Mit Carcass Front erhält Trench Crusade erstmals eine umfangreiche Starterbox, die sowohl Einsteiger*innen als auch Veteran*innen anspricht. Neben zwei vollständigen Warbands bringt das Set eine Kampagne, neues Hintergrundmaterial und Zubehör auf den Tisch und markiert gleichzeitig den Start einer größeren Veröffentlichungsstrategie.
Frosted Games hat die Frosted Days 2026 gestartet. Vom 27. bis 29. März zeigt der Brettspielverlag im Rahmen seines jährlichen Online-Events auf YouTube alle geplanten Neuheiten für das laufende Jahr. Den Auftakt bildete am Freitagabend um 19 Uhr die große Neuheitenshow, in der neben bereits angekündigten Titeln auch bislang unbekannte Spiele enthüllt wurden. Begleitet wird das Event von Rabattaktionen im Webshop und versandkostenfreier Lieferung ab 80 Euro Bestellwert.
Das Programm des Wochenendes umfasst Let's-Play-Sessions, ein Quiz, Community-Talk im Chat und ein Solstis-Turnier auf Board Game Arena. Am Samstag und Sonntag folgen weitere Streams mit Einblicken in kommende Titel. Die Liste der vorgestellten Spiele ist umfangreich und reicht von kleinen Kartenspielen bis hin zu großen Erweiterungen.
Die Neuheiten im Detail
Endeavor: Die Tiefsee – Am Meeresgrund ist die erste Erweiterung zum für den Kennerspiel-des-Jahres-Preis nominierten Endeavor: Die Tiefsee von Burnt Island Games. Die Erweiterung bringt vier neue Szenarien, über 20 neue Meeresbretter und frische Spezialisten an Bord. Neue Phänomene wie tektonische Spalten oder Nebel auf der Oberfläche verändern das Spielerlebnis grundlegend. Die Veröffentlichung ist für das dritte Quartal 2026 passend zur SPIEL in Essen geplant. (BoardGameGeek)
Thunder Road: Vendetta – Willkommen in der WRACKedrale bringt das Arena-Chaos auf den Spieltisch. Im englischen Original als Carnival of Chaos erschienen, bietet die Erweiterung von Restoration Games einen völlig neuen Spielmodus. Statt eines Rennens mit Ziellinie kämpfen 2 bis 5 Spieler in einer kreisförmigen Arena um Schrott und Ruhm. Superwaffen, Party-Gefälligkeiten und tödliche Säulen sorgen für Abwechslung. (BoardGameGeek)
Wuselige Wiesen ist ein zugängliches Plättchenlegespiel für 2 bis 4 Personen ab 8 Jahren vom Erfolgs-Duo Brett J. Gilbert und Trevor Benjamin. Durch geschicktes Anlegen von Gartenfliesen entsteht eine kleine Welt unter Blättern, Pilzen und Pfützen. Ziel ist es, die richtigen Lebensräume zu schaffen, um möglichst viele Wiesenbewohner anzulocken. (BoardGameGeek)
Space Lab von Johannes Goupy und Corentin Lebrat (Studio H) ist ein kompaktes Tableau-Building-Spiel für 1 bis 4 Personen. In rund 20 Minuten rekrutieren die Spieler Mitglieder der vier größten Weltraumagenturen und platzieren Laborkarten rund um ihre Raumstationsmodule. Das Spiel ist bereits auf Board Game Arena verfügbar und soll im dritten Quartal zur SPIEL erscheinen. (BoardGameGeek)
Tír na nÓg entführt in die keltische Mythologie. In diesem Kartenspiel für 1 bis 5 Personen von Isaac Shalev und Jason Slingerland reisen die Spieler als Geschichtenerzähler in das Jenseits der irischen Sagenwelt und sammeln Geschichten für ihre Saga. Die Druckdaten wurden bereits abgegeben, das Spiel befindet sich in der Produktion. (BoardGameGeek)
Horologium: Die Orloj von Prag versetzt 1 bis 4 Spieler ins Prag des Jahres 1865. Als Baumeister arbeiten sie daran, den berühmten Kalender der astronomischen Uhr zu vollenden. Das Spiel von Abraham Sánchez Hermida und Paloma J. Pascual (Perro Loko Games) kombiniert Rondel- und Worker-Placement-Mechaniken auf einem opulenten Spielbrett. Zahnräder, Tierkreiszeichen und Apostelfiguren bilden den thematischen Rahmen für Partien von 60 bis 120 Minuten. (BoardGameGeek)
Andromeda's Edge: Genesis ist die zweite Erweiterung für das Weltraum-Strategiespiel Andromeda's Edge von Luke und Maximus Laurie. Sie bringt drei neue Fraktionen, zwei neue Gegner, neue Regionen und ein Exotech-Kartendeck ins Spiel. (BoardGameGeek)
Stibizt (im Original Pinched!) ist ein interaktives Bluff- und Set-Collection-Spiel von Jonathan Gilmour-Long und David Gordon für 2 bis 5 Personen. Die Spieler schlüpfen in die Rolle von Einbrechern und versuchen, den Reichen ihre Besitztümer abzuluchsen. Wer die Pläne der anderen am besten durchschaut, sammelt die wertvollste Beute. (BoardGameGeek)
Solstis: Leuchtkäfer ist eine Erweiterung zum Plättchenlegespiel Solstis von Bruno Cathala und Corentin Lebrat. Vier neue Geister und mysteriöse Leuchtkäfer kommen ins Spiel, die einen sofortigen Sieg ermöglichen können. (BoardGameGeek)
One-Hit Heroes Infinitum erweitert das kooperative Deckbuilding-Spiel One-Hit Heroes um einen mehrstufigen Bosskampf, der erst nach Abschluss aller drei Episoden freigeschaltet wird. Die Veröffentlichung ist für das dritte Quartal 2026 zur SPIEL in Essen angesetzt. (BoardGameGeek)
