The Founders

James Borda

“The Mad Vizier of Cubyria”

When James was asked in 4th grade what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said, ‘an actor, a comedian, and an astronaut.’ That kind of dogged resistance to a single direction of travel has brought him through meandering paths to the precipice of game design and publishing. A serious jazz pianist in high school, where he met Keith and played with him in the infamous “1:45 Jazz Band”, he leaned into writing in college and earned a BA in creative writing and English literature. After teaching English in Japan, he landed in San Francisco and was swept into the heady days of Web 1.0, where he did HTML markup for many (now dead) start-ups, wrote two novels and played Jeffir al-Faara, the one-eyed wizard thief, in an epic GURPS campaign that echoed through 2000 years of fictional history. After shuttling across the Atlantic a few times with his English girlfriend, he returned to school at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), where he built oddities like a giant video game cabinet called “The Buddhist” where your avatar is a meditating monk and if you push any of the buttons you lose. He followed that up with jobs in design and media programming. The immanent birth of his son returned him to England, where he now resides permanently. Theo is 10 and built 90% of this web site.

Keith Walter

“The Chief Architect of Cubyria”

Keith’s journey began in Detroit, working summers and school breaks at his father’s machine shop, where he developed hands-on expertise in manufacturing, engineering, and quality systems. This solid foundation led him to roles running QA departments and managing supply chains at several engineering and manufacturing firms, before transitioning into enterprise applications that power large organizations. Alongside his business and operational experience, Keith has always nurtured a passion for music, which he pursued from childhood through college. It was music that first connected him with James in high school in Ann Arbor—a friendship and creative partnership that has lasted for decades. In early 2025, Keith joined James on the Cubyria adventure, drawn by their deep trust, mutual respect, and a fantastic game. Keith holds degrees in jazz performance, audio engineering, and business, continues to make music, and is a proud father of two accomplished adult children.