About Franchise Architect
Franchise Architect is the VaultSpark Studios sports simulation universe for players who want to build organizations, not just manage lineups.
The first release is Franchise Architect: Football, a browser-native franchise game focused on roster construction, contracts, scouting, draft strategy, rivalries, league history, and long-save consequences. It runs entirely in your browser: no account, no install, and no server between you and your league.
The shared architecture is designed so future sports can live under the same universe with sport-specific rules and shared simulation, save, draft, history, and user-interface packages.
The game is in open beta. Every dated change ships on Status & Updates, and the numbers the simulation is measured against are published on The Simulation.
In the game and ahead
The rival trade market and Front Office Advisor are playable now. Community Stats will publish real trends only after its privacy threshold is met.
- Rivals who remember you. Every rival front office has an archetype and a memory of its dealings with you. That identity now affects the terms it accepts and the reasons it gives for a trade.
- A front office that talks back. The weekly Front Office Advisor argues one call from your briefing, cites the numbers behind it, and keeps score of when you went against the room.
- Community Stats going live. The community atlas publishes trends only once at least five browsers are sharing. Until then it shows a simulated decade so you can see what the league produces, clearly labelled as simulation.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free?
Yes. Franchise Architect: Football is a free open beta. There is nothing to buy inside it.
Do I need an account?
No. Your league is saved in the browser you play in. If you want a copy elsewhere, the game can export a save file, and an optional GitHub Gist sync uses a token you supply and that never leaves your session.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The game ships phone and tablet layouts with a drawer for every tab, and every release is captured on desktop, tablet, and phone in both themes before it is promoted.
What leaves my browser?
Nothing, unless you opt into Community Stats. If you do, the browser shares anonymous, aggregate game choices and results, never your save, names, notes, or hidden ratings, and you can stop and delete at any time. The exact rules are in the methodology and the privacy notice.
How real is the simulation?
It is measured, not asserted. The Simulation page publishes the anchors the league is checked against at build time and states where the comparison stops working.
Can I share a league with a friend?
Yes. Every league has a challenge code that starts the same league from the same seed, so two people can run the same franchise and compare.
Will an update break my save?
Updates migrate saves in place. When a change alters something you will notice in an existing league, the status page says so in the release note for that day.
Where do I report a bug or ask for something?
Use the in-game Tell the Commissioner button, post on the discussion board, or email [email protected].