Galileo Galilei: Luna bringt den Mond als neues Beobachtungsobjekt in das Grundspiel von Tomáš Holek und Michal Peichl. Die Erweiterung enthält vier neue spielbare Charaktere mit einzigartigen Fähigkeiten und mächtige Inquisitoren. (BoardGameGeek)
Leviathan Wilds: Dunkelfels liefert neue Inhalte für das kooperative Kletterspiel Leviathan Wilds von Justin Kemppainen. Die Erweiterung bringt sieben neue Leviathane, einen neuen Kletterer und eine neue Klasse. Die Erweiterung erscheint im dritten Quartal 2026 zur SPIEL. (BoardGameGeek)
Groll – Schlacht um Tzorn (im Original Wroth) ist ein asymmetrisches Area-Control-Spiel von Manny Trembley, erschienen bei Chip Theory Games. 1 bis 4 Spieler wählen je eine Fraktion und kämpfen um die Vorherrschaft auf der Insel Tzorn. Der Würfel-Draft-Mechanismus bestimmt die verfügbaren Aktionen pro Runde. Trotz kompakter Regeln und einer Spielzeit von rund 60 Minuten bieten die asymmetrischen Fähigkeiten der Fraktionen strategische Tiefe. Die deutsche Lokalisierung von Frosted Games soll die Einstiegshürde gegenüber der englischen Version deutlich senken. (BoardGameGeek)
20 Strong Tanglewoods ist ein Solo-Würfelspiel aus dem 20-Strong-System von Chip Theory Games. In einer von Märchen inspirierten Welt navigieren Spieler durch einen sich ständig wandelnden Wald und stellen sich dem Großen Bösen Wolf. (BoardGameGeek)
Drachen von Runenstein (im Original Dragons of Etchinstone) ist ein Solo-Abenteuer-Kartenspiel von Joe Klipfel. Spieler schlüpfen in die Rolle eines Äther-Magiers und kämpfen sich durch vier Regionen, um die Drachen zu besiegen. Das Spiel befindet sich laut Frosted Games im Approval-Prozess beim Lizenzgeber. (BoardGameGeek)
Hoplomachus: Victorum kommt ebenfalls von Chip Theory Games. In diesem reinen Solo-Spiel im antiken Rom des Jahres 79 n. Chr. stellen sich Spieler als Gladiatoren einer Kampfkampagne mit tiefgreifenden strategischen Entscheidungen. Es nutzt das bewährte Hoplomachus-Kampfsystem mit Fokus auf Helden und Charakterentwicklung. (BoardGameGeek)
The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era ist ein großes kooperatives Abenteuerspiel für 1 bis 4 Spieler, das in der Welt von Tamriel angesiedelt ist. Jedes Abenteuer erstreckt sich über drei Spielsitzungen mit Erkundung, Charakterentwicklung und Dungeons. Das Spiel erreicht auf BGG eine beeindruckende Bewertung von 8,9 bei über 3.000 Stimmen. Ob der Titel tatsächlich noch 2026 erscheint, ist bislang nicht abschließend bestätigt. (BoardGameGeek)
Entropy von Simone Luciani, Tommaso Battista und Nestore Mangone (Board&Dice) ist ein Strategiespiel für 1 bis 4 Personen, in dem Spieler als Wissenschaftler Sonnensysteme erschaffen, Sterne zum Leben erwecken und Planeten mit Leben besiedeln. Rondel-Mechanik, Multi-Use-Karten und variable Spieler-Fähigkeiten versprechen Tiefgang in 90 bis 150 Minuten. (BoardGameGeek)
Das Voynich Mysterium (im Original The Voynich Puzzle) von Dani Garcia (Salt & Pepper Games) fordert 1 bis 4 Spieler heraus, das berühmte Voynich-Manuskript zu entschlüsseln. Über mehrere Runden nutzen die Spieler ihr Exemplar des Buches als Werkzeug, um Seiten zu dechiffrieren und Wissen über die fünf Hauptabschnitte des Manuskripts zu sammeln. (BoardGameGeek)
Paper Tales Ultimate erscheint als Big Box mit dem Grundspiel, der ersten Erweiterung und einer brandneuen Erweiterung. In diesem Aufbauspiel von Masato Uesugi draften Spieler Karten mit unterschiedlichen Fähigkeiten, errichten Gebäude und führen Kämpfe. Die Alterungsmechanik verleiht dem Spiel seinen besonderen Reiz. Die Auslieferung wird Ende März oder Anfang April erwartet. (BoardGameGeek)
Aquatica von Ivan Tuzovsky ist ein Engine-Building-Spiel für 1 bis 4 Meereskönige. In rund 60 Minuten erobern die Spieler Stätten, rekrutieren Meeresbewohner und schieben Karten stufenweise in ihrem dreilagigen Spielertableau nach oben, um stärkere Boni freizuschalten. Die deutsche Ausgabe von Frosted Games enthält vier exklusive Promokarten. (BoardGameGeek)
Star Trek: Captain's Chair von Nigel Buckle und Dávid Turczi (WizKids) lässt Spieler das Kommando über ein Raumschiff der Sternenflotte übernehmen. Laut dem Veröffentlichungskalender von Frosted Games könnte der Titel früher als geplant erscheinen. (BoardGameGeek) (BoardGameGeek)
Earthborne Rangers: Legacy of the Ancestors ist eine Kampagnen-Erweiterung für das kooperative Abenteuerspiel Earthborne Rangers von Earthborne Games. Mit über 250 neuen Karten und einem Kampagnenführer reisen Spieler über das Tal hinaus in neue Gebiete. (BoardGameGeek)
Ausblick
Frosted Games zeigt mit dem Programm der Frosted Days 2026 ein breites Spektrum. Von zugänglichen Familienspielen wie Wuselige Wiesen über kompakte Kartenspiele wie Space Lab bis hin zu großen Strategietiteln wie Horologium und Groll deckt der Verlag unterschiedliche Spielertypen ab. Mehrere Titel sind für das dritte Quartal zur SPIEL in Essen angekündigt, darunter Endeavor: Die Tiefsee – Am Meeresgrund, Space Lab, Leviathan Wilds: Dunkelfels und One-Hit Heroes Infinitum.
