Feature - Games & Puzzles

Cards on the table

The Games & Puzzles category continues to offer consumers affordable, enriching and fun ways to spend their spare time, be it alone or with friends and family, though it is reported to be off to a slightly slow start this year. Rachael Simpson-Jones takes a look at how the sector is shaping up, which new releases are playing to win, and why consumer behaviour is causing some suppliers to work even harder on pricing, consumer engagement and more.

Before we get too far into this piece, we’ll start with a quick look at how the start of 2024 has been for the Games & Puzzles category, thanks to our friends at Circana. The data is interesting: the overall category is down -10% at the time of writing, but this figure is being driven by a double digit decline in Strategic Trading Card Games, which is over a third of the category and -20% so far this year (even with Pokémon the second-highest grower in the top 15 UK properties, at +14%). When you take Strategic Trading Card Games away, the other games categories combined are only down -4%: this is ahead of the overall market, which is currently down -6%. And several sub-categories are showing healthy growth, with straightforward Card Games up +6% (driven by sub-£10 games such as Uno, Monopoly Deal, Cartamundi’s Royal Flush Playing Cards and Asmodee’s Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza), Family Board/Action Games up +13% and Adult Games coming in hot with particularly impressive growth of +19%.

As we’re all aware, 2023 was a tricky year for the entire Toys & Games industry, not least of all because of the pressures on cash-strapped consumers. It’s unlikely these pressures are going to ease dramatically in 2024, meaning that for many, spending will remain constrained, and expenditure carefully considered, especially if the purchase in question could be considered non-essential. In order to get shoppers to part with their hard-earned cash this year, games and puzzles offerings must be truly compelling and offer excellent value for money.

Some companies are addressing the thorny issue of pricing by reducing the RRP on their games. PlayMonster is one such company: its best-selling 5 Second Rule is back this year at a lower RRP of £14.99, and following the success of its relaunched Gooey Louie, Vivid Goliath is reducing the RRP on another of its games for this year: the family-friendly, food-stacking BBQ Party.

Pricing also comes into play when consumers are choosing between forms of entertainment. A night spent in playing board games with friends, or completing a jigsaw puzzle while listening to their favourite radio station, is likely to be a far cheaper way to pass the time than heading down the local or popping out for dinner and a show. Of course, playing games or building puzzles aren’t the only options for an affordable evening of entertainment, meaning they must win out over other choices.

“As people look to make savings on their outgoings, we’re competing against other forms of entertainment,” notes Jo Shapley, senior marketing manager at Asmodee UK. “The great advantage of our board games is their endless replay-ability and the fact they genuinely entertain the whole family or group of friends. We also have games at various price points, so we hope there’s something there to suit everyone's budget. We know high screen time is a concern for parents: our board games offer a break from the digital and allow families to connect with each other away from devices, as well as create lasting memories. We see these forms of entertainment being treasured and protected by hobby gaming enthusiasts especially.”

Mary Wood, managing director, UK & Ireland at Tomy, agrees with Jo’s sentiments, and says the company’s latest launches are perfect for a night in. Tomy (which according to Circana is No. 1 in Adult games, No. 1 in Travel games and No. 2 in Children’s Games) is one of several suppliers releasing major new games and puzzles in Q1/2 this year, injecting much-needed newness and excitement into the marketplace early on, rather than allowing everything to mellow until Q4 and Christmas.

“I have to mention Medical Mysteries, which I am boring my team to death with, because it has the potential to be Game of the Year,” enthuses Mary. “Medical Mysteries is a powerhouse of a story-based collaborative game from Identity Games which is perfect for kidults and adults alike and totally aligned with market trends. This launches in spring 2024, so we have plenty of time to build hype before the peak season.”

She adds: “As games can be very Q4- or even December-weighted, I love that we’ve also just launched a low priced, portable and very addictive game, 5Up. This dice game is an example of how important the inventor community is in the Games sector and how much we welcome reviewing new concepts, looking for the gem we think can be a winner - and we think 5Up is one such gem.”

Other notable spring launches include Mycelia and Garden Heist from Ravensburger, the former being a charming deck-building game for 1-4 players (I’m desperate to insert some funghi puns here, but there isn’t mushroom), the latter being a fun and suspenseful game of sneaking and bin-raiding. Mattel, meanwhile, introduces Skip Bo to its ever-expanding Games portfolio for Easter. Billed by the company’s senior director of Marketing, Kelly Philp, as the ultimate sequencing card game, Skip Bo provides hours of family fun as players use both skill and strategy to create sequential stacks of cards: the first player to use all the cards in their stockpile wins.

