Three years late, and months without an update: FunForge CEO expresses “frustration” that Monumental Kickstarter is still not ready to deliver
Plus: GAMA shifts 2025 Expo dates after ‘blowing past projections’, TTGDA aims to level playing field between designers and publishers
Welcome to a particularly busy edition of the BoardGameWire newsletter! This edition leads with the struggles being felt at French board game publisher FunForge, which is now running more than three years late in delivering what it says will be its final Kickstarter. Scores of board game publishers were blindsided by spikes in manufacturing and shipping costs caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and some of those relying on Kickstarter for big-money projects have suffered particularly badly from the fallout.
FunForge says it has swallowed about $250,000 of unexpected costs for its Monumental campaign itself, rather than passing them on to backers as some other publishers have done. But CEO Philippe Nouhra told BoardGameWire it is still not ready to deliver the game – despite production being completed in 2022 - and some backers have become increasingly frustrated with FunForge’s communications about the situation, criticising excuses given by the company which they say go above and beyond the huge problems caused by the pandemic.
Elsewhere we cover how board game designers in North America can now call upon a professional organisation to help with everything from playtest advice to contract wrangles, thanks to the official launch of the Tabletop Game Designers Association by storied game design trio Elizabeth Hargrave, Geoff Engelstein and Sen-Foong Lim.
And we have a double shot of GAMA news, leading with the trade organisation shifting next year’s GAMA Expo trade show a week earlier than usual due to a huge growth in attendance in 2024 – as well as agreeing to keep the event in Kentucky for an extra year, despite its own reservations over remaining in the state. GAMA is also celebrating the first all-women lineup for its board officers in its 47-year history, including Nicole Brady, the creator of board game review website SAHM Reviews, being elected as president.
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Three years late, and months without an update: FunForge CEO expresses “frustration” that Monumental Kickstarter is still not ready to deliver
The CEO of French board game publisher FunForge has said he understands the frustration felt by thousands of Kickstarter backers of the company’s Monumental campaign, which is now more than three years beyond its expected delivery date. More than 4,200 people pledged a combined €467,000 in 2020 for a reprint of the Matthew Dunstan-designed strategy game and a new expansion, African Empires, with expectations it would arrive by April 2021.
FunForge founder and CEO Philippe Nouhra told BoardGameWire that backers of the heavily-delayed campaign would receive an update this month, but conceded that FunForge is still not ready to deliver the game – despite production being completed in 2022 – and is “currently putting in place the solutions to achieve the deliveries.” Some Monumental backers have become increasingly frustrated with FunForge’s communications about the situation, and criticised excuses given by the company which they say go above and beyond the huge problems caused by the pandemic.
GAMA shifts 2025 Expo dates after ‘blowing past projections’ for space needed, signs one-year Kentucky extension
The Game Manufacturer’s Association has shifted next year’s GAMA Expo trade show a week earlier than usual due to a huge growth in attendance this year – and has agreed to keep the event in Kentucky for an extra year despite its own reservations over remaining in the state. GAMA said 2024’s event was its largest to date, with attendance up 37% to more than 2,700, and the number of exhibitors jumping 50% to 300.
The organisation said when it booked its new home in Louisville in 2019, it looked at historical growth from its time in Reno and used that for projections for 2024 to 2026 – but added that it “blew past that projection with this year’s show”.
Newly-launched Tabletop Game Designers Association aims to level playing field between designers and publishers
Board game designers in North America can now call upon a professional organisation to help with everything from playtest advice to contract wrangles, thanks to the official launch of the Tabletop Game Designers Association. The non-profit has been created by Wingspan designer Elizabeth Hargrave, Space Cadets creator Geoff Engelstein and Mind MGMT designer Sen-Foong Lim to advocate for designers in North America, who until now have faced a dearth of industry support compared to their counterparts in Europe.
Launch supporters of the association include Pandemic Legacy designers Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau, Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield, Root designer Cole Wehrle and Ticket to Ride creator Alan Moon. Wehrle said, “The TTGDA helps level the playing field between designers and publishers. Games that are fairly made are better for the designers, the players, and, ultimately, the publishers, too.”
Tabletop gaming trade organisation GAMA’s board officers are all women for the first time in history
Hobby games trade organisation The Game Manufacturers Association is celebrating the first all-women lineup for its board officers in its 47-year history. Nicole Brady, the creator of board game review website SAHM Reviews, has been elected as president for the 2024/25 business year, stepping up from her previous role as treasurer. She replaces the outgoing Eric Price, the long-time president of Japanime Games and part-time international business development exec at China-based Meijia Games Factory.
Monica Rasso, who most recently served as secretary, was elect to fill the role of vice president. Rasso is the CEO of board game cruise Meeples at Sea, and part-owner of TantrumCon, Proto ATL and Game & Party Con. Rhonda Becker, the co-owner of retailer The Gamers Den, shifts from vice president to secretary, while Garima Sharma was elected to an officer role for the first time as the new Treasurer.
Kickstarter tells Wonders of the First team to cancel controversial $1.4m campaign over NFT use
Wonders of the First, a contentious collectible card game project which has raised more than $1.4m since launching on Kickstarter last week, was told by the crowdfunding platform to pull the campaign for its inclusion of cards which can be redeemed for NFTs. Kickstarter gave Wonders of the First 48 hours to voluntarily cancel the project, or the crowdfunding site will suspend the campaign itself, saying the NFT-related rewards violate the platform’s rules.
Wonders of the First had already attracted criticism for its widespread use of AI art throughout the project, while there has also been scepticism over how the relatively unknown company managed to reach $1m within 24 hours of the project’s launch. The company has now cancelled the project, with management saying they plan to relaunch the campaign without the NFTs next Tuesday.
Fallout tabletop game sales surge for Modiphius as TV show draws in 65 million viewers
Tabletop gaming publisher Modiphius has seen sales of its Fallout-related products more than double month-on-month amid the huge popularity of Amazon Prime’s new Fallout TV show, which attracted 65 million viewers in just over two weeks. Amazon’s Fallout series is already the second-most-watched title ever on the streaming service after 2022’s The Rings of Power, Variety reported late yesterday.
That popularity has boiled over into the gaming space, with a spokesperson for UK publisher Modiphius telling BoardGameWire it had seen a surge of interest in its Fallout miniatures games and RPGs off the back of the TV show’s release. The spokesperson said month-on-month sales had more than doubled across its Fallout products, adding that the company had noticed a particular surge in RPG sales and a “massive spike” in web traffic for Fallout Factions, which is currently on pre-order.
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