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Published — 04. Mai 2026 ⏭

https://boardgamewire.com/
Arcs named game of the year by Italian tabletop magazine ioGioco, Paolo Mori named best designer 04. Mai 2026 um 15:29

Arcs named game of the year by Italian tabletop magazine ioGioco, Paolo Mori named best designer

04. Mai 2026 um 15:29

Arcs, the hybrid trick-taking wargame from Root and Oath designer Cole Wehrle, has won game of the year in the ioGioco Awards, which were created in 2021 to celebrate Italian-language board games and their designers.

Paolo Mori was named game designer of the year after demonstrating his huge range through designs including Toy Battle, Altay: Dawn of Civilization, Battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars and the second edition of Blitzkreig.

Bryan Bornmueller’s The Fellowship of the Ring – Trick-Taking Game triumphed in the light and family games category, the new edition of Richard Borg’s Memoir ’44 won best wargame, while children’s game of the year went to Marc and Catherine André’s design Splendor Kids.

This year’s award for best aesthetic and production quality went to Michele Morosini’s The Breach, published by Ludus Magnus Studio, while best two-player game went to Paolo Mori and Alessandro Zucchini’s design Toy Battle.

Nominees are picked by the editorial staff at Italian tabletop gaming magazine ioGioco from all of the titles published in Italy in the previous year, with the winners decided by public vote via the magazine’s website.

The Breach, from designer Michele Morosini and Ludus Magnus Studios

ioGioco said the tabletop gaming sector continues to prove “particularly vibrant”, with the market in Italy seeing a 27% rise in value last year compared to 2024 according to data from research company Circana.

Trading card games were a huge driver of that figure, the research shows, with sales of tabletop games outside of that category growing 3% year-on-year. More than new 800 titles were released in the country last year, ioGioco added.

Last year’s ioGioco game of the year award was won by fantasy deckbuilding and strategy game Black Rose Wars: Rebirth, which was designed by Andrea Colletti, Diego Fonseca and Marco Montanaro.

ioGioco Awards 2025 – full results

BOARD GAME

Winner: Arcs, designed by Cole Wehrle – published in Italy by MS Edizioni
Ants, Renato Ciervo, Andrea Robbiani
Bomb Busters, Hisashi Hayashi
The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship, Matt Leacock
Star Wars – Battle of Hoth, Richard Borg, Adrien Martinot

GAME DESIGNER

Winner: Paolo Mori
Gregory Grard
Hisashi Hayashi
Reiner Knizia
Matt Leacock

LIGHT & FAMILY GAME

Winner: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Trick-Taking Game, Bryan Bornmueller – Asmodee Italia
Bomb Busters, Hisashi Hayashi
Castle Combo, Grégory Grard, Mathieu Roussel
Cities, Steve Finn, Phil Walker-Harding
Flip 7, Eric Olsen

WARGAME

Winner: Memoir’ 44 (New Edition), Richard Borg – Asmodee Italia
Battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars, Paolo Mori, Alessandro Zucchini
Pocket Air War: Definitive Edition, Carlo Amaddeo
An Impossible War: The First Carlist War in the North, 1834-1838, David Gómez Relloso
Wunderwaffen, Walter Obert)

CHILDREN’S GAME

Winner: Splendor Kids, Marc André, Catherine André – Asmodee Italia
Jurassic Valley, Davide Panizza
My Puzzle Adventure: Ochre Land, Antonin Boccara, Romaric Galonnier, Fabrice Lamouille, Mathilde Malburet
Redwoods, Gary Kim, Yohan Goh, Hope S Hwang
Opération Noisettes, Emilie Soleil, Jérôme Soleil

AESTHETIC AND PRODUCTION QUALITY

Winner: The Breach, Michele Morosini – Ludus Magnus Studio
Cyclades: Legendary Edition, Bruno Cathala, Ludovic Maublanc
Galactic Cruise, TK King, Dennis Northcott, Koltin Thompson
Koi, Rosaria Battiato, Massimo Borzì, Martino Chiacchiera
Runar, Diego Fonseca)

AESTHETIC AND PRODUCTION QUALITY – ROLE-PLAYING GAME

Winner: Mörk Borg, Pelle Nilsson, J Yamil – Need Games
Daggerheart
Elder Mythos, Laura Fontanella, Marta Palvarini
Magus et Oraculum – New Edition, Momatoes, Oscar Biffi
Pilgrims of the Murk Dome, Pelle Nilsson, J Yamil

SOLITAIRE GAME

Winner: Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs, Joe Klipfel, Nikki Valens – Asmodee Italia
Final Girl Season 2, Evan Derrick, AJ Porfirio
Hispania, Miguel Marqués
Too Many Bones, Josh J Carlson, Adam Carlson
Voidfall, Nigel Buckle, Dávid Turczi

TWO-PLAYER GAME

Winner: Toy Battle, Paolo Mori, Alessandro Zucchini – Asmodee Italia
Duel for Cardia, Faouzi Boughida, Mathieu Rivero
Agent Avenue, Christian Kudahl, Laura Kudahl
Memoir’ 44 – New Edition, Richard Borg
Zenith, Grégory Grard, Mathieu Roussel

BOARD GAME EXPANSION

Winner: The White Castle – Matcha, Sheila Santos, Israel Cendrero – Devir
Dune: Imperium – Bloodlines, Phil Amylon, Andy Clautice, Paul Dennen, Caleb Vance
Food Chain Magnate: The Ketchup Mechanism & Other Ideas, Jeroen Doumen, Joris Wiersinga
Talisman: Nemesis – Call of the Hunt, Craig Van Ness
Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition – Thunder’s Edge, Dane Beltrami, James Kniffen

