{"id":6461,"date":"2026-04-21T17:01:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/?p=6461"},"modified":"2026-04-21T17:01:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:01:52","slug":"lucky-duck-cuts-back-on-resource-intensive-localisation-strategy-shifts-focus-to-developing-own-titles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/21\/lucky-duck-cuts-back-on-resource-intensive-localisation-strategy-shifts-focus-to-developing-own-titles\/","title":{"rendered":"Lucky Duck cuts back on “resource intensive” localisation strategy, shifts focus to developing own titles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lucky Duck Games<\/a>, the board game publisher behind European localisations of major hits such as Dune Imperium<\/a> and Cascadia<\/a>, is scaling back that side of its operations to prioritise development of its own designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scott Morris, the company’s global brand director, told BoardGameWire that while localisation had been an important part of the business over the years it was “resource intensive” and dependent on external factors – adding that developing in-house titles provided “more opportunity for long-term value”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucky Duck has become a varied operator in the modern hobby games industry since it was founded in 2016, growing from a small design studio running Kickstarter campaigns into a global publisher, localiser and distributor with offices across Poland, the US, France, Italy and the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That localisation activity has been centred most heavily around Lucky Duck’s home of Poland and early expansion country France, with the company becoming known for local language version of strategy titles and big-selling games such as Too Many Bones<\/a>, Flamecraft<\/a> and The Isle of Cats<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Lucky Duck has a big hitter of its own in the Chronicles of Crime<\/a> series of games, which have sold more than one million copies worldwide, and Morris told BoardGameWire the company was also “very confident” in its other recent releases Borealis: Arctic Expeditions<\/a>, Purrramid<\/a> and Oakspire<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, “We also have several games in development we have not announced yet, but we are very excited about. The team knows how to make fun and engaging games, which, at the end of the day, focus on our goal: bringing smiles to gamers everywhere.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The French edition of Too Many Bones from Chip Theory Games, localised by Lucky Duck Games<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lucky Duck was bought by Rummikub manufacturer Goliath<\/a> two years ago – and Morris said the global distribution opportunity offered by such a high-profile mass market player was part of the reason behind the strategy shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, “Since the acquisition, there has been a focus on leveraging Goliath\u2019s global distribution network and operational scale. This includes expanding access to new retail channels and improving production and logistics capabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These changes are ongoing, but they are already opening new opportunities for our titles to reach wider audiences. We have seen significant growth in these new channels and are excited to continue to introduce our games to new retailers and customers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morris was at pains to clarify that Lucky Duck is not ceasing all localisation activities, which was the impression given to some readers of a recent announcement about the changes on its French Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, “I can understand how the announcement was received that way and we will work to make our announcements clearer in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have decided to not localize some items we originally planned to, and we’re working with those partners to find the best solutions for everyone, in those situations. The decision is part of a broader strategic evolution, rather, and is not a France-specific decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We are refining how we approach the different markets, with a greater emphasis on publishing and developing our own titles globally, while continuing to work with partners where the right opportunities exist.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of those planned localisations which will now not go ahead include the French localisation of Cascadia Alpine Lakes<\/a>, published by Flatout Games, which was only announced by Lucky Duck a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cascadia: Alpine lakes || Kickstarter image<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Morris said the strategic shift did not affect the company’s Global Publishing Network operation, which is a separate business unit that acts as a localisation agency, connecting publishers and distribution buyers who localize in their regions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, “Matt Goldrick leads this initiative for us<\/a> and it has continued to be a stable, growing, and exciting part of the industry.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might appear that developing and publishing home-grown designs is a much riskier proposition than localising already popular titles which gamers are keen to get hold of in their language – but Morris said both approaches carry different types of risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He told BoardGameWire, “With the support of Goliath\u2019s global infrastructure, we are in a stronger position to manage risks effectively. While localization benefits from existing demand, original publishing allows us to build long-term value, strengthen our own brand identity, and deeper our engagement with the players. