“Board games are about to get more expensive”: Arcane Wonders president Robert Geistlinger on tariffs, razor-thin margins and the math of producing games
Plus: Retailers step in to help Dutch publisher Splotter after US distributor GTS cancels ‘large order’ over tariff uncertainty
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Welcome to the latest BoardGameWire newsletter!
It’s probably unsurprising to hear that every conversation I have with board game industry professionals at the moment seems to quickly turn to US tariffs - with the unpredictable nature of the changes throwing plans and finances for this year into turmoil. The chaotic nature of the tariffs being brought in by the Trump administration - 25% for Canada and Mexico, which were almost immediately postponed, 10% for China, down from the 100% threatened at one point last November, but in constant danger of escalation - are already beginning to have their impact felt in the board game industry, especially given its huge reliance on Chinese manufacturing.
Our headline article today sees Arcane Wonders president Robert Geistlinger discuss the dangers of even a 10% tariff on the ability of publishers to release new games, given the razor-thin margins most are working under. Meanwhile, we have news that Food Chain Magnate publisher Splotter Spellen has had a “large order” for its game Indonesia cancelled at short notice by long-time US distributor GTS, citing uncertainty over further changes to import tariffs in the country. It’s clear that this is the tip of the iceberg in terms of fallout from the ongoing tariff capriciousness.
I’ll be picking the brains of board game industry insiders about tariffs and all the other major industry talking points at the GAMA Expo trade show next week - if you’re also attending and would like to meet up, discuss our coverage, pitch some potential news or just play a game together, please do let me know! Drop me an email on mike@boardgamewire.com and we’ll work out a good time to meet.
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Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter!
Mike Didymus-True - Editor
“Board games are about to get more expensive”: Arcane Wonders president Robert Geistlinger on tariffs, razor-thin margins and the math of producing games
The board game industry has been awash with discussion about the potentially crippling effect of tariffs for several months now, with publishers, distributors and manufacturers all scrabbling to prepare for a leap in the cost of importing games to the US. Chief among the issues is the uncertainty surrounding the situation – tariffs of up to 100% on imports from China, where the vast majority of board games are made, were being talked about by then President-elect Donald Trump last November, stoking fears of a “great collapse” of the US board game industry.
So far those tariffs have only reached 10%, but ongoing sabre-rattling from Trump and tit-for-tat tariffs on US goods introduced by China have created an unpredictable trading environment. In this article for BoardGameWire, Robert Geistlinger, president of US board game major Arcane Wonders, explains how even a 10% tariff rate will have an outsized effect on publishers already working on razor-thin margins.
Retailers step in to help Dutch publisher Splotter after US distributor GTS cancels ‘large order’ over tariff uncertainty
Food Chain Magnate publisher Splotter Spellen says US distribution major GTS has cancelled a “large order” for its game Indonesia at short notice, citing uncertainty over further changes to import tariffs in the country. Splotter, a small Dutch publisher run by design duo Jeroen Doumen and Joris Wiersinga, said that almost all the US retailers who offered pre-orders for the third edition of Indonesia were being supplied through GTS.
GTS has distributed Splotter’s games in the US for the past 13 years. Splotter said of the situation, “We regret that our long time trusted partner GTS felt compelled to take this action. Unpredictable rules can make doing business very difficult.”
More than half of board game giant Asmodee’s net sales come from just five product lines – and two of those are Magic and Pokemon
Tabletop game publishing and distribution giant Asmodee has acknowledged that its business model exhibits a “concentration risk”, with more than half of its €1.2bn in annual net sales coming from just five product lines. Asmodee currently has a portfolio of about 4,000 game products across 400 IPs, and says it releases more than 1,000 new ‘stock keeping units’ (SKUs) each year. It sold more than 110 million games and card sets in the financial year ending March 31, 2024.
But the company, which began trading on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange earlier this month to seal its split from former owner Embracer Group, said in a shareholder prospectus that its “ability to successfully manage and eventually decrease product range dependency may be important for ensuring sustainable growth and stability”.
Kickstarter unveils “tools creators have been asking for” for 2025 as it looks to fight off rising Gamefound challenge
Crowdfunding giant Kickstarter is bringing in new pledge management and pay-in-installments options this year amid increasing competition from rival platforms such as Gamefound. Kickstarter remains top dog in tabletop game crowdfunding, with about $220m of project funding last year – although that figure has fallen for three years in a row, and is well down on the record $270m the platform recorded in 2021.