Das Streaming-Programm läuft noch bis Sonntag, den 29. März. Alle Informationen zum Programm, den Shopangeboten und den Vorbestellaktionen sind auf der Event-Seite von Frosted Games zusammengefasst.
More than half of board game designers responding to a Tabletop Game Designers Association member survey say they have used generative AI for some elements of their work.
About a quarter of the 171 designers who answered the TTGDA survey said they had used a genAI platform to come up with game ideas or mechanisms – while more than half indicated they were ‘strongly opposed’ to using AI in that way.
TTGDA – a professional organisation launched in 2024 to advocate for tabletop game creators in North America – asked designers about seven use cases, comprising:
● Coming up with ideas for games or mechanisms ● Writing placeholder text ● Writing text for the final version of a published game ● Editing or proofreading text ● Making placeholder art ● Making art for the final version of a published game ● Creating marketing materials for a game
The organisation said that while 28% of respondents were ‘strongly opposed’ to all seven use cases, almost a fifth were not strongly opposed to any of them, with the remaining respondents offering a mix of use cases they consider either acceptable or not.
Image credit: The Tabletop Game Designers Association
TTGDA’s report of its findings stated, “In the free-response section of the survey, multiple designers said that the process of chatting with the AI particularly helped them better articulate their own goals or ideas for a game.
“One said, ‘It’s like asking another human who may not know much about games. They know enough to at least bounce a couple ideas, which ends up with me getting to where I want to go’.
“Several designers who had tried asking generative AI platforms to come up with its own ideas described the material they got from the AI with terms such as ‘derivative’ or ‘slop’.
“One designer said that when they tried to prompt an AI for ideas, the AI recommended inappropriate mechanisms from mass market games, like ‘lose a turn’.
“Some said that a fraction of the output from their prompts would contain nuggets of useful ideas or angles that were worth considering.”
The results for use of AI art in final products were much more clear cut, with roughly four out of five respondents ‘strongly opposed’, and only two respondents out of the 171 saying they either regularly or occasionally generate art with AI that they plan to keep in a final game.
Many more designers (30%) were accepting of using AI to generate placeholder art for their designs – but 39% of respondents were ‘strongly opposed’ to that use.
TTGDA’s report cited one respondent as saying, “Publishers want pretty prototypes and the AI art makes me better able to illustrate the narrative direction and make play less boring than it would be with black and white words or “close enough” illustrations. Some of the games I am working on have no illustrations in the real world that anyone has done and if I wanted those I would have to pay artists which I cannot afford to do.”
Image credit: The Tabletop Game Designers Association
But it added that other designers said AI assistants had failed to create usable placeholder art in response to their prompts, with several saying that after trying AI-generated placeholder art they had returned to clipart and other online searches.
TTGDA said that when asked how they feel about publishers using AI for placeholder art, 40% of respondents said they would be ok with it, but 29% would like to contractually prohibit it and another 31% said they ‘don’t like it, but wouldn’t really fight it’.
The report added, “Of all the AI uses that the survey asked about, editing and proofreading had the lowest number of ‘strongly opposed’ responses, at 35% for personal use and 30% for publisher use.
“About a quarter of designers (28%) are using AI to edit things they’ve written at least occasionally.
“Some designers gave examples of AI not working well as an editor for their games, saying it ‘made the rulebook worse’, or ‘creates more problems than it solves’.
“The problems they described included hallucinations and inappropriate tone. Designers also raised concerns that publishers might use AI for proofreading without a final human check, leaving the game vulnerable to errors.”
TTGDA also noted that more than 80% of respondents did not want publishers to use AI to generate marketing materials for their games, with multiple designers commenting that they were turned off by the use of AI in content creation around games, and will not work with influencers who use genAI in their workflow.
The report noted that of issues raised by designers when asked about their concerns around AI, “the most commonly voiced concern was that current generative AI tools are based on plagiarism, because they were trained on art and written materials without the creators’ consent.”
It noted, “Many said things like, ‘All uses of stolen material are problematic’. Multiple designers also mentioned that they want contract language that will prohibit a publisher from allowing AIs to be further trained on their game materials.
“The next most common concern was AI’s high environmental cost. A ChatGPT request uses ten times more electricity than a typical Google search (2.0Wh vs 0.3Wh). Other impacts include the use of rare earth elements, mercury, and lead in data center equipment; and the use of large amounts of water for cooling.
“Some designers worry that AI could flood the market with bad games. One designer thought it would be easy for unethical publishers to quickly create ‘clones that are slightly different’ and crowd the games they are copying out of the market.
“Another designer worried that ‘AI is great at making things that look like games for crowd funding campaigns, but without actual rules that make sense’.
“The general sentiment from these and other designers was the worry that in a market where it is already difficult for a game to stand out, these practices will only make it harder.”
Recent Repercussions
TTGDA’s report comes just over a month after Ryan Dancey, a more than 30-year veteran of the tabletop gaming industry, lost his COO job at publisher Alderac Entertainment Group after saying AI could generate game ideas as good as his company’s titles Tiny Towns and Cubitos.
Wingspan designer Elizabeth Hargrave, the co-founder of TTGDA, dismissed Dancey’s suggestion when speaking to BoardGameWire the day after his departure from AEG.
She said at the time, “I absolutely do not think AI could be prompted to come up with even the basic idea for those games, let alone a fully fleshed out ruleset for them. For fun, I’ve prompted several different options for ideas for Wingspan cards and not one of them has given me an actionable idea.
“I had a friend who ran a rulebook through AI for proofreading and it hallucinated that people needed to shout ‘bingo’. Apparently that’s AI’s conception of board games right now.”
She told BoardGameWire at the time that the TTGDA board had been discussing the use of AI in board game design, adding that it was “a conversation we need to have with our membership”.
Wingspan designer and TTGDA co-founder Elizabeth Hargrave
She said, “We’re working on a model contract to offer to our members right now, and that will offer a clause that designers can request that will require publishers not to use AI in their final product. A lot of contracts ask us to certify that a board game design is our own, and not plagiarized.
“It’s my opinion that using AI in a final product goes against that, because it’s using a machine that’s built entirely on plagiarism.”
