Saving a Kickstarter and Spiel's 'head-scratching' changes
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Lots to chew over in this week’s hefty package of board game industry news, including Cryptozoic failing to pay artists for months, 7 Wonders creator Antoine Bauza jumping into publishing by launching his own studio, and Root designer Cole Wehrle getting nominated for the long-running Diana Jones Award for “some of the finest work that’s ever been done in board game design”. We also look at how sweeping changes to Essen Spiel’s hall organisation has left some publishers worrying attendees will find it harder to discover their games. Hopefully those of you at Origins this weekend don’t have any trouble finding all the games you’re looking for - send us photos of anything which particularly catches your eye!
‘We delayed the game, but that saved the company’ – how Darwin’s Journey publisher Gonzalo Aguirre Bisi steered the project to success amid the post-Covid chaos
BoardGameWire’s latest deep-dive interview examines how Darwin’s Journey publisher Thundergryph Games navigated the nightmare of rising manufacturing and shipping costs caused by Covid-19, and how they managed to succesfully get their €1m Kickstarter into the hands of its backers. It’s impossible not to draw comparisons with the now hugely controversial €1m Kickstarter for the Rainbow Six: Siege board game - its backers have been asked for up to $249 each as an extra payment to receive their game at all later this year - nearly 18 months past its estimated delivery.
Board game publishers left “scratching their heads” after surprise Essen Spiel changes
The organisers of Essen Spiel, the world’s biggest board game fair, have made the surprise move of bringing forward sweeping changes to how the event’s halls are structured – leaving some publishers worrying attendees will find it harder to discover their games. BoardGameWire spoke with publishers including Pegasus Spiele, Ares Games, IELLO and Spielworxx to find out how the changes will affect their presence at the four-day event, which had close to 150,000 visitors last year.
Cryptozoic failed to pay artists for months, blames disruption from shock CEO death
Board game publisher Cryptozoic Entertainment found itself in hot water with a host of Latin America-based artists, after the company ‘ghosted’ them for months over payments owed to them. BoardGameWire obtained emails showing Cryptozoic blamed the shock death of CEO John Sepenuk in February for “significantly disrupting” its operations. It took an open-letter on Twitter detailing the situation for those emails to be sent, however - and many of the artists spoken to by BoardGameWire pointed out that Cryptozoic has been accused of similar behaviour in the past, with the company making a public apology two years ago for delayed payments for artwork used on its Middle Earth and Crisis on Infinite Earths trading cards.
Dice Tower reshoots deleted Darwin’s Journey review after rules error, Tom Vasel gives rare 9 rating to expansion
Board game reviews giant The Dice Tower upped its scores for Kickstarter success Darwin’s Journey in a reshot video, two weeks after deleting its original review of the game due to a “pretty big rules mistake”. Dice Tower founder and host Tom Vasel rated the game a 7 out of 10 in the first review, which was quickly deleted alongside an apology from Vasel to publisher ThunderGryph Games and designers Simone Luciani and Nestore Mangone. The new review saw Vasel hand Darwin’s Journey an 8, which he upped to a 9 with the inclusion of the game’s Fireland expansion. The Dice Tower has largely attracted positive commentary from across the internet for its quick action in removing and reshooting the review, as an example to other content creators of how to handle similar situations.
Root designer Cole Wehrle among nominees for lost Diana Jones Award
Root and John Company designer Cole Wehrle has been nominated for the long-running Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming, for “some of the finest work that’s ever been done in board game design”. Wehrle is the sole board gaming nominee in this year’s award, which is traditionally hugely wide-ranging in its choice of candidates. Other nominees include Rosenstrasse, an immersive roleplaying experience which explores the decade of changing racial policies in Gemany amid the Nazis’ rise to power, and Nebula Award-nominee Coyote & Crow, a native American alternate history RPG created by Cherokee designer Connor Alexander. The Diana Jones award itself, a clear lucite pyramid containing the burned remains of an Indiana Jones roleplaying game from the 1980s, was lost in the post three years ago during the traditional handover from one winner to another.
7 Wonders creator, Repos Productions co-founder launch new publishing company PlayPunk
Antoine Bauza, the veteran designer of games including 7 Wonders and Takenoko, has launched board game publishing company PlayPunk alongside Repos Productions co-founder Thomas Provoost. PlayPunk said its first game will be Captain Flip from Ethnos and Libertalia designer Paolo Mori and co-designer Remo Conzadori, who previously worked on Amul and Rise. PlayPunk also announced it is working on an “expert game” for either two or four player designed by Gregory Grard and Mathieu Roussel, which is earmarked for a release at next year’s Essen Spiel in October.
Troubled Embracer Group using Asmodee IPs for more than 20 video game projects
Tomb Raider and Borderlands developer Embracer Group is planning a slew of video games based on Asmodee‘s board game range, as the company tries to leverage its intellectual property amid plans to slash its $1.45bn of debt. Embracer, which bought Asmodee for €2.75bn last year, has identified 25 video game projects which will use the tabletop gaming major’s IPs. Asmodee’s biggest IPs including Ticket to Ride, Catan, Splendor, 7 Wonders, Azul, Dobble/Spot It! and Star Wars: Legion.
Other news:
Asmodee launches new distribution business to get English titles into European stores
Vital Lacerda’s latest luxury worker placement game races past $550,000 on Kickstarter
Fort Circle follows widespread Votes for Women acclaim with latest Kickstarter success
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