June 13, 2022 – Funko Buys Mondo. One of the most well known pop culture lifestyle brands, Funko, announced today that it has acquired the high-end pop culture company that creates vinyl records, posters, soundtracks, toys, apparel, books, board games and other collectibles.
This is a big step in synergy and relevance for the company. Funko touts that its goal is to continue to invest in its strategic growth initiatives of maximizing the core business, diversifying the revenue base, growing its Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) channel, and extending its reach into international markets. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the Company does not expect the acquisition to have a material impact on its financial performance in 2022.
Mondo is the publisher of, among many other things, the unmatched fighting system. This board game staple that was originally released in 2019 has released versions: Battle of Legends, Volume One (2019), Robin Hood vs. Bigfoot (2019), Bruce Lee (2019), Cobble & Fog (2020), Jurassic Park – InGen vs Raptors (2020), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2020), Little Red Riding Hood vs. Beowulf (2020), Deadpool (2021), Battle of Legends, Volume Two (2022), Jurassic Park – Dr. Sattler vs. T. Rex, Redemption Row (2022), Hell’s Kitchen (2022) and a few more rumored editions to come soon.
Unmatched is a highly asymmetrical miniature fighting game for two or four players. Each hero is represented by a unique deck designed to evoke their style and legend. Tactical movement and no-luck combat resolution create a unique play experience that rewards expertise, but just when you’ve mastered one set, new heroes arrive to provide all new match-ups.
Combat is resolved quickly by comparing attack and defense cards. However, each card’s unique effects and a simple but deep timing system lead to interesting decisions each time. The game also features an updated version of the line-of-sight system from Tannhäuser for ranged attacks and area effects.
Mondo was founded in 2001 by Rob Jones and Tim League and was a subsidiary of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema prior to the acquisition by Funko.
“Mondo’s devoted fan base and high-end pop culture collectibles make it the perfect complement to Funko’s current portfolio of brands. By leveraging our international distribution and licensing network, we feel well-positioned to expedite the growth of the Mondo brand,” said Chief Executive Officer Andrew Perlmutter. “It’s an exciting opportunity to couple Mondo’s already stellar product assortment and aesthetic with Funko’s massive property library.”
Based in Austin, Texas, Mondo is best known for its limited-edition vinyl records and screen-printed posters, which focus on bringing art back to music and cinema through collaborations with acclaimed artists.
As for the board game business, this does mean a wider distribution network to some beloved titles so it looks like that is a good thing for consumers. Time will tell.
June 10, 2022 – Mantic launches board game division with Umbrella Academy as first title. The company behind best-selling miniature games such as Kings of War and Deadzone is transitioning into board games. Based at Mantic’s Nottingham office, this new department will focus on creating family-friendly board games and role-playing experiences.
The first title to be launched under Mantic’s board game division is Umbrella Academy: The Board Game, which is due to launch on the Gamefound crowd funding platform on June 15th. Featuring simple pick-up-and-play rules and co-operative gameplay, Umbrella Academy: The Board Game fits perfectly along with the company’s new mission.
“At Mantic we’ve become well-known for creating accessible and enjoyable wargames, like Kings of War and the recently released Firefight: Second Edition,” said CEO Ronnie Renton. “With the creation of the board game division, we want to develop more products that can be enjoyed by a wider range of audiences.
“This could be a ready-made RPG adventure to play as part of a wider campaign, a card game that introduces new fans to our fantasy realms, or a kid-friendly dungeon crawler that can be played during a family game night.
“Having these titles published under the Mantic Board Games Division brand, allows them to be produced without detracting from our core fantasy and sci-fi releases. What’s more, it gives us new ways to introduce gamers to the wonderful world of Mantic.”
This focus on board games will also open up new opportunities for Mantic to work with a range of licensing partners on products that wouldn’t translate well to the wargaming space, or turn its own best-selling IPs into more accessible experiences.
Source: https://www.manticgames.com/news/mantic-launches-new-board-games-division/
June 9, 2022 – Clank board games to be exclusively published by Dire Wolf Games. Renegade Games was the original publisher of one of the best push-your-luck games out there but Dire Wolf is stepping in and taking the full role over.
“When we first dipped our toes into the board game waters several years ago, we weren’t entirely sure what we were getting into…or just how big a part of our creative lives tabletop would become,” said Scott Martins, President of Dire Wolf. “Our friends at Renegade provided some much-needed guidance and support for our early board game co-publishing efforts, and we’re grateful for everything they did to help bring the game to market. Since then, Clank! has grown as a product line and we’ve grown as a company. We’re very excited about where Clank! is heading in the future, and how it fits into the bigger picture of tabletop publishing from Dire Wolf.”
“Coming from videogames, making Clank! was a whole new kind of challenge,” said Paul Dennen, VP of Design at Dire Wolf, and the creator of both Clank! and Dune: Imperium. “The journey here has been a fun one, and we’ve got some exciting twists and turns ahead for the noisy thieves, and I think fans will really enjoy where we’re heading next.”
