Name: Keegan Franck - YIC Spotlight #2 in our 20 Week Countdown to POP Week 2025!

Location: Belmont, MA

YIC: 2024 Senior Most Innovative Winner & 2023 Senior Best Game Winner 

Invention(s): MetroNet (2024) & Endless (2023)

Where are your inventions now?

MetroNet is still being pitched to publishers, and I’m hopeful it will be signed sometime soon! As for Endless, after some pitching at Origins Expo 2024, was signed in December 2024 by a great publisher, and will hopefully make it to nationwide storefronts sometime next year. I’m really excited to see where all this will go!

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Have you invented any other toys/games since the YIC?

Of course! I’ve got a game called Rendezvous that’s a really deep abstract strategy currently undergoing some later-stage playtesting, and I’m currently working on a more complicated game called Republic which has been challenging but very enjoyable to work on. I’m looking forward to completely polishing a game for this year’s YIC, which may be one of these or something else I haven’t thought of yet!

Are you planning to work or study in a related field (STEM, design, entrepreneurship, toy/game industry, etc.)?

I’m still in early high school, and haven’t entirely decided exactly what I’d like to focus my life on doing. I really enjoy pretty much all forms of science, so it’s a definite possibility I decide to enter a scientific field later in life, but I’m not sure yet! There’s so much out there to learn. No matter where I go, though, I’m definitely going to continue designing and pitching games. I’ll definitely stay active in the game design community, and may even decide to make it my full time job! Where I end up remains to be seen, but no matter what, I’m looking forward to improving my skills as a designer!

Photo: Keegan pitching Nancy Zwiers

(Note from Mary:  It is the 20th Anniversary of the Young Inventor Challenge! We have BIG plans and would love to include you - be a sponsor, a judge or a volunteer. We appreciate all the help we can get to support the next generation of toy people! Contact Ahren Hoffman ahren@peopleofplay.com today.)