Hargrave added last month, “I do see people using AI for things like generating a bunch of placeholder names in a prototype. They’re often clunky options but they do the job when you know everything will change 50 times before you’re done anyway. I’m not aware of anyone who has successfully actually gotten good, original ideas for mechanisms from AI.
“What I wish we were talking about is how AI could be built to help designers run models of their games repeatedly to catch weird edge cases or broken strategies. I wish someone would build that tool instead of the language models that just focus on advanced auto-complete.
“This would never replace actual playtesting with humans for psychology and actual fun, but it might save me some repetitions.”
The TTGDA survey noted that one of the most common additional uses mentioned was as a source for help with probability, mathematics, and thinking about balance.
It said, “In some cases, designers are having the AI write spreadsheet formulas that they then use to do calculations in the spreadsheet. In others, they are simply asking the AI to do calculations.
“However, nearly as many designers said they had quite poor results with asking LLMs to do math, reporting errors and hallucinations. For example, one designer who used ChatGPT to calculate detailed probabilities (e.g. how often a certain set of cards might appear in a starting hand) said when they checked the results, they were wrong ‘roughly 1/4th of the time’. Another called ChatGPT ‘surprisingly bad at maths’.”
Editor’s note: GAMA is one of the sponsors of the BoardGameWire newsletter
Hobby games trade organisation GAMA has revealed the winning candidates in its latest board of directors election, with the organisation’s current president and secretary both retaining their board seats.
President Nicole Brady, who runs review site SAHM Reviews, was re-elected to the board by GAMA’s media and events member group, while treasurer Tiffany Reid from Southern Hobby Distribution won re-election from the wholesale group.
Current GAMA secretary Jamie Mathy – who runs game store Red Racoon Games – was re-elected by the organisation’s ‘Team Retail’ group alongside Red Claw Gaming’s Lea-Anne Welter, while David Wheeler from Dragon’s Lair and Boyd Stephenson from Game Kastle were also voted in as retailer representatives.
One of those four will be selected by Team Retail to fill a retailer seat on the GAMA board of directors, with all successful board candidates working for a two-year term.
The other newly elected members of the GAMA board are Michael Maggiotto Jr, who was selected by GAMA’s production members, Heather O’Neill from 9th Level Games representing publishers, and LegalWATCH’s Eartha Johnson from the creator membership group.
The GAMA Board of Directors is comprised of twelve individuals elected to represent the six voting membership groups, with half of the cohort up for election each year.
That board in turn elects GAMA’s four officers – president, vice-president, treasurer and secretary – each year.
Current GAMA president Brady has been in her current officer role since May 2024, having previously been treasurer of the organisation from the end of 2022.
The array of plans spread across the next decade include boosting its membership within both hobby games and the mass market, expanding itself into a global organisation, shifting its finances away from the current heavy reliance on the annual GAMA Expo and Origins shows, and leading the conversation on sustainability within the industry.
Advocacy and brand protection is also one of its near-term priorities – underscored by the organisation’s recent intensive lobbying and awareness efforts around the impact on the industry of US tariffs.
Those efforts included multiple trips to Washington DC to lobby politicians, conducting dozens of media interviews to highlight the devastating impact of tariffs on the hobby, and supporting two lawsuits disputing Trump’s power to set the tariffs without agreement from the US Congress.
Brady told BoardGameWire earlier last year that the move was an attempt to get the organisation away from “playing whack-a-mole” on important issues rather than managing them in a long-term strategy.
GAMA is currently working to secure a permanent replacement for its previous executive director John Stacy, who left the association last October just after the 10-year plan had been revealed.
More than 3,820 attendees showed up to this year’s event in Louisville, Kentucky, up almost 12% on last year’s previous record of 3,425 – which had already left the show pressed for space across the exhibition hall and its extensive programme of seminars.
Hier sind die Brettspiel News. Ich habe ein paar Infos in den verschiedenen Clustern zusammengetragen. Heute wieder einiges dabei für jeden. VIDEO Inhalt ■ in eigener Sache■ News (Asmodee / ATM Gaming, Digital neu)■ Veranstaltungen (Frosted Days, Konstanz spielt, Ratingen Spieletage, Berlin Con)■ Crowdfunding (Brass Pittsburgh, Here to Slay Dungeons, Slay the Spire, Voidfall, Trash […]
26.03.2026 - Der französische Brettspielkonzern asmodeeübernimmt Ende April zum Kaufpreis von 180 Mio. €ATM Gaming, einen Pariser Verlag von Party-, Familien- und Kartenspielen wie Gravity, QuickStop - Das Buchstaben-Duell, Pili Pilioder Unverschämt. Nach eigener Auskunft entschied sich asmodee zum Kauf, weil ATM ein führender Anbieter im Bereich "Social Games", der am schnellsten wachsenden Kategorie im Brettspielmarkt, sei. Asmodee biete "die ideale Plattform, um das volle Potenzial von ATM Gaming zu entfalten", und will seinerseits von ATMs Portfolio und digital getriebenem Vermarktungswissen profitieren. Die beiden Firmen arbeiten schon einige Jahre lang u.a. in Spanien und Italien zusammen. Die Akquisition soll asmodees eigenes Partyspiele-Sortiment etwa mit Exploding Kittens oder Dobble stärken.
Asmodee has sealed its second major acquisition in a week by agreeing to pay up to €250m for French social and party game publisher ATM Gaming.
The board game giant said buying ATM, the publisher of titles including Speed Bac/Quickstop, Mouton Mouton and Pili Pili, was predicated on social games being “the fastest growing category of the board games market”.
Asmodee expects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for social games of between 4% and 8% between 2025 and 2030, compared to about 4% for the wider board games market, citing mass market sales research for the US and ‘main European countries’ conducted by Arthur D Little.
ATM has scored rapid success since it was launched in 2018, with Asmodee saying the company has shown particular strength in building an “e-retailer distribution engine”, using advertising, advanced SEO and real-time analytics to help its titles rank highly in online stores such as Amazon.
The company’s standout title, Speed Bac from designer Rémy Wannerbroucq, has sold more than 3 million copies since it was launched in 2024, with about 2 million of those sales coming in 2025 alone.