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have a very talented design and development team in Poland, led by Michal Szewczyk, that has produced award winning games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Toriki: Castaway Island<\/a> has won several European gaming awards, [the recently-released] Purrramid was just names as a finalist for ASTRA’s best family game in their Play Awards<\/a>, and of course, the highly successful and touted Chronicles of Crime series is continuing with our recent successful Kickstarter for the Beyond Doubt series<\/a> of new games.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added, “By prioritizing internally developed titles, we have greater control over product development, timelines, and long-term brand building.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goliath CEO Jochanan Golad said at the time of the Lucky Duck takeover<\/a> that it saw two major growth areas in games: adult party games and strategy games – but some publishers have begun to move away from larger box, complex titles and towards lighter, smaller games recently amid the fallout from last year’s US tariffs chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morris confirmed to BoardGameWire that strategy games “remain a key area of growth”, saying, “Our strategy reflects confidence in that segment, alongside opportunities in other categories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Lucky Duck brand is focused primarily on strategy games… we’re both very happy with our recent releases, the reception they have seen, and our upcoming titles to announce soon!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added, “Tariffs have added significant pressure across the entire industry, affecting production costs and pricing strategies. It has been extremely hard to see our industry hit so negatively, and see so many people’s livelihoods, and in some cases, life’s work, stretched to, and beyond their breaking points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Like many publishers, we\u2019ve had to adapt by optimizing supply chains and planning more carefully around manufacturing and distribution decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I strongly believe that our acquisition by Goliath could not have been timed better with regards to the tariff situation. Their global supply chain and logistics management helped us navigate the waters better than we could have prior to the acquisition.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chronicles of Crime: Beyond Doubt || Kickstarter image<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lucky Duck continues to run Kickstarter campaigns for its own designs – most recently with Oakspire<\/a>, which has raised just over \u20ac133,000 with about seven days of the campaign left to run, and Chronicles of Crime: Beyond Doubt<\/a>, which pulled in about \u20ac373,500 last November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company has hit choppy water with some of its unfulfilled Kickstarter campaigns, however, with heavy delays for \u20ac1m-raising The Dark Quarter<\/a> – which was initially expected to deliver to backers in October 2023 – and Into the Godsgrave<\/a>, which was slated for fulfillment in December 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morris said of Into The Godsgrave, “As with many large-scale projects, with unique designs, timelines can shift due to the complexity of production, logistics, and ensuring the final product meets expectations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The team has prioritized quality and delivery experience, which has contributed to the revised timeline. Our team, specifically Ben Poole our community manager, has worked hard to keep everyone updated through our project updates as to the status and milestones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’re excited to get that game into players hands and on their tables. It’s a very fun and unique experience that I believe will impress.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding The Dark Quarter, he added, “Similar factors applied here, particularly around production and app development, plus global logistics challenges. Goliath’s strengths here will help us mitigate those risks in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We\u2019ve worked hard to ensure the final product met the standard expected by backers, even if that required additional time and we have seen many positive responses as fulfillment progressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m paraphrasing a famous quote, but as a wise man once said, a delayed game can be eventually good but a rushed game can be forever bad.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more stories like this direct to your email inbox, click here to sign up for BoardGameWire’s free email newsletter. \n\nAnd if you’ve found our reporting interesting or useful, please consider a paid subscription to help support our journalism!<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lucky Duck has a big hitter of its own in the Chronicles of Crime series of games, which have sold more than one million copies worldwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[6,135,617,864,25,50,85,639,58,399,214,1382,867,96],"class_list":["post-6461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-board-game","tag-board-games","tag-cascadia","tag-chronicles-of-crime","tag-crowdfunding","tag-distribution","tag-france","tag-goliath-games","tag-kickstarter","tag-localisation","tag-lucky-duck-games","tag-poland","tag-scott-morris","tag-us"],"blocksy_meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6461"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6477,"href":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6461\/revisions\/6477"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}