“the game is dead” is something people say when a publisher stops printing cards. But in Netrunner, that line never really stuck. Null Signal Games kept the signal alive, and at this point it’s not even a rescue mission anymore. It’s just… the game. If you’ve heard the name and want the full picture, this is the straight, practical breakdown of what Null Signal Games is, what they make, how formats work, how organized play works, and how to actually start playing without turning it into a research project.
What Null Signal Games is (and what it is not)
Null Signal Games is a registered nonprofit publisher that continues Netrunner after Fantasy Flight Games ended official support. It’s volunteer-run, but it operates like a real publisher in the ways that count: design, development, rules, organized play, art direction, printing, distribution, translations, and ongoing balance work.
A key point: Null Signal Games is not Fantasy Flight Games. It’s also not “a random fan site with PDFs.” They publish complete sets, maintain competitive formats, and run an organized play structure that goes from local events up to Worlds. They also make print-and-play a first-class option, and they explicitly allow proxies in their events.
And another key point: they are careful about what they are and are not associated with. When you see disclaimers about not being endorsed by previous rights holders, that’s part legal reality and part community hygiene. It keeps lines clear.
How we got here: from FFG’s end date to a community publisher
Fantasy Flight Games announced in 2018 that it would stop selling Android: Netrunner products, with October 22, 2018 as the cutoff for sales, and Reign and Reverie positioned as the final product. The reasons were tied to licensing realities. That was the “official” ending.
The community response was basically: ok, but we still want to play, and we still want a supported competitive scene.
Project NISEI formed as a fan organization to keep the game going with things like rules support, tournament support, and new content. Later, in 2022, the org retired the “Project NISEI” name and rebranded as Null Signal Games. Their own explanation is blunt: they no longer wanted an appropriated term to be the face of the organization, so they changed it and moved forward. That change also kicked off a wider cleanup effort like remastered card backs and updated terminology.
If you only remember the early “NISEI” era, that’s why you’ll sometimes see older cards, older inserts, and older discussions with different branding. Same community spine, updated identity.
If you want the official explanation in their own words, the post A Change is the clearest starting point.
What Null Signal Games actually does day to day
Null Signal Games isn’t just “make new cards.” It’s a full support stack for an expandable card game:
- New sets: original cards that are compatible with FFG-era Android: Netrunner.
- Rules and templating: the rules team maintains a living comprehensive rules document and publishes card text updates so older printings stay consistent with current rules.
- Balance: they actively manage competitive play through ban lists and format rules.
- Organized play: prize kits, event policy, tournament tiers, and the seasonal structure.
- Production and art: volunteer-led, but they commission and pay artists at market rates.
- Translations: multiple languages, with ongoing updates as new sets land.
- Distribution and printing: direct shop in some regions plus print-on-demand partners, plus restocks and manufacturing changes when needed.
That “publisher operating as a nonprofit” detail matters because it explains why the tone is different from a normal commercial LCG. Their job is to keep Netrunner playable, healthy, and accessible. Profit is not the point, but sustainability is.
Null Signal Games products and the modern set ecosystem
If you’re trying to understand the product map, here’s the simplest way to hold it in your head:
The current on-ramp: System Gateway and Elevation
Null Signal Games pushes a clear starting path: System Gateway as the learn-to-play foundation, and then Elevation as the natural second step that expands the “core” experience without throwing you into deep-end deckbuilding immediately.
They now talk about Core Sets as “System Gateway + Elevation” together. It’s meant to be a stable, non-rotating base that new players can explore for a long time without needing the rest of the card pool.
Cycles, remasters, and why your cards don’t all match
Null Signal Games also releases expansions in cycles (two larger expansions per cycle, rather than the older six-pack model many people remember from FFG). Over time, templating and terminology changed, plus the organization changed its name and card back branding.
So they did remastered editions for older releases. These are mostly cosmetic and templating consistency changes (including removing “NISEI” from card backs, adding or adjusting subtypes, and language updates like “brain damage” becoming “core damage”). The important practical detail: older printings remain usable, but you should sleeve cards in opaque sleeves so backs never matter.
Print-and-play and print-on-demand are core, not side quests
Null Signal Games supports multiple acquisition paths:
- Buy printed sets from their shop or resellers (depending on region and stock)
- Use print-on-demand partners
- Download print-and-play PDFs
And they treat print-and-play as a normal way to play, not a “lesser” way. That’s huge for accessibility, especially when stock fluctuates or you just want to try the game before buying anything.
What’s next: Vantage Point and the post-rotation rebuild
As of late 2025, Null Signal Games has been building around the big Standard reset that came with Elevation. Their next announced expansion is Vantage Point, designed to expand the post-rotation Standard foundation and patch gaps they didn’t want lingering too long. They’ve said they’re targeting a Q1 2026 release window.
If you want the “why” behind the set, Announcing Vantage Point explains their thinking.
Null Signal Games formats: Core Sets, Startup, Standard, Eternal
This is where a lot of returning players get tripped up, because they remember “Standard” meaning something else, or they assume everything is one big pile forever. Null Signal Games supports multiple formats to solve different problems.
Core Sets format
Core Sets is basically: “i want a clean, stable, modern experience.” It’s just System Gateway + Elevation. No ban list attached. Great for learning, teaching, and playing at home without chasing meta updates every month.