ROLE-PLAYING GAME

Winner: Daggerheart – Acheron Games
DIE: The Roleplaying Game, Kieron Gillen
Marvel Multiverse Roleplaying Game, Matt Forbeck, Marty Forbeck
Triangle Agency, Caleb Zane Huett, Sean Ireland
Wilderfeast, Federico Corbetta Caci, KC Shi

ROLE-PLAYING GAME SUPPLEMENT

Winner: The One Ring: Realms of the Three Rings, Michele Garbuggio, Marco Maggi, Francesco Nepitello, Gabriele Quaglia – Need Games
Dolmenwood Campaign Book
Dungeons & Dragons 5.5e: Dungeon Master’s Guide
Outgunned Adventure, Simone Formicola, Riccardo Sirignano
Tal’Dorei Reborn, James JHaeck, Matthew Mercer, Hannah Rose

GAMEBOOK

Winner: Un altro passo nella neve, Manuele Giuliano – Ingenioso Hidalgo
15 Mondi da Cana, Stefano Tartarotti
Chi è stato? 1 – La Casa degli Automi, Michele Buonanno
Fiabe Oscure 2 – Aurora, Valentina Ceciliato
The Freedom Finders – Beak Your Chains, Emily Conolan

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Published — 10. April 2026 ⏭

Asmodee co-founder Philippe Mouret, veteran Catan Studio head Pete Fenlon step back; Julia Marcelin to head up five studios

https://boardgamewire.com/

Von: Mike Didymus-True

10. April 2026 um 10:54

Asmodee co-founder Philippe Mouret and Catan Studio head Pete Fenlon have both stepped back from their high-level roles at the board game giant, with Julia Marcelin and Mike Bisogno stepping up to oversee some of its biggest-selling titles as part of the leadership transition.

Mouret, who co-founded Asmodee more than 30 years ago, was also behind the creation of Splendor publisher Space Cowboys in 2014, and has overseen multiple publishing studios at the business over the years.

Julia Marcelin, who has been with Asmodee for almost seven years, becomes head of five studios as part of the shake-up, taking on responsibility for Days of Wonder, Space Cowboys, Repos Production, Libellud and Next Move.

Those studios are the home of some of Asmodee’s best-selling titles, including Ticket to Ride, Memoir 44, Splendor, 7 Wonders and Dixit.

Marcelin has spent the last year working with Mouret as deputy head of studio in preparation for the transition, Asmodee said, following previous responsibilities in operational strategy and international transformation at the business.

A statement from Asmodee said Mouret had “played a defining role in shaping the company’s creative direction”, as well as “contributed to the development and creation of some of the industry’s most celebrated titles”.

The company said Mouret would “remain closely involved” with its publishing team, working alongside chief product officer Jean-Sébastien De Barros and senior vice president for tabletop Benoit Clerc.

Asmodee also revealed that Pete Fenlon has stepped down as head of Catan Studio after ten years, with his LinkedIn page now updated to place him as “storyteller” and “mentor at large” at the company.

Mike Bisogno, who joined Asmodee three months ago after more than 17 years at Spin Master, takes on the role. He was most recently senior director of design and inventor relations at Spin Master, and also previously worked as a licensing lead at the company.

Catan is one of Asmodee’s most powerful titles, having successfully broken out from the hobby board gaming space and into wider pop culture since its 1995 release.

The game has sold more than 45 million copies and been translated into over 40 languages to date. Asmodee announced a 6th edition of the game last year to coincide with the title’s 30th anniversary.

A statement from Asmodee said, “Mike combines creative leadership with a strong track record of building successful partnerships. His arrival reflects Asmodee’s commitment to sustaining Catan’s legacy while exploring new opportunities for growth.”

It added, “Pete has left an enduring mark on the industry, with a career spanning several decades, including 20 years as CEO and chairman of Mayfair Games, and being a force behind the growth and global success of Catan.

“Since joining Asmodee in 2016 to lead Catan Studio, he led the brand through significant expansion and innovation.”

Jean-Sébastien De Barros, chief product officer and executive vice president for publishing at Asmodee, said, “Asmodee has always been built on the strength of its people. I see both Philippe and Pete as mentors for our new generation of Asmodee publishing team members.

“They have each played a pivotal role in shaping not only our portfolio but also the culture of Asmodee, one which resonates with so many players today.

“I’m glad to have shared part of my journey with them and we are confident in the next generation of leaders we’re bringing to these positions as they bring the right energy to continue building on this legacy.”

Asmodee has recently accelerated the reignited acquisitions strategy it announced at the end of 2024, with last month’s agreement to pay up to €250m for French social and party game publisher ATM Gaming its most striking deal to date.

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”.

The ATM deal followed five other acquisitions from the past 12 months – including the buyout of Japon Brand from CMON, anchoring the board game giant’s push into a “currently untapped market” for the company.

Its other recent deals include picking up Zombicide, Cthulhu: Death May Die and Sheriff of Nottingham from CMON, which is attempting to recover from heavy losses over the past couple of years.

Asmodee posted record sales of €524m during the last quarter of 2025 despite a slump in its US performance, with trading card game earnings in Europe acting as a driving force for the business.

The post Asmodee co-founder Philippe Mouret, veteran Catan Studio head Pete Fenlon step back; Julia Marcelin to head up five studios first appeared on .