Valor Mountain challenges hobby game publishing’s “safe bet” mentality as it ramps up ambitions
BoardGameWire is proud to have our newsletter sponsored by the following companies, which help make our reporting possible. Please click on the logos to see what they can offer, and help support our work!
Welcome to the latest BoardGameWire newsletter!
The board game industry's biggest awards delivered plenty to talk about this week, with word association game JinxO ending a three-year run of co-operative winners to claim the 2026 Spiel des Jahres. Meanwhile, Rebirth secured Reiner Knizia a place in the history books as the first designer to complete the Spiel, Kennerspiel and Kinderspiel "triple".
But there were plenty of wider industry talking points too - from record numbers of games being assessed and the award's growing international reach, to the stark lack of progress on designer diversity - all covered in our annual report on the prize.
We also spoke to Christopher High, who after years speaking to publishers and designers through his podcast and former role at Capstone Games, believes today's crowded board game market is pushing publishers towards increasingly safe commercial bets.
High told BoardGameWire he is “putting his own money on the line” as owner of Valor Mountain Games, by running a strategy built around taking chances on games other companies might reject.
We also cover a major academic analysis of more than 104,000 board games listed on BoardGameGeek, which suggests solo play has evolved from a niche feature into one of modern hobby gaming's defining mechanisms.
That shift reflects many publishers now seeing dedicated solo modes as a commercial necessity, while the research also charts the explosion in new releases, the rise of hybrid game design, and the shape of board gaming’s biggest trends over almost 100 years.
Plus we have all the rest of the latest industry news, our regular links to designer-focused podcasts and articles, and a roundup of open job positions in the industry.
I hope you find this week’s newsletter useful, as ever, and chock full of interesting industry news that hasn’t been reported elsewhere.
If you’re finding BoardGameWire coverage of use and look forward to these newsletters, please do help me keep it going by financially supporting the site!
Take care, and have a great week,
Mike Didymus-True - Editor
Go On Board is kindly sponsoring this week’s news section with Cyberpunk 2077: The Board Game - please do click the link and take a look:
Valor Mountain challenges hobby game publishing’s “safe bet” mentality as it ramps up ambitions
After years spent engaging with publishers and designers – both at Capstone Games and through his Board Again Gaming podcast – Christopher High believes the several thousand new board games and expansions released each year are pushing publishers towards commercially safer bets.
Now he’s wagering his company Valor Mountain Games can succeed by taking chances on the kinds of titles other publishers are passing over.
JinxO wins 2026 Spiel des Jahres, Rebirth secures historic triple for Reiner Knizia
Word association party game JinxO has been crowned the winner of this year’s hugely influential Spiel des Jahres award, on a night which also saw legendary game designer Reiner Knizia make history with his Kennerspiel award win.
JinxO’s win brings an end to a three-year run of cooperative games taking home the Spiel des Jahres prize, in the shape of Dorfromantik: The Board Game, Sky Team and Bomb Busters.
Solo play is now one of board gaming’s defining mechanisms, university research of 104,000 titles finds
Solo board gaming has surged from a niche feature to a major component of modern hobby board gaming in just a few years, according to a new academic analysis of more than 104,000 titles spanning almost a century of board game design.
Solo play ranked as the third most prevalent component in games released between 2020 and 2025, behind only dice rolling and hand management – a trend boosted by many publishers treating a dedicated solo mode as a commercial necessity over the past few years.
Devir hires longtime The Op hobby games director Pat Marino to lead North American sales and marketing
Pat Marino joins Devir in the newly-created role after nine years at The Op Games, including the last four as director of hobby games, where he helped oversee releases such as Gnome Hollow, Tea Witches, Fountains, and upcoming releases Evenglow and Oasis: New Life on a Distant World.
GAMA seeks hobby shops setting the standard for design, innovation in 2027 Power Retail Awards
Tabletop gaming trade organisation GAMA has opened nominations for its 2027 Power Retail Awards, inviting gamers and industry professionals from around the world to spotlight stores and cafés they believe represent the industry’s best.
The annual awards, which have now been running for 17 years, aim to act as a showcase and celebration of business practices, community-building and operational innovations that other hobby retailers can learn from.
Enjoying BoardGameWire?
Great! We love writing about all the board game news that isn’t being properly covered elsewhere. But to continue doing that, we need your support! If you’ve found our writing interesting or useful and want to help us continue our reporting, please consider becoming a paid subscriber - for as little as $1 a month! - by clicking the button below.
Support BoardGameWire as a Paid SubscriberOther news:
Design Zone
A good Reddit discussion here on the hardest parts of the prototype-to-production pipeline for designers
The latest edition of Tumulus, a quarterly collection of analog gaming inspiration, tools, design theory, and playable content from Skeleton Code Machine, is out now
Joe Slack from the Board Game Design Course suggests the key to good customer service in crowdfuding comes from under-promising and over-delivering
The Game Design Unboxed podcast chats with Ludoliminal founder Sabrina Culyba about her shift from video games to tabletop, design contests and her new family title Uh Oh, Dino!
The TableTop Takeaway podcast discusses unique abilities and victory points as currency through the lens of Small World
Peter C Hayward talks through his process of designing solo-only games
Emberheart designer Adam Porter on dice and options for randomness in games
Job Watch
US - Freelance Artists, Disney Lorcana - Ravensburger
US - Event Manager - Cardboard Alchemy
(email [email protected] and include "Event Manager" in the Subject line)US - Senior E-Commerce Manager - Exploding Kittens
US - Play Content Manager, Magic - Wizards of the Coast
All these jobs are from the very excellent Tabletop Game Jobs Facebook Group - head there to take a look at all the latest listings
That’s it for this week - please share this email with your friends and colleagues if it’s been useful or interesting!
And if you value BoardGameWire sourcing exclusives and covering all the most important industry news, please help support me to keep doing so by becoming a paid newsletter subscriber - or, if it’s more convenient, supporting us on Patreon:
Support BoardGameWire as a Paid SubscriberSupport us via Patreon