ATM Gaming’s standout release Speed Bac, which has sold about three million copies since its 2024 debut
Speaking in a press conference about the acquisition, Asmodee CEO Thomas Koegler said the fast-paced word game, which has also been published as Slingz, “shows clear potential to become an evergreen”.
Asmodee said the game managed to hold the number one spot in Amazon’s Toys & Games category across four different European countries during both Christmas 2024 and 2025, while other ATM games have also managed to seal high rankings.
Pili Pili, which has sold more than 300,000 copies since its July 2025 launch, was ranked second behind Speed Bac in Amazon’s Toys & Games category in France last Christmas, while Mouton Mouton, which has sold 200,000 copies since being launched last September, was ranked third.
That success has seen ATM grow from four co-founders with backgrounds across companies such as Meta, Deloitte and Johnson & Johnson to a team of more than 40 people, with its net sales CAGR more than doubling between 2023 and 2025 to reach about €34m last year.
Asmodee said it expects ATM to contribute at least €50m in net sales over the 2026/27 financial year, boosted by its new owner’s geographic reach and “know-how in operational efficiency”.
The company has agreed to pay €180m for ATM Gaming on a cash-free and debt-free basis, with another €70m paid in newly-issued Asmodee shares contingent on ATM’s future performance.
ATM is already established across France, Germany, Italy and Spain, Asmodee said, with “emerging” sales in countries including the US and UK, as well as in wider Europe and Latin America.
Koegler said a “key differentiator” for ATM was the company’s strength in e-retail, which has been their primary sales channel over the last three years. He added, “Their expertise in digital marketing and social media will also strengthen our go-to-market capabilities.”
Asmodee CEO Thomas Koegler
Asmodee has distributed ATM titles since 2019, with about 10% of the company’s current sales made through the Asmodee network – mainly in Italy and Spain.
Koegler said, “Over time we expect to further integrate distribution within Asmodee. Geographically the combination is highly complementary.
“ATM Gaming is strong in Europe, while Exploding Kittens provides a strong foothold in the US. Together this creates a balanced platform with significant expansion potential across both regions, but also beyond.”
Exploding Kittens is among Asmodee’s current heavyweight hits in its party and social games portfolio, alongside other high-selling titles such as Dobble.
Koegler said in the company’s Q2 report last November that Asmodee had seen “good momentum” in its lower price-point products in the US mass market, singling out Exploding Kittens as a particularly strong performer in what he called a “challenging market”.
That strategy has seen Asmodee make five acquisitions in the past 12 months – including last week’s buyout of Japon Brand from CMON, anchoring the board game giant’s push into a “currently untapped market” for the company.
The revived M&A process is yet to fully mirror Asmodee’s private equity-fuelled buying spree from the latter half of the 2010s, however, during which it acquired more than 40 companies and IPs.
That heavy expansion included the company adding more than 20 game studios, including Days of Wonder, Fantasy Flight Games, Lookout Games, Catan Studio and Z-Man Games.
He said in response, “Without being specific, the activity in the pipeline is in accordance with our plan. The smaller acquisitions are faster. IP acquisitions and asset deals are faster to execute. I’m satisfied.”
Speaking during the ATM acquisition press conference, he said, “Our M&A pipeline remains quite active. We are well positioned to continue executing on our strategy.”
The board game giant’s overall net sales jumped 22.2% across October to December 2025 compared to the same period a year earlier, with the performance of products it distributes for other companies surging more than 50%.
Net sales for games published by Asmodee itself fell almost 13% year-on-year in the quarter, however, weighed down by US net sales slumping 23% to €70.4m.
That drop saw the US fall behind both France and the UK in Q3 in terms of the company’s highest-performing countries for net sales, with France surging 47% year-on-year to over €111m, and the UK growing 41% to €82.7m.
Der Brettspielkonzern Asmodee hat eine Vereinbarung zum Erwerb des französischen Verlags ATM Gaming getroffen. Der Kaufpreis liegt auf Cash-free- und Debt-free-Basis bei 180 Millionen Euro. Mit der Akquisition will Asmodee seine Position im Bereich Social Games ausbauen, der als am schnellsten wachsende Kategorie im Brettspielmarkt gilt.
Was hinter dem Deal steckt
ATM Gaming ist ein Pariser Verlag mit 46 Mitarbeitern, der sich auf Party- und Social Games spezialisiert hat. Zu den bekanntesten Titeln gehören Pili Pili und Quick Stop, die mehrere Branchenpreise gewonnen haben. Das Unternehmen setzt auf ein hybrides Distributionsmodell aus Direktvertrieb über E-Commerce und internationalen Vertriebspartnerschaften. Die Zusammenarbeit mit Asmodee besteht bereits seit 2019. Bislang vertreibt Asmodee rund zehn Prozent des ATM-Umsatzes, vorwiegend in Spanien und Italien.
Der Abschluss der Transaktion wird bis Ende April 2026 erwartet. Ab dem ersten Quartal des Geschäftsjahres 2026/27 soll ATM Gaming in die Konzernabschlüsse von Asmodee integriert werden.
Wachstum im Social-Games-Segment
Im Zeitraum Januar bis Dezember 2025 erzielte ATM Gaming einen Umsatz von rund 34 Millionen Euro bei einem EBITDA von 17 Millionen Euro. Für das Geschäftsjahr 2026/27 rechnet Asmodee mit mindestens 50 Millionen Euro Umsatz und 25 Millionen Euro EBITDA vor Synergien.
Asmodee-CEO Thomas Kœgler betont, dass ATM Gaming mit seinem digital getriebenen Go-to-Market-Ansatz und erfolgreichen Titeln das bestehende Portfolio ergänze. Auf Seiten von Asmodee zählen unter anderem Exploding Kittens und Dobble zu den globalen Hits im Social-Games-Bereich. Die Gründer von ATM Gaming sehen in der Übernahme die Chance, ihre Spiele über die globale Distributionsstruktur von Asmodee in mehr Haushalte weltweit zu bringen.
Langfristig soll die Akquisition zum organischen Wachstum von Asmodee beitragen und das mittelfristige Ziel einer bereinigten EBITDA-Marge von über 18 Prozent unterstützen.
