No, Mythic Games hasn’t gone into liquidation – but its fate should be decided by the end of the month
Plus: Tabletop Game Designers Association persuades Barnes & Noble to start namechecking board game designers in online store listings
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Mythic Games’ fall from one of the most successful crowdfunding-focused board game publishers of all time to one beset by financial woes has been swift. The company raised more than $12m across its six most recent crowdfunding campaigns, including $5.6m for the Darkest Dungeon board game, $2.2m for Viking survival horror game Hel and $1.5m for tactical shooter 6 Siege: The Board Game. But while other publishers trimmed workforces and operating costs during the coronavirus as manufacturing and shipping rates soared, Mythic steamed ahead with new, more ambitious Kickstarter projects, hiring even more staff to work on those campaigns.
That created a financial black hole at the company which Mythic has since failed to escape, despite eventually outsourcing its workforce, selling two unfulfilled Kickstarters to CMON and controversially asking backers of its crowdfunding campaigns to commit more money in order to deliver the projects. Rumours of its demise have been swirling since last year, which haven’t been helped by months of silence from Mythic on whether it can deliver its remaining projects - even after taking extra contributions from backers. Erroneous reports this week began being shared on the internet that the whole company had been liquidated, thanks to a misunderstanding of a French legal notice. But things remain grim at the company, and the next two weeks will be crucial for its future, our lead story reveals.
We also spoke with French board game publisher Matagot about why it’s pulling out of publishing heavier games such as Kemet and Inis, instead focusing the company’s future on the family, beginner and children’s games market. And read on for some data on board game sales in Germany, which are continuing to grow despite a “structural crisis” in the country’s economy which has seen the wider toy market slump.
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Mike Didymus-True - Editor
No, Mythic Games hasn’t gone into liquidation – but its fate should be decided by the end of the month
Financially stricken French board game publisher Mythic Games has not been liquidated, despite a string of poorly researched reports flying across the internet – but the company expects to know by the end of October if its situation is indeed hopeless, BoardGameWire understands. Several online outlets have reported in recent days that Mythic has gone bankrupt or been liquidated, having misunderstood a legal notice published in French newspaper La Parisien on October 10.
Company co-founder Leonidas Vesperini told BoardGameWire this week that the Darkest Dungeon board game publisher remains operational for now, and was currently working on unspecified “last resort measures”. He said he expected to be able to say by the end of October whether Mythic can continue operating.
Matagot stops publishing heavier games like Kemet, Inis, shifts focus to family and children’s titles
Veteran French board game publisher Matagot is pulling out of publishing heavier games such as Kemet and Inis, instead focusing the company’s future on the family, beginner and children’s games market. Matagot has made the move citing low demand for heavier games in its home market of France, as well as in an attempt to give the company a more recognisable editorial focus, Auguste, a spokesperson for Matagot, told BoardGameWire.
He said the need for a shift had become more obvious over the last few years, adding that things came to a head this summer through the collision of two separate events.
Board game sales in Germany grow again despite sharp fall in wider toy and puzzle industry, “structural crisis” in economy
Board game sales in Germany, one of the world’s biggest tabletop markets, continue to grow despite a “structural crisis” in the country’s economy which has seen the wider toy market slump, new research shows. Trade association DVSI said board game sales in the German market grew 0.9% in the 12 months to the end of August, against an almost 5% fall for the toy market.
Spieleverlage, a group within DVSI of 19 game publishers from Germany, Switzerland and Austria, said trading cards and collectible cards drove the strong figures once again, but added that the adult games segment of party and knowledge games also provided “decisive impetus”, with growth of more than 50%.
Nucleum wins Portugal’s game of the year award
Alternative history industrialisation eurogame Nucleum has triumphed in this year’s Jogo Do Ano, the Portuguese game of the year award. The Simone Luciani and Dávid Turczi design fought off competition from Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory, which had previously beaten it to BoardGameGeek’s Heavy Game award in this year’s Golden Geeks in May.
Evacuation, Horseless Carriage and Scholars of the South Tigris were also in the running for this year’s Jogo Do Ano, which is voted on by members of SpielPortugal.
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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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