Category Feature

“Board games are about to get more expensive”: Arcane Wonders president Robert Geistlinger on tariffs, razor-thin margins and the math of producing games

The board game industry has been awash with discussion about the potentially crippling effect of tariffs for several months now, with publishers, distributors and manufacturers all scrabbling to prepare for a leap in the cost of importing games to the US. Chief among the issues is the uncertainty surrounding the situation - tariffs of up to 100% on imports from China, where the vast majority of board games are made, were being talked about by then President-elect Donald Trump last November, stoking fears of a “great collapse” of the US board game industry. So far those tariffs have only reached 10%, but ongoing sabre-rattling from Trump and tit-for-tat tariffs on US goods introduced by China have created an unpredictable trading environment. In this article for BoardGameWire, Robert Geistlinger, president of US board game major Arcane Wonders, explains how even a 10% tariff rate will have an outsized effect on publishers already working on razor-thin margins.

“We cannot work without each other”: The White Castle’s husband and wife design duo Isra and Shei on creating as as team, design pitfalls, and which games impressed them in 2024

Husband and wife board game design team Sheila Santos and Israel Cendrero have been collaborating on their creations for almost a decade - and have sealed their status as notable eurogame architects in recent years with standout titles The Red Cathedral and The White Castle. The pair - who go by their board game design monikers Isra and Shei - sat down with BoardGameWire to talk about their journey into the industry, why working as a duo is essential for them, and the major error they see new designers making when pitching to publishers.

Reflecting on 2024, preparing for 2025: All About Games Consulting looks at opportunities and challenges in the board game industry

Another strong year for the board game industry, which has now grown to about €13bn, nears its end, with all eyes turning to the opportunities and challenges presented by 2025. In this article Cedric Delobelle, co-founder of one of BoardGameWire's sponsors All About Games Consulting, looks ahead to what US tariffs might mean for the industry, and reflects on the successes and difficulties encountered in 2024.

Tariffs, manufacturing gradually leaving China and the ongoing “fewer, better games” trend: Back Office operator Naylor games looks ahead to 2025

When it comes to taking the temperature of the board game industry, few are in a better position than a business which works across everything from freight and trade selling to e-commerce and spare parts. James Naylor, founder of BoardGameWire sponsor Naylor Games and its one-stop shop board game outsourcing operation Back Office, unpacks the state of the industry across 2024, and casts his eye on the potential positives - and pitfalls - of the coming year.

“Hopefully people can see the difference between what we are being accused of and what has transpired”: Rebellion Unplugged’s Duncan Molloy on Joyride plagiarism claims

A successful Kickstarter campaign and favourable reviews for post-apocalyptic car racing game Joyride: Survival of the Fastest have been dampenened by claims of plagiarism from Powerboats designer Corné van Moorsel, who is seeking royalties from publisher Rebellion Unplugged.That situation has been complicated by the fact that Rebellion Unplugged head and Joyride co-designer Duncan Molloy approached van Moorsel in 2019 about reprinting Powerboats, before changing his mind several months after the pair met up at Spiel Essen that year. Molloy has provided extensive answers to BoardGameWire explaining where he believes it is right to draw the line between a new design and development of an existing title, and details the ways he says Powerboats and Joyride differ in their mechanics. He also admits he worries the dispute will have a knock-on effect on how Joyride is viewed, and outlines his regrets about not acknowledging Joyride's influences more clearly.

“Despair. Hopelessness. Frustration. Sadness”: board game professionals fear for industry’s future under “reckless” Trump tariffs – but GAMA plans to fight back

Punishing import tariffs threatened by US president-elect Donald Trump could lead to a "great collapse" of the US board game industry, with publishers, distributors and retailers of all sizes facing the threat of going under, professionals within the industry have told BoardGameWire.

“It’s theft”: Root artist Kyle Ferrin on the “slop” of AI art, and why publishers using it are “devaluing all of board games as an industry”

AI art's ongoing spread into the board game industry over the last two years has been met by dismay, anger and fear by artists and illustrators working in the space. Many are concerned not only that the technology is built on artwork that has been stolen from them, but that their very livelihoods are at stake if publishers choose to make use of fast and cheap AI-generated images instead of hiring human artists. BoardGameWire approached a host of tabletop game artists for their views on the technology in the wake of Wise Wizard Games becoming the latest well-known board game publisher to begin using AI generated images in its projects. One of the most powerful and heartfelt replies came from Kyle Ferrin, whose singular work across games such as Root, Arcs and Oath has become one of the most recognisable styles in board game art.

“Did it save the company? Yes and no”: FunForge’s CEO on fighting its financial woes by selling the Tokaido line to Stonemaier

After years of financial struggles, French board game publisher FunForge has taken the drastic step of selling its entire line of Tokaido games to Wingspan publisher Stonemaier Games, in a move it hopes will give the company breathing space to rebuild - and refocus - its business. FunForge CEO Philippe Nouhra sat down with BoardGameWire at this year's Spiel Essen board game fair to discuss how the company is pivoting to small-box games in an attempt to rebuild financially and creatively, and why board gaming's broken crowdfunding and distribution models are leading the industry to a looming crisis.