One of the most highly anticipated launches of the year so far has been Asmodee’s new trading card game, Star Wars Unlimited: Spark of Rebellion. Perfect for Star Wars fans and TCG fans alike, the 2-player Starter Deck comes with everything required to get a battle for the galaxy underway, including two decks of cards, counters, an instruction booklet and double-sides game mat/posters representing the light side and dark side of the Force (my husband opts to play as Darth Vader with worrying enthusiasm). It’s a fast-paced, quick to learn game, yet highly strategic and complex enough for even the most seasoned TCG pro to get stuck into. Available now, Star Wars Unlimited: Spark of Rebellion has enjoyed a very positive reception so far, including an impressive 8/10 rating on BoardGameGeek.com. Asmodee is putting a huge amount of marketing support behind the launch in order to reach as many players as possible, according to Jo Shapley, including a radio campaign featuring an actor from the Star Wars movies, partnerships with influencer Star Wars fans and strong support for the hobby stores where people can buy the game.

Indeed, we’ve seen some great levels of retail support in recent months to tie in with TCG launches. Ravensburger, in particular, has drawn praise for launching all three of its Disney Lorcana TCG instalments (The First Chapter, Rise of the Floodborn and Into the Inklands) with indies and hobby stores two weeks before the nationals. While the TCG has undoubtedly been a huge success, its deep, strategically complex gameplay has arguably proved to be something of a barrier to younger players. Happily, Ravensburger – which values community-building and feedback from players – will be introducing a new stand-alone 2-player starter set called Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway later this year. The box contains two 30-card basic Disney Lorcana TCG decks, a two-player game board with character standees, rules and player’s guides, and additional cards that players can add to their decks as they go. Ravensburger says that by the time participants have played through Gateway, they’ll have built two standard Disney Lorcana TCG decks they can then take with them and play with friends. (If you want to find out more about Disney Lorcana: Into the Inklands, turn to pages 80 and 81 to read assistant editor Caroline Tonks’ report on the official launch.)

Elsewhere in the TCG space, Pokémon has already launched Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates and Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Temporal Forces, while this month sees Bandai launch the One Piece Card Game booster pack, Wings of the Captain, and KAP Toys continues its Marvel Mission Arena TCG. Yu-Gi-Oh!, from Konami, also maintains its position as a TCG of choice. The company’s recently launched 2-Player Starter Set has been a huge success, welcoming new players into the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! via an accessible and fun new comic-led style of gameplay. To find out more about other new launches for the game, including those released in celebration of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s landmark 25th anniversary, turn to page 182.

Hasbro is also introducing a number of exciting new Universes Beyond and Magic: The Gathering titles under its Wizards of the Coast division, following two hugely successful 2023 releases for Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth and Doctor Who.

“We’ve announced a number of new and exciting collaborations, including Assassin’s Creed, Fallout and Final Fantasy,” explains Craig Wilkins, SVP Marketing, EMEA, LATAM & Asia Pacific at Hasbro. “Universes Beyond brings fictional settings and characters from popular fandoms and combines them with Magic’s strategic gameplay, which has proved incredibly popular with our Magic fans. Alongside Universes Beyond, we’ve just launched Murders at Karlov Manor - where players can experience Ravnica through the eyes of its keenest detectives - and also Ravnica Cluedo Edition, which combines Cluedo’s timeless, immersive, crime solving experience and cast of colourful suspects with Magic’s strategic depth. And launching this month we have Outlaws of Thunder Junction, an action-packed, frontier fantasy that reimagines the western genre and features some of Magic’s most notorious villains.”

The TCGs outlined above lie within the Kidult space, one of the sub-categories highlighted by Circana as a strong growth area. This reflects a wider pattern across the whole Toys & Games industry, which saw the Kidult pound account for 7% of all sales in 2023. While this year’s new launches certainly offer more than enough for the more mature game and puzzles fan (University Games’ new Rocky Horror Show board game, anyone?), child- and family-friendly titles are also set to fuel sales within the category. Indeed, Nicole Sweeny - category manager – Boys & Outdoor Toys at Very, told Toy World the Family Games category is a year-round success for the online retailer, producing double-digit growth over the past few years: turn to pages 128 and 130 to read the full interview.

Format Games, the company founded by Radio 1 DJ Matt Edmondson, showcased its new family game 13 Beavers at London Toy Fair. According to Matt, the game is unlike any other the company has produced: “It’s more of a traditional board game - there’s a board, there’s little meeples, there’s bits of card. It looks amazing; it’s very eye-catching. 13 Beavers might give the impression that it’s complex to play, but you can learn it in 15 seconds.”

