After reading about storytelling, I realized that I'm as fascinated to a well-crafted world as good plots and characters.
There's not much to read about, as a fiction world can contain as much detail as the real world. I'm spending time looking at the fiction worlds that I like and taking them apart.
As an exercise, imagining places and races is also interesting. You'll be amazed by the amount of details required to fill the gaps in order to "see" something in your head.
Hugo Award for Best Novel three years in a row!
Although "unknown magic" and "ancient powers" are convenient, it bothers me to think there's no consistent system underneath it.
In the setting of the world, people in the world can view it as unknown, but the author is the god and should have a decent idea of how everything works.
I don't have much capital right now (I haven't raised - just personal savings), but I'd like to hire some folks to do this for my startup.
Is your startup a game studio?
I was thinking about doing an interactive online version now that we're all stuck inside.
[1]: Someone in another comment mentioned designing hard magic systems, but there doesn't a whole interesting world of different magic systems out there: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_and_soft_magic_systems
Although reading reference books like this can be a bit dry, it helps you recognize the elements that an author makes up for his or her world when you see them.
https://youtu.be/J5xU-8Kb63Y How to build a classical solar system