam users have had the Origins TCG Demo since July 15, and it currently rates “Very Positive” on the back of 96% of its 78 user reviews being favorable. Support is English-only, and play is online PvP.

The main store listing looks quite different. No user reviews have landed there so far, the release window reads Q4 2026, and the page discloses in-game purchases, chance-based ones included.

The Steam pivot

Instead of the standalone on-chain approach it first outlined, Koin has relocated its trading layer to the Steam Marketplace, pointing to Steam’s transaction volume and a player base already comfortable trading digital goods. Demo-exclusive collectibles that can be traded there shipped alongside the demo.

That marks a departure from the game’s original pitch. Origins was unveiled as “Project O” on Aug. 19, 2025, out of Sydney — an Immutable-powered project promising verifiable card ownership and on-chain trading, and pegged as one of the first titles headed to Immutable Play.

“One of Immutable’s first titles, Gods Unchained (official site), was a TCG, so partnering with Koin Games to launch the world’s first competitive mobile TCG is a milestone we’re incredibly proud of,” Robbie Ferguson, co-founder and president of Immutable, said at the time.

Rival crypto card games were never the benchmark. The titles Koin cited were Marvel Snap, Hearthstone and Pokémon TCG Live.

The studio

Running Koin Games is CEO and co-founder Timothy Jooste, a South African-born entrepreneur with a background in tech sales, working alongside Kevin Lambert, a co-founder of Microsoft’s Casual Games division. Headcount now stands at 34.

Between them, the team’s credits span Candy Crush, Apex Legends, Deer Hunter, EverQuest and Microsoft Solitaire — a body of work Koin tallies at more than 1 billion players and over $5 billion in revenue.

According to Jooste, the game puts a web2 experience up front and makes ownership optional. Lambert has been blunter about it, saying blockchain only gets used where it’s necessary. Jooste has also made the case that catering solely to web3 players rules out ever reaching scale — hence Origins requiring no wallet and no NFT familiarity to jump in.

The economy

No native token exists. What drives the economy instead are Blueprints — NFTs for crafting, upgrading and trading cards — plus digitally graded limited edition pulls that players can put up for sale. Koin has characterized the design as Pokemon’s scarcity model crossed with CS:GO-style rarity.

It bills itself as “free-to-compete,” with zero pay-to-win and skill as the sole basis for competition.

Narratively, the game inhabits a “monk-punk” world in which Earth’s myths are actual people. Cards include Robin Hood, Mulan, Winnie-the-Pooh, the Queen of Hearts and Boots.

On Steam, Koin discloses occasional use of AI-assisted tools for limited internal tasks, workflow acceleration and temporary placeholder materials. The studio said every piece of final artwork is produced or hand-finished by its art team, and that placeholder voices are recorded in-house.

Jooste showed up at a recent event holding what appeared to be metal collectible cards based on the game’s IP. No physical product has been announced by Koin.