“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.