Asmodee kauft Brettspielverlage – Jetzt wird’s konkreter Ende 2025 haben Brettspiel Fans immer wieder gehört: Asmodee will wachsen, investieren, sich strategisch positionieren.Bislang waren die meisten sichtbaren Schritte eher „kleinere Bausteine“ – etwa der Erwerb von IP‑Rechten an bekannten Titeln / Marken wie Zombicide oder The Sheriff of Nottingham von CMON.Diese Art von Kauf fällt für Spielerinnen und Spieler kaum ins Auge: […]
Mit den Neuheiten von HUCH! in diesem Jahr kommen wieder viele zugängliche Familien- und Partyspiele, aber auch das eine oder andere etwas anspruchsvollere Brettspiel. Ich stelle heute 4 spannende Brettspiel-Neuheiten von HUCH! im Jahr 2026 vor und bin sehr auf eure Meinung gespannt. 4 spannende Brettspiel-Neuheiten von HUCH! 2026 HUCH! ist mittlerweile ein relativ großer […]
Am 28. März 2026 bringt Asmodee sein Spielemobil nach Essen. Der rote Retro-Bus parkt von 11:00 bis 17:00 Uhr vor der Marktkirche und lädt dazu ein, aktuelle Titel direkt vor Ort auszuprobieren. Das Event richtet sich an Familien, Freunde und alle, die Lust auf einen unkomplizierten Einstieg in neue Spiele haben.
Games2Go: Kompakte Spiele zum Mitnehmen und Verschenken
Im Mittelpunkt des Asmodee Osterevents stehen die Games2Go, eine Reihe kompakter Spiele, die sich als Mitbringsel oder Geschenk fürs Osternest eignen. Zum Ausprobieren stehen unter anderem das Kartenspiel dnup, das gewohnte Spielprinzipien auf den Kopf stellt, sowie das Partyspiel Lückenfüller bereit. Für jüngere Mitspieler ab 4 Jahren ist Hopp, hopp Hühnerhintern dabei.
Alle Titel können direkt an Demotischen gespielt werden. Spiele-Erklärer vor Ort übernehmen die Regelerklärung, sodass du ohne langes Regellesen sofort losspielen kannst.
Gewinnspiele, Aktionen und Rabatte
Neben den Demotischen bietet das Event Gewinnspiele und Mitmachaktionen für die ganze Familie. In Kooperation mit dem Essener Spieleladen White Rabbit gibt es außerdem einen 10%-Gutschein auf alle vor Ort gezeigten Spiele.
Das Asmodee Osterevent findet am 28. März 2026 von 11:00 bis 17:00 Uhr an der Essener Marktkirche, Markt 2, 45127 Essen statt. Der Eintritt und das Ausprobieren der Spiele sind kostenfrei. [INFO FEHLT: Bestätigung, ob der Eintritt tatsächlich kostenlos ist]
Board game publisher Awaken Realms has responded to a wave of anti-AI art review bombing for its upcoming crowdfund, Concordia: Special Edition, by saying no AI-generated imagery will be used in the finished game.
BoardGameGeek’s suggested ratings guidelines say a ‘1’ review “Defies description of a game. You won’t catch me dead playing this. Clearly broken.”, while a ’10’ is suggested as “Outstanding. Always want to play and expect this will never change”.
BGG’s current policy is that “users are allowed to rate games however they wish, as long as each person only rates a given game once.”
The original edition of Concordia, released by German publisher PD-Verlag in 2013, has a BGG rating of 8.1 from more than 45,000 users, and is ranked 29th out of the tens of thousands of titles listed on the site’s database.
Awaken Realms is yet to unveil many details about the upcoming special edition, with the Gamefound preview page currently only showing a box cover – which it has since described as a work in progress – and examples of two plastic miniatures set to be included in the game.
The company dedicated most of its first update on the Gamefound page to discussing its use of AI generated imagery, saying that it did not address the situation sooner because “we find this whole conversation extremely draining”.
Box cover design for Concordia: Special Edition, which Awaken Realms says is a “work in progress”
It said, “We feel that the current situation is really not respectful toward our artists, who are really working hard on each project, and Concordia will be no different. They will be doing their best to pay tribute to this classic and elevate it to new heights.
“So, first things first – in this project, in the final game, there will be no AI art. Human artists will be involved in everything. This has also been clearly stated from the beginning in our contract with PD-Verlag.
“However, we do use some AI tools during prototyping, mock-ups, and various initial phases of concept work (and honestly, it is really hard not to, as eg, Photoshop alone, which is our artists’ main tool, has already tons of built-in AI features).
“This makes it easier to test the game visually, iterate, find the best solutions and compositions, and, from there, start working on the final assets.
“In different projects, we might have different rules and approaches. For example, you can see our other project – Grimcoven. There, we also had an update on the topic, as well as a chance to see the final result of how the game looks as it is produced and delivered to backers ;).”
Update March 27, 2026: Jan Philip Sommerlade, an editor at Concordia publisher and licensor PD-Verlag, wrote on BoardGameGeek: “In the games published by PD-Verlag, neither the graphics nor the text were created using artificial intelligence. We consider this to be problematic from a copyright perspective, at least when the AI models are based on artwork created by artists.
“It was therefore very important to us that artificial intelligence will not be used in the Concordia Special Edition either. In December, we paid Awaken Realms an extensive visit and discussed the details of the Special Edition at length. Awaken Realms has a large team dedicated to developing content, graphics, and illustrations, and we are confident that this collaboration will result in a very high-quality product. We have stipulated in our contract that the final product will not be created using artificial intelligence in any form.
“However, this does not apply to the use of AI for brainstorming and concept development, nor to the internal use of AI for creating prototypes. In the course of ongoing discussions, we have realized that this distinction may not be as clear-cut as we initially thought. Nevertheless, the fact remains: All graphics and text in the final product are created by real people.”
Despite online pushback against Awaken Realms for its decision to embrace AI generated imagery, its use of the technology has had little apparent negative impact on the success of its crowdfunding campaigns to date.