Startup format
Startup is the smaller curated competitive format. It’s built around the core and the most recent releases. Rotation happens here too, because the point is to keep a manageable card pool and a clear entry path for organized play.
Standard format
Standard is the flagship competitive format, and it changes regularly on purpose. Sets rotate, and the ban list updates to keep the meta healthy. If you want the main tournament experience, this is usually it.
One thing that’s easy to miss: the ban list numbering and timing are formal, and they publish effective dates. So “the list exists” isn’t enough, you need “which one is active right now.”
Eternal format
Eternal is the big pool: everything, including FFG-era Android: Netrunner plus Null Signal Games releases. If rotation makes you tired, Eternal is where you go to play with the full history.
Balance philosophy: ban lists, rotation, and why it’s handled like software
Null Signal Games treats Netrunner like a living competitive system. That means:
- Rotation trims the card pool so design space stays open and formats stay learnable.
- Ban lists patch problems faster than waiting for rotation.
- Rules and card text updates keep edge cases from becoming permanent headaches.
They publish ban list updates with summaries of changes and reasons. For example, Standard Ban List 25.10 has a clear change list and an effective date, and it’s framed around maintaining side balance and the competitive calendar. Startup has its own balance updates too, especially when a set release changes the card pool shape.
If you’re a returning player, this is the mindset shift: you’re not collecting a static LCG anymore. You’re opting into something closer to a maintained competitive platform.
Organized play: how Null Signal Games runs tournaments and why proxies matter
Null Signal Games runs organized play across tiers. At the low end, local organizers run events with prize kit support. At the high end, Null Signal Games manages major championship events and the season structure.
One detail that matters more than people expect: proxies are allowed and tournament-legal in Null Signal Games organized play. That’s not a casual “ask your group” thing. It’s part of their accessibility stance. It also means:
- print-and-play is a legitimate on-ramp to competitive play
- you are not locked out of tournaments just because a set is hard to buy this month
The other practical detail: because card backs can differ across eras and print runs, opaque sleeves are not optional in serious play. They recommend it, and policy expects it.
Rules and terminology changes you should know (so you don’t feel gaslit)
If you played years ago and come back now, you will notice wording differences. That’s normal, and Null Signal Games has been upfront about it.
A big example is “brain damage” becoming “core damage.” Mechanically it’s the same concept, but the terminology changed for inclusivity and narrative reasons. You’ll also see updated keywords and templating intended to make rules tighter and reduce ambiguity.
Their rules support is centralized in a “Comprehensive Rules Hub” that includes the latest rules PDFs, a web rules version, and archives of older rules documents. If you want to resolve weird timing questions, that’s where you go. If you’re new, you should not start there, and they say that too.
How to start playing Null Signal Games Netrunner without overthinking it
Here’s the no-drama path that works for most people:
- Start with System Gateway. Learn the game, play the starter decks, then do small swaps.
- Add Elevation when you want a bigger pool without losing coherence.
- Decide what you want next:
- If you want tournaments, build toward Startup or Standard.
- If you want maximum deckbuilding, explore Eternal.
- Use the community tools:
- NetrunnerDB for decklists and deckbuilding
- Jinteki.net for online play and practice games
And yes, you can mix Null Signal Games cards with FFG-era Android: Netrunner cards, but you should sleeve them like a normal adult who doesn’t want to argue about card backs.
Volunteering, governance, and how a nonprofit publisher stays functional
It’s fair to ask: how does an all-volunteer publisher not collapse into chaos?
Null Signal Games publishes a clear outline of what teams exist (design, development, rules, organized play, distribution, tech, marketing, translation, narrative, visual) and how leadership is structured. They also list open positions and do recruitment drives. It’s a real organization, not a Discord with a PDF folder.
They also reinvest income back into sets and organized play, and they accept donations. If you like the idea of a community game that stays alive because people do the work, that’s basically the deal. And if you don’t, that’s fine too. But it explains why Null Signal Games has lasted and grown.
Buying cards in late 2025 and early 2026: stock, printing partners, and what changed
Like any physical product operation, availability can be messy. Null Signal Games has had stock pain points and has talked about it publicly.
In December 2025, they announced new printing arrangements and a global restock plan, including a shift to a new main printing partner for their primary sets going forward, while still maintaining print-on-demand options for regions they cannot directly support. They also called out expected timing for restocks and set availability by region.
If you’ve ever tried to buy into a niche card game and hit the “everything is out of stock” wall, you know why this matters.
The quick reality check: is Null Signal Games “official”?
If by “official” you mean “the same publisher that held the original license,” then no. Fantasy Flight Games ended sales and support in 2018.
If by “official” you mean “the current steward that actually publishes sets, maintains rules, supports formats, and runs organized play,” then yes, functionally, Null Signal Games is the center of modern Netrunner.
The community follows where the game is supported. That’s how tabletop works.
Conclusion
Null Signal Games is the reason Netrunner is still a living, evolving competitive game in 2025. They publish new cards, keep formats stable through rotation and ban lists, maintain rules, support organized play from local events to Worlds, and keep the game accessible through print-and-play and proxy legality.
If you’re coming back after years away, don’t try to absorb everything at once. Start with System Gateway, add Elevation, pick a format, and play games. The rest will click into place the way it always did: one matchup at a time.