Gamefound, meanwhile, has been on the rise since transitioning from seven years as a Kickstarter pledge manager to become a fully-fledged crowdfunding operation in 2022.
HABA signs distribution deal with Asmodee France, a year after shuttering its French operation amid financial woes
Veteran German toy and game maker HABA has signed a deal with Asmodee to distribute its games in France, a year after shutting down its own French arm as part of a plan to save the financially-troubled business. HABA went into self-administration in September 2023 after seeing its sales fall heavily in the volatile post-Covid environment. A month later the company revealed it planned to cut up to 40% of its 1,677-strong workforce as part of a “comprehensive restructuring”, and refocus back on its wooden toy roots.
The company said popular HABA classics such as Monza and My First Orchard will be available via Asmodee in France from March, with new titles and exclusive novelties added throughout the year.
Flipping the script on How to Play videos: How To Teach’s creator on the trials and tribulations of launching a new board game YouTube channel
Launching a board game-focused YouTube channel in 2025 is a sobering prospect, with hundreds of existing video makers large and small already fighting over the eyeballs of tabletop gamers. Having a unique selling point is practically essential for helping a new channel stand out from the crowd – and creator JC Wollslager hopes “flipping the script” on How To Play videos with his channel How To Teach fills an underexplored niche in the industry.
In this first part of a three-part series following the fledgling channel’s prospects, Wollslager discusses his thought processes behind launching the venture, his early successes and challenges, and what he believes is the key to the channel’s ongoing growth.
Harmonies, Captain Flip triumph in this year’s Swiss Gamers Award, Castle Combo seals two finalist spots
Nature-themed tile-laying game Harmonies has picked up its second award win of the month after being voted the best game in this year’s Swiss Gamers Award. Harmonies outdid Castle Combo and Bomb Busters to seal top spot in the 2024 contest, which is voted on by members of board game clubs, game and toy libraries and gaming associations across Switzerland.
Captain Flip was victorious in the Family award this year, finishing ahead of second-placed Odin and third-placed Castle Combo, which managed to secure top three finishes in both categories.
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Other news:
Rascal News is celebrating its first birthday with a pledge drive - this is a fantastic team doing wonderful TTRPG journalism, please consider supporting them if you can!
French board game publisher Sans-Détour and its directors are on trial in Paris, accused of misusing more than €600,000 raised through crowdfunding campaigns.
Design Zone
Stefan and Susanne Feld on developing a child-friendly version of The Castles of Burgundy with The Sandcastles of Burgundy
The Ludology podcast has guest host Sarah Shipp examine some of the common pitfalls you can encounter when you ask players create content for the game and how you can avoid them.
Pam Walls interviews fellow board game designer Ellie Dix about how to design board games full time
Ellie Dix again on her own blog, discussing the concept of ‘Always Be Pitching’ - and when you shouldn’t be
Designer Diary: War of Civilizations by Aditya Prasad - BoardGameGeek
The What If? game design blog talks at length about board game publishing with Radical 8’s Mark Stockton-Pitt, who just launched Spokes onto Kickstarter
Skeleton Code Machine explores push your luck mechanisms and games where everyone loses by looking at Fantasy Flight Games’ Android: Infiltration
The Decision Space podcast talk sequels, expansions and reimplementations through the lens of Terra Mystica successor Age of Innovation.
Board game industry podcast Unboxed hears from IV Studios’ Zac Dixon about how marketing and community building from a product's inception helped the studio land hit after hit through crowdfunding campaigns
Joe Slack from The Board Game Design Course looks at game mechanics that help incentivize players, and that point them in the right direction from the start of the game
The Game Design Unboxed podcast talks to Apiary designer Connie Vogelmann about her design journey for the game
Peter C Hayward and AJ Brandon from Blue Beard Entertainment revisit AJ's talk from his perspective as a retailer on factors that can make or break a sale at retail stores
The Tabletop Takeaway podcast ask whether turns in games are compatible with real-time mechanics, and what encourages players to flip timers early?
Job Watch
US - Principal Product Management, eCommerce, D&D Beyond - Wizards of the Coast
US - Content Specialist (Contract/temporary), D&D Beyond - Wizards of the Coast
UK - Assistant Games Developer, Age of Sigmar - Games Workshop
Belgium - Project Engineer Global R&D - Cartamundi
All these jobs are from the very excellent Tabletop Game Jobs Facebook Group - head there to take a look at all the latest listings
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