The publisher’s six most recent campaigns which it says made use of AI image making tools have raised almost €39m between them across their crowdfunds and late pledges, with Lands of Evershade the standout at more than $12.5m.
The six most recent campaigns using AI imagery – which also include BELOW: The Asylum, This War of Mine: Second Edition and Grimcoven – all included a statement acknowledging that usage in the FAQ section of their respective Gamefound campaigns.
Awaken Realms’ AI art statement in its Agricola: Special Edition campaign FAQ states, “We are using different technologies, including AI tools, to various degrees – from built-in Photoshop capabilities (intelligent brushes, advanced texturing, and some AI tools), Internal Stable Diffusion models, MJ[Midjourney] models, pixel correction, scaling solutions and so on. Everything we use is screened and accepted by our legal team as fully legal to use.
“Those are different tools that we use NOT to decrease cost and DEFINITELY NOT to replace artists but to bring better quality to our customers and enhance creativity by allowing faster prototyping and iteration.
Pre-campaign card art for Agricola: Special Edition, which Awaken Realms described as “Work in Progress”
“We are constantly growing our art team (in the last 12 months, we have hired six new artists), as well as yearly increasing wages and sharing profits by yearly bonuses. We really care about our team and are extremely proud of their work.
“We deeply believe that in any creative endeavor, human involvement is absolutely essential, and instead of just ‘talking the talk’, we have actually walked the walk and increased our artist count and wages every year.
“This is our statement on the topic and we are fully dedicated to supporting and growing our art team, as well as bringing the best quality to our backers. We believe that this approach is better than making big PR statements and then firing people with a week’s notice, as, unfortunately, can be observed all around the industry.”
It is not immediately clear which board game publishers Awaken Realms is referring to with the final part of that statement.
That statement said, “We also noticed a few questions regarding the creative process behind Labyrinth Chronicles and whether any AI-generated artwork was used in the game.
“We would like to clearly state that no AI-generated art was used in the final product. Every illustration, graphic element, and 3D model was created by our talented team of artists who worked on this project.”
That statement then goes on to list 24 artists, graphic designers, illustrators and 3d modellers who it said worked on the title.
Awaken Realms has taken great pains recently to highlight the extent of its art and design team – which it said in the Concordia: Special Edition Gamefound update now comprises 32 people across art, 2D layout, 3D sculpture and desktop publishing, out of a board games division of more than 100 people.
Awaken Realms, meanwhile, began life as a miniature painting studio in 2014, before expanding into board game publishing a couple of years later.
The company garnered early success with a Kickstarter for This War of Mine: The Board Game in 2016, before the £3m Nemesis Kickstarter campaign in 2018 formed a springboard for the company to begin creating ever more intricate and expansive miniatures-focused tabletop projects.
Wir wagen einen Blick zurück auf 12 Jahre Board Game Circus und verraten euch mehr über unseren Weg und darüber, wie wir eigentlich unsere Spiele auswählen. Und zu gewinnen gibt es auch noch was – was will man mehr!
25.03.2026 - Schon seit 1995 wird das von Friedhelm Merz begründete Nachwuchs-Spieleautor*innen-Stipendium an junge Kreative vergeben, die selbst noch kein eigenes Spiel veröffentlicht haben. Die organisierende SAZ (Spiele-Autoren-Zunft) und der Verein Spiel des Jahres als Sponsor wollen damit Talenten Einblicke in unterschiedliche Bereiche der Spieleszene bieten, wozu die Vermittlung von spieltheoretischem Wissen sowie mehrere Praktika über einen Zeitraum von vier Wochen u.a. im Verlagsbereich und dem Spielwarenhandel gehören. Fahrtkosten und andere Ausgaben werden mit 3.500 € bezuschusst.
Vom 27. bis 29. März veranstaltet der Brettspielverlag Frosted Games sein jährliches Online-Event. Die Frosted Days 2026 bestehen aus einem dreitägigen Streamprogramm auf YouTube, exklusiven Shopangeboten und mehreren bisher unangekündigten Neuheiten für das laufende Jahr.
Programm und Neuheitenshow
Den Auftakt bildet am Freitag, den 27. März um 19 Uhr die große Neuheitenshow. Frosted Games stellt darin alle geplanten Titel für 2026 vor, darunter auch Spiele, die bisher noch nicht öffentlich angekündigt wurden. Im Anschluss folgt eine gemütliche Spielrunde mit Community Talk im YouTube-Chat.
Am Samstag geht es ab 13 Uhr weiter. Auf dem Programm stehen mehrere Let's-Play-Sessions, in denen unter anderem Neuankündigungen erstmals auf den Tisch kommen. Dazwischen gibt es ein Frosted-Games-Quiz zum Mitraten sowie eine Partyrunde mit offenem Ende und direkter Chat-Beteiligung. Der Sonntag startet ab 12 Uhr mit weiteren Let's Plays und Specials, bevor das Event am Nachmittag endet.
Bereits öffentlich angekündigt sind unter anderem Das Voynich Mysterium, Horologium – Die Orloj von Prag, Wuselige Wiesen, Paper Tales Ultimate, GROLL, The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era, Hoplomachus Victorum und Tír Na Nóg. Ob zu einzelnen davon Vorbestellaktionen starten, soll sich während der Neuheitenshow zeigen.
Angebote im Webshop
Schon vor dem Streamstart sind zahlreiche Rabattaktionen im Frosted-Games-Onlineshop verfügbar. Unter den reduzierten Titeln finden sich unter anderem Frostpunk: Das Brettspiel für 79,95 Euro statt 109,95 Euro, Townsfolk Tussle für 79,95 Euro statt 145 Euro und Das Unbewusste für 29 Euro statt 69,95 Euro. Ab einem Bestellwert von 80 Euro entfallen die Versandkosten deutschlandweit.
Zusätzlich gibt es eine Gearloc-Bundle-Aktion für Too Many Bones. Je mehr der ausgewählten Erweiterungen Ghillie, Gasket, Tink und Nugget im Warenkorb liegen, desto höher fällt der Rabatt aus. Ab einem Warenkorbwert von 100 Euro legt Frosted Games bei ausgewählten Spielen wie Aeon's End: Legacy, Dead Cells oder Astro Knights eine kostenlose Promo-Karte dazu.
