Feature
Games & Puzzles
The next move
Locked down UK families turned to games and puzzles in their millions in 2020, resulting in an astonishing year for the category. But with restrictions being phased out in the coming weeks, can the category maintain last year’s stellar performance? Rachael Simpson-Jones investigates, with the help some of the category’s biggest players.
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n the weeks and months ahead, options for how to spend our free time are going to increase dramatically. Sports clubs and beer gardens will open once more, kids will be able to meet their friends in the park for a kickabout, and leisure travel will be back on the cards too. After 12 months of being stuck at home, it’ll be interesting to see how the Games & Puzzles category fares as we all start to enjoy our newfound freedom (sensibly, of course) – will the end of lockdown spell the end of games nights and puzzling sessions? Our contributors don’t think so. “We believe the pandemic has reignited a love for playing games, and we expect to see a spike in sales as households are allowed to mix and start looking for entertainment to enjoy together,” says Emma Weber, marketing and licensing director, Vivid Goliath Group. “Most of our portfolio lends itself to multiple players; as we start to get back to the new normal, the more people who join in a game of Double Ditto or Battle of the Ages, the better.” Roger Martin, Hobby & Independent Channel director for Asmodee UK, agrees. “It’s always been our experience that, once people discover or rediscover the joys of modern board games, it doesn’t take any convincing for them to keep playing,” he says. “Once lockdown ends, we expect to see people getting together more and playing more board games together. Everyone who’s fallen in love with Catan or
Ticket to Ride will want to share it with their loved ones.” It’ll also be interesting to see if new trends emerge this year that reflect what the end of lockdown means to us all in the same way that the trends of 2020 reflected being locked down. Demand for two-player games such as Asmodee’s Patchwork and Jaipur, and Exploding Kitten’s Tacocat Spelled Backwards, increased as couples sought new ways to enjoy each other’s (constant, never-ending) company, as did demand for family games and educational games that could be played by parents and their kids. Our lockdown viewing habits have resulted in an influx of games based on TV quiz and game shows (Taskmaster from Ginger Fox and The Floor is Lava from Vivid Goliath, for example) and viral social media challenges, as well as escape rooms and detective or murder mystery games which require more immersive, role-playing participation. Games that got us up and moving have been reacquainting us with the joys of movement in a fun way; in fact, Tomy’s Active Snap is one of UK & Ireland GM Mary Wood’s top recommendations for retailers. “We’re proud that one in every two adult games sold in 2020 was from Drumond Park, and that we were No.2 overall in Children’s Games,” she adds. “Drumond Park and Tomy games are always very well supported from a marketing perspective – we
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understand the need to invest year in, year out - so retailers should be confident when they select a game from us. From a product development perspective, we have a winning formula with Logo and the ‘Best of’ games, which are part of the Logo family. The new Best of Kids and Best of Sport & Leisure are formats that are already familiar with consumers.” Familiarity and brand trust remains an important factor in purchasing decisions, so it’s no surprise that classic and traditional games have entered 2021 on strong footing. Asmodee is welcoming a 25th Anniversary Edition of Catan as well as a 15th Anniversary Edition of Ticket to Ride to its portfolio this year, offering committed fans definitive versions of two classics that continue to grow in popularity, while Ravensburger celebrates Labyrinth’s 35th birthday with a packaging refresh and a raft of marketing activity across the second half of the year. Mattel, meanwhile, is marking the 50th anniversary of Uno with a raft of new product launches. The company, which ended 2020 as the No. 3 Games manufacturer, says classics remain an important part of its plans thanks to their unique gameplay and nostalgic feel. Kelly Philp, director of marketing, Mattel UK, adds: “Uno is and always has been the game for everyone, and 2021 will be no different. We have a host of exciting activity planned this year, with the new Uno Iconic line, comprising five retro