Going forward, future Clank! products will be published by Dire Wolf, and digital Clank! content will be available via the free Dire Wolf Game Room app. Current digital Clank! content will migrate to the free Dire Wolf Game Room app, available from Steam, the App Store and Google Play.
There have been a total of 3 Clank stand-alone games including Clank!, Clank! in Space and Clank! Incorporated that have built on the initial concept of getting in and getting out as quickly as possible and with the most precious treasure as possible. Each one has a fresh take and hosts several different expansions. In addition to push-you-luck, it has really utilized the deck building mechanic and is often seen as one of the best there as well.
Publisher Dire Wolf has been heating up the board game scene. In addition to new Clank titles, they are behind the incredibly popular Dune Imperium and they are huge into digital implementations. There they have Pokemon TCG, Raiders of the North Sea, Yellow & Yangtze, Sagrada, Root, The Fox in the Forest, Game of Thrones the Board Game and Lotus.
Source: https://www.direwolfdigital.com/news/clank-publishing-update/
June 2, 2022 – Publisher Capstone Games has announced a brand new Streamlined Terra Mystica Game Terra Nova. The brand new creation from newcomer designer Andreas Faul takes the original area control game and takes it down to more manageable levels. The game is expected to debut with a $54.95 MSRP at Spiel in Essen with the worldwide release shortly thereafter on October 26, 2022.
In Terra Nova, players choose from 10 different factions, each with different abilities. Spread out on the central map as skillfully as possible and achieve certain goals from round to round. In peaceful competition with the other factions, erect buildings and settle new territories. Use your faction’s special abilities in a clever way to control the largest territory at the end, and win with the most points.
A game of Terra Mystica has been known to go 4 hours plus. This new take on the games has a game time estimation of 60 – 90 minutes.
This new version of the game comes ten years after the original Terra Mystica was released in 2012 and five years after the successful sci-fi implementation the Gaia project released in 2017. Both games are both still incredibly popular but they are long and intense, making them not for everyone. This new title looks to broaden out that base, with the gameplay ideals that so many have been attracted to over the years.
Source: https://capstone-games.com/board-games/terra-nova/
May 25, 2022 – Publisher Fantasy Flight Games has announced a new Twilight Imperium Universe Game Twilight Inscription. The new stand-alone board game is expected to have an MSRP of $64.99 and release later this year.
They are taking everything that they can from the epic 8 hour or so 4X game Twilight Imperium and porting it into a roll and write game. This is incredibly popular thing to do with board games. Some past highly weighted and strategic games that have done this include The Castles of Burgundy, Settlers of Catan, Corinth, Dinosaur Island, My City, Uno, Zombicide and many more.
In Twilight Inscription, the Lazax Empire has burned to ash, rejected by its subjects. The aftermath was tragedy and petty conflict in equal measure, a time of loss and exhaustion. In the ensuing Dark Years, the factions of the galaxy retreated and recovered their strength. Now, they look upon the stars and see an opportunity—a chance to reclaim what was lost. A chance to redefine galactic civilization. A chance to leave their mark upon the stars.
The game an epic roll-and-write game for one to eight players offers an experience unlike anything Fantasy Flight Games has done before. With a limited pool of resources at your disposal, you’ll need to carefully manage Navigation, Expansion, Industry, and Warfare as you amass victory points and earn your right to the throne on Mecatol Rex. Will your faction become the new rulers of the galaxy? Or will your fledgling empire fade into obscurity? Anything can happen in this strategic, infinitely-replayable game!
A Few Killer Features They Are Touting:
Source: https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2022/5/25/marking-the-galaxy/
May 24, 2022 – One of the biggest pieces of info in the Catan announcement was that the Catan 3D Seafarers Cities and Knights Expansion is coming. This new set that requires the base game to play will launch with an MSRP of $399.99.
“Component lovers will get lost in the immersive and detailed Seafarers + Cities & Knights expansion for CATAN – 3D Edition. And finally, our most competitive players will not want to miss the CATAN World Championship this fall.” said Morgan Dontanville, CATAN Studio chief creative officer.
The new set brings the brand’s two most popular and beloved expansions into the three-dimensional adventures of CATAN 3D in one big, beautiful box.
CATAN – Seafarers: Send your ships to explore and discover uncharted islands off of Catan’s shores. Perhaps you will build new settlements there or even discover valuable gold fields. This is the first time this expansion has been produced in 3D.
CATAN – Cities & Knights: Improve your cities into great metropolises. Combine your forces with the forces of the other players to defend Catan against the relentless barbarian attacks.
The expansions’ 363 individual pieces, including hand-painted terrain tiles and antiqued player figures, make the “cooperatively competitive” world of CATAN more immersive than ever before. With CATAN – Seafarers, players set sail to uncharted islands in search of valuable gold and land to settle. In CATAN – Cities & Knights, players work to improve their cities and join forces to defend Catan against invading barbarians.
Check out the Catan Studios Expansion Page For More
images via Catan Studios
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