In den BRETTSPIELBOX News 11/2026 findet ihr die folgenden Nachrichten: Hier sind die Brettspiel News. Guten Start in die Woche. Folgende Neuheiten sind auf dem Weg bzw. angekündigt: Das zweite Spiel in der Skellig Fun Reihe heißt Dicecream. Wir müssen die tollsten Eisbecher kreieren. Solar Supremacy erscheint Ende des Jahres. In Solar Supremacy befehligen die Spielenden rivalisierende […]
Angekündigt: Neu: Updates: ANGEKÜNDIGT In der kommenden Woche Crowdfunding. Wenige Projekte sind angekündigt. Hier der Überblick über die kommende Woche: Brass: Pittsburgh Brass: Pittsburgh ist ein eigenständiger (dritter) Titel im Brass System und führt in den industriellen Aufschwung des späten 19. Jahrhunderts in den nordöstlichen USA. Ihr übernehmt die Rolle von Industriellen, baut Netzwerke aus Eisenbahnen, […]
Hier sind die Brettspiel News. Ich habe ein paar Infos in den verschiedenen Clustern zusammengetragen. Heute wieder einiges dabei für jeden. VIDEO Inhalt ■ in eigener Sache■ News (Swiss Award, Asmodee / Japon Brand, Equinox, Digital neu)■ Veranstaltungen (Bonn, Frosted Days)■ Crowdfunding (Apex Carnivore, Walkable City, Cyberpunk TCG, Dice Fishing, Fernweh)■ Ticker (Das Spiel der […]
Asmodee has ramped up its reignited acquisition strategy by buying Japon Brand from CMON, anchoring the board game giant’s push into a “currently untapped market” for the company.
Japon Brand was instrumental in bringing Japanese designs such as Love Letter and Machi Koro to international markets, after being inspired by the surge in novel games from home-grown designers in the early 2000s.
The company will form the cornerstone of Asmodee’s new Japanese design studio, Nekuma, which will look to find games from local designers that it can release globally, as well as helping Asmodee bring its existing titles to Japanese players.
Asmodee CEO Thomas Koegler said, “Japan is one of the most creative and culturally influential markets in the world. With Nekuma and the integration of Japon Brand, we are building a long-term platform that connects Japanese creators with players globally.
Asmodee CEO Thomas Koegler
“True to Asmodee’s entrepreneurial and bold DNA, this capital-light and agile initiative allows us to invest where creativity is thriving while positioning Asmodee for sustainable growth in Asia.”
Asmodee has grown into a board game publishing and distribution giant thanks to the heavy expansion the business undertook after being bought by private equity firm Eurazeo in 2014.
But the vast bulk of the company’s revenue comes from its operations in Europe, which accounted for more than 76% of its €1.6bn net sales in 2025.
The United States contributed about 13.1% of 2025 net sales, while the company’s entire ‘rest of the world’ net sales – covering every country outside of Europe or the Americas – made up less than 5%.
Asmodee currently has offices in South Korea, China and Taiwan following an expansion to the continent in 2021, with those teams having developed and published localised titles including Splendor Pokémon, Love Letter Cookie Run, Pokémon Chips, and Love Letter Fox Spirit, as well as making use of crowdfunding platforms across the region.
The company said Nekuma would “integrate and expand” that activity under interim head of studio Frederic Nugeron, Asmodee’s current global senior vice president – route to market for the Asia Pacific region.
It said Nekuma would lead game sourcing “to identify and support the most promising Japanese and Asian tabletop game designers”, while Asia-focused publishing will be managed by the company’s existing Korea team.
Nugeron said, “Our ambition with Nekuma is very concrete: be present on the ground, listen to designers, understand cultural nuances, and build trusted relationships within the Japanese ecosystem.
“By combining local expertise with Asmodee’s global reach, we can support creators more closely and bring distinctive Asian games to a worldwide audience.”
Asmodee said Japon Brand would continue to operate with its existing expertise and relationships, with “no impact” on current partnerships or contracts.
But the company has faced a punishing financial situation since, posting losses of $3m across 2024 and nearly $7m for the first half of 2025 – figures which dwarf the overall $4.2m profit it had managed to make over the previous nine years combined.
But the revived M&A process is yet to fully mirror Asmodee’s private equity-fuelled buying spree from the latter half of the 2010s, during which it acquired more than 40 companies and IPs.
That heavy expansion included the company adding more than 20 game studios, including Days of Wonder, Fantasy Flight Games, Lookout Games, Catan Studio and Z-Man Games.
Asmodee CEO Thomas Koegler was asked during the company’s quarterly results presentation last month whether the company was ready to make “more meaningful” acquisitions rather than small bolt-on deals.
He said in response, “Without being specific, the activity in the pipeline is in accordance with our plan. The smaller acquisitions are faster. IP acquisitions and asset deals are faster to execute. I’m satisfied.”
The board game giant’s overall net sales jumped 22.2% across October to December 2025 compared to the same period a year earlier, with the performance of products it distributes for other companies surging more than 50%.
Net sales for games published by Asmodee itself fell almost 13% year-on-year in the quarter, however, weighed down by US net sales slumping 23% to €70.4m.
That drop saw the US fall behind both France and the UK in Q3 in terms of the company’s highest-performing countries for net sales, with France surging 47% year-on-year to over €111m, and the UK growing 41% to €82.7m.
Ab sofort könnt ihr auch direkt auf unseren Spiele-Seiten durch die Anleitung blättern. Und auch unser gedruckter Katalog ist jetzt online und bietet sich zum Schmökern an.
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Mit Carcass Front erhält Trench Crusade erstmals eine umfangreiche Starterbox, die sowohl Einsteiger*innen als auch Veteran*innen anspricht. Neben zwei vollständigen Warbands bringt das Set eine Kampagne, neues Hintergrundmaterial und Zubehör auf den Tisch und markiert gleichzeitig den Start einer größeren Veröffentlichungsstrategie.
