Steve Jackson Games CEO Meredith Placko resigns after two years in role

Meredith Placko, the CEO of veteran tabletop game publisher Steve Jackson Games, has resigned from the company two years after taking over the role.

Placko, whose resignation becomes effective tomorrow, said, “This decision was not made lightly and came after months of deep reflection.

“I’m proud of the work I’ve done and so grateful for the talented people I’ve had the chance to work with. It’s been a meaningful, challenging, and creatively fulfilling chapter in my career.”

Placko said she will return to her own company, Turbo Dork, to oversee its next phase of growth.

She added, “I remain passionate about this industry, but it is time I turn my attention back to the company my husband and I founded together.”

Placko took on the CEO role in April 2023, replacing long-time incumbent Phil Reed after almost a decade in the job.

Big successes during her term as CEO included the company raising more than $1.3m from over 9,000 backers for the Munchkin Big Box, its first campaign on BackerKit after several years and dozens of projects run on Kickstarter.

Earlier this year the company brought in TTRPG publisher Possum Creek Games as an imprint, with the company’s editorial director Jay Dragon becoming Steve Jackson Games’ lead game designer.

Revenue at SJG was down slightly to $3.5m in 2023, and roughly flat in 2024, with Steve Jackson saying in the company’s latest annual report a week ago, “Cash flow was acceptable, but I don’t feel ‘prosperous’.

“This is not just us; individual game sales, industry-wide, were down at both the distribution and retail end, largely due to the glut of titles.”

He added, “We are still working the problem, but we have less runway than we did last year! Cause for optimism: it was a rebuilding year and not expected to be good for cash, but thanks to your support for Munchkin Big Box it was better than we anticipated.”

Steve Jackson Games had more than 30 full–time staff and contractors, plus “a few” part-time staff, at the start of 2025.

Placko’s resignation comes less than a month after she was elected for a two-year term representing publishers on tabletop trade organisation GAMA’s board.

She was among the first wave of high-profile tabletop industry figures to call out the devastating effects of the US decision to impose 54% tariffs on Chinese imports, detailing in a blog post how that rise would impact the price of board games.

Those tariffs have since risen to 145%, leaving the industry reeling as it braces for price hikes, job losses and the potential shuttering of their businesses.