Last month, Firefox turned 21, marking two decades of building a web that reflects creativity, independence and trust. At TwitchCon, we celebrated by launching billionaires into space and launching a new card game, Data War.
Billionaire Blast Off started with a simple premise: send billionaires into space and have fun doing it. With Data War, we created a fun and often chaotic game where you compete to win a one-way ticket to space for a data-hungry billionaire. We were thrilled that so many people at TwitchCon had a blast playing it.
You can download your own physical deck of Data War here, and now the chaos comes to your browser. The digital version of Data War is now free to play right online.
Jump in, stack your deck and blast off with our Data War digital game
Play nowFrom convention floor to your screen
During TwitchCon, visitors packed tables to duel it out, shouting “Data Grab!” and swapping decks mid-game as billionaires blasted off into orbit. The new online version brings that same energy to everyone.
“If you laugh at something, you have power over it,” said Dave Rowley, Executive Creative Director at Mondo Robot, Firefox’s partner behind Data War. “We took the approach of applying absurdity as a cathartic device wherever we could. That allowed us to balance the realities of billionaires profiting off your data with a sort of reductive sarcasm, creating an outlet for frustration that lets you reclaim some control through a genuinely fun and accessible play experience.”
How it started and evolved
Rowley worked with the Firefox team to design Data War to be instantly learnable and endlessly chaotic. Think War meets Exploding Kittens: data is currency, billionaires are unpredictable and Firefox shows up to remind players they are the ones who really are in control.
To bring Firefox’s perspective into the game’s creation, the team invited people who actually build Firefox to get involved. One of them was Philip Luk, Firefox’s Director of Engineering, who playtested early versions of the physical game with his teenage kids. Their feedback helped shape Data War into something more dynamic than classic War.
“The game aims to spotlight how big tech companies and their billionaire owners profit from our data ,” said Philip Luk, Firefox Director of Engineering. “My kids and I contributed ideas for new cards that add different strategic twists, make it more than just flipping cards – it’s about reacting, laughing, and watching the chaos unfold.”
“Playtesting with my teens helped us see where we could make it more unpredictable and fun,” Luk added. “Those moments of surprise are what made the game engaging.”
After TwitchCon, the team set out to create a digital version of Data War. A lighter, browser-based game that keeps the spirit of chaos and humor but can be played in quick bursts anytime.
“We wanted to design a digital version of Data War that anyone could play whenever they needed a quick break,” said Benton Persons, Marketing Partnerships and Activations Lead at Mozilla. “That’s what Firefox is all about, taking the stress out of being online because you’re in control of your experience. And really, who doesn’t want to launch little billionaires into space between meetings?”
Built for fun, powered by values
Every match is a reminder of the absurd things billionaires and Big Tech do to profit from your personal data.
But it’s also a reminder that players are the ones in control and ultimately launch those billionaires into space.
“Our goal was simple: make Data War just as chaotic and fun in your browser as it is on a table. So we streamlined the rules and added digital-only moments like animations, fast turns and story hits, like the Data Grab minigame and Billionaire Blast Off win sequences, that keep every round feeling fresh, even when you’re playing solo,” said Rowley. “When the table erupts in laughter, that’s when you know you’ve won.
Play now
You can play Data War Digital right now at: https://billionaireblastoff.firefox.com/datawar
Take it offline and download your own version of the physical deck to play with friends, because launching billionaires into space is even better together.
