Elden Ring, Helldivers II board game publisher Steamforged Games expands trade team after ‘incredible growth in a short space of time’, unveils Terra Mystica special edition crowdfund

Steamforged Games, the tabletop publisher behind licensed video game adaptations including Elden Ring and Monster Hunter World, has expanded its retailer-focused trade team as the UK-based company looks to continue its recent rapid growth.

Kieran Wilson becomes new business manager at the company, while Rob Dunbar has been brought in as an account manager, with the former focused on establishing new retailer partnerships and the latter on strengthening its existing relationships.

Steamforged, which was launched in 2014, scored early success with its tabletop adaptation of the Dark Souls video game, raising more than £3.7m from over 31,000 backers through a Kickstarter campaign in 2016.

The Manchester-based publisher has since run a string of multimillion-pound crowdfunding campaigns for tabletop versions of other major video game properties, including raising more than £3.4m for Monster Hunter World: The Board Game and over £3.2m for Elden Ring: The Board Game.

The last year, however, has also seen Steamforged expand out the scope and scale of its operations, with it acquiring miniature fantasy wargame Warmachine, hobby and painting line Formula P3 Paint and the Iron Kingdoms roleplaying series, as well as the IP for 6: Siege – The Board Game from failed crowdfunding major Mythic Games.

And the publisher has now become the latest board game maker to unveil a crowdfunded, deluxe special edition of a classic eurogame, having teamed up with Feuerland Spiele for a new edition of Terra Mystica.

The upcoming Gamefound campaign follows the huge success of Awaken Realms’ special edition versions of Castles of Burgundy, Puerto Rico and Agricola, which raised almost $20m between them via their Gamefound campaigns and late pledges – although the latter two came under fire for Awaken Realms use of AI-generated imagery.

Toby Davies, commercial director at Steamforged, said, “We’ve experienced incredible growth in a short space of time with the continued success of our own IP lines, such as Epic Encounters, our AAA licensed offerings, and most recently Warmachine and P3 Paint.

“We know that the best way to support this growth is by investing in people. The experience, industry knowledge and passion Rob and Kieran have brought to the team will ensure our trade partners continue to receive the premium, responsive service they deserve.”

Steamforged said the expansion was part of a broader investment in its trade infrastructure, adding that retailers can expect more frequent communication, improved access to resources, and greater alignment with the company’s upcoming major releases.