Tomy is launching two accessible and fun children’s games from Fuel for Fun - Sandcastle Splat and Hide & Squeak Bots – while fresh development from its own Japanese head office comes in the form of 5 Trax Moves. A lovely introduction to strategy games for the younger player, meanwhile, the Ultimate Treehouse Game features beautiful graphics and stems from the company’s Fat Brain division.

For 2024, Hasbro has taken some classic games, including Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly, and applied unique twists to the gameplay to give families new ways to enjoy generational favourites. Craig explains: “By utilising key insights and trends across our target audiences, we can reimagine our much-loved gaming brands to offer new ways to play. The key factor is to maximise the distinctive DNA that has made the core game so popular in the first place, whilst moving into emerging new play spaces. This gives us the opportunity to bring new audiences into our gaming brands and the category, as well as continuing to entertain our current fanbase with new ways to play their favourites.”

“Monopoly Knockout, our latest addition to the Monopoly range, brings a more fast-paced, physical aspect to play,” he adds. “We leveraged our much-loved classic game, listened to consumers’ needs regarding the speed of play and emerging trends in physical games, and have created an all-new way to play Monopoly, from collecting money to staying out of jail and acquiring the best properties.”

A number of classic games are celebrating major anniversaries this year, with Spin Master’s Rubik’s Cube turning 50 alongside Hasbro’s Dungeons & Dragons. Indie party games specialist Big Potato, meanwhile, is celebrating its 10th anniversary: later in the year, we’ll be sitting down with the Big Potato team to find out how the company has evolved over the past decade as well as where it’s headed. Scrabble (currently the No. 5 gaming property YTD) celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023 but shows no signs of old age. Mattel unveils a new way to play Scrabble this month, Scrabble Together, that will continue to celebrate the brand message - Fun Beyond Words - in 2024. Mattel will also be building on Uno’s brand messaging this year with the introduction of Uno Show 'em No Mercy, tipped to be the most brutal Uno game yet. Already picked out by Toy World columnists Toy Barnhaus as a top seller, Uno Show 'em No Mercy comes with 56 more cards while significantly tougher penalties and new rules will ‘have players stacking, swapping and drawing more cards than ever before’.

“Mattel Games is showing real strength, growing by +5.5% in a challenging sector, which is a great performance,” says Kelly Philp, senior director of Marketing, Mattel UK. “Uno is currently up +22% and is the No.2 property YTD, and Scrabble is the No.5 property YTD. We’ve got some incredible new releases coming in 2024 which we are very excited to launch.”

From own-IPs to licensed games and puzzles, 2024 welcomes a decent selection of titles based on leading kids, family and adult properties. University Games recently welcomed pre-school favourite feline Mog to its line-up of children’s games and puzzles, which features timeless, evergreen book titles including The Tiger Who Came to Tea, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Mark Jones, sales director at University Games and Lagoon, tells us that Mog the Forgetful Cat, written by award winning author Judith Kerr, has sold over a million copies worldwide, and that the company’s new double-sided board game has already proved extremely popular with both retailers and consumers since its release.

University Games has recently announced a new division, The Learning Journey International, which will see the company introduce over 40 new lines to the UK market this spring. Mark explains: “The Learning Journey’s educational games and puzzles offer us a perfect extension to our already successful pre-school and children’s portfolio. The range is focused on supporting children aged 2-6 years develop matching, memory, reading and counting skills.”

Other notable releases for younger kids include Orchard Toys’ new range of Peter Rabbit games and puzzles. Each of the six launch SKUs features beautiful illustrations from the talented Rowena Isotta-Day, who told Team Toy World at London Toy Fair that working on the range has been ‘delightful’, if a little daunting: Peter Rabbit is Orchard’s first ever licensed collaboration and one of the UK’s most beloved children’s characters, so Rowena had to get it right. Happily, she has, and the result is a collection of charming games and puzzles for pre-schoolers that represents the very best of both brands and their shared values of quality, learning and fun.

Other big-name licences expanding their presence in the Games category this year include Minions and Super Mario, both of which benefit from new games from Epoch making toys, while Cartamundi introduces new support for Disney Portrait Challenge for 2024 alongside its existing Disney Princess and Marvel Race Home games. Winning Moves is celebrating the ‘Blue Blur’ with two new, officially licensed games based upon Sonic the Hedgehog – Top Trumps Match and Whot! – and Ravensburger’s Villainous franchise adds further editions this year in the form of Disney Villainous: Sugar & Spite and a new Star Wars Villainous expandalone. Ravensburger also recently announced the new Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls Disney Edition, a cooperative role-play board game.

Kidicraft, meanwhile, is benefitting from AB Gee of Ripley’s distribution reach for its new range of Hornby licensed puzzles, which feature everything from the HMS Titanic to iconic WW1 and WW2 planes and vintage locomotives. These puzzles are likely to appeal to older puzzlers and those with an interest in history: younger puzzlers (much younger) will enjoy Melissa & Doug’s charming range, which welcomes the Ice Cream Magnetic Puzzle, Round the Shore and Round the World Track Puzzles, Animal Chase I-Spy Wooden Gear Puzzle and Glow-in-the-Dark Space Puzzle. And for those in the middle of the age spectrum, there’s Big Potato’s Riddle Pics puzzles. Described as ‘a bit like if Where’s Wally went on Catchphrase’, each puzzle hides 101 visual riddles for players to solve as they build.

If that sounds like a little too much grey matter is required, puzzlers can relax with one of EWA-Eco-Wood-Art’s stunning wooden puzzles. These eye-catching offerings are available in a number of animal designs, including Eagle Owl, Wolf, Turtle, Bat, Lion, Panther, Lynx, Chameleon and Chimp, plus other on-trend designs such as the stunning World Map, which can be hung in the home once completed.

Cheatwell Games also has a strong puzzle offering for 2024, having recently acquired the UK & Ireland distribution rights to the 130-strong Cobble Hill range. Ranging from 275 to 2,000 pieces, the whimsical, nostalgic assortment is known for its random die cut and quirkily shaped pieces, which offer puzzlers something a little different to traditional titles. Cobble Hill jigsaws have also been created to cater to puzzlers of different skill and experience levels, so different members of the family can work together to complete the scenes, and the brand has taken its inclusivity even further with its Easy Handling range, designed for those with visual impairments.

At the other end of the spectrum from traditional puzzles are some of this year’s decidedly different new toy and game launches. Big Potato’s Riddle Pics puzzles, mentioned earlier, are also available in poster form for those who would prefer simply to hunt down the hidden clues in the picture. Golden Bear’s Fart Yoga, a 2024 Toy Fair Hero Toy, will have players struggling to keep a straight face as they contort themselves into hilarious yoga poses without causing the sloth strapped to them to (you guessed it) fart. Also perfect for an active game night, KidKraft’s new Beat Board challenges players’ balance, core strength and memory as they use their body to play one of four modes. Wargamers, meanwhile, will enjoy Achtung Panzer! from Warlord Games, which allows them to experience the effectiveness of armoured fighting vehicles and their crews during WW2, and animal lovers will appreciate Farplace Animal Sanctuary’s new board and card games, sales of which raise funds for animals in need.

In recent years we’ve seen games suppliers showcase their portfolios not just at leading trade fairs but consumer events too. Tomy’s Mary Wood says attending the likes of UK Games Expo is a great way to get turn passionate gamers into early adopters of new titles, which they can play at the popular Birmingham-based annual event: this ‘ground up’ activity also ultimately supports retailers by creating demand and pull through.

Asmodee’s Jo Shapley agrees, telling us that consumer gaming events are a ‘fantastic way’ for the company to both meet its core consumers and recruit new fans to the hobby. “We enjoy hearing what they have to say: what they like, what they're looking forward to,” she says. “Consumers get the chance to playtest games they might be considering buying and then go on to purchase the game if they enjoyed the experience. Our studies have shown that people who attend board game events are more likely to purchase board games more frequently, and at higher price points too.”

Elsewhere, Playtime PR has devised a new way to get board games into the hands of consumers via its new Board Game Club libraries initiative, which started rolling out in mid-March. The initiative, which aims to increase access to play for local communities through their libraries, will see the first Board Game Club boxes making their way to 100 public libraries across the length and breadth of the country. Each box contains 11 board games from Asmodee, Big Potato, Gibsons, Imagination Games, Orchard Toys, Ridley’s Games and Spin Master.

In addition to Monopoly LifeSized in London, its permanent immersive gaming location, Hasbro has planned several exciting global activations in 2024 to drive traffic into its Wizards Play Network (WPN) stores. “Bringing gameplay to life through experiences is key to our strategy,” explains Craig Wilkins. “For Magic: The Gathering, our exciting activations really embrace the content of our new releases. The exclusive UK, France and Germany ‘Most Wanted’ activation for our Western-themed new Magic set, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, invites players to become the Most Wanted player of their local WPN store: other players will try to defeat them to obtain rewards. Stores will receive a poster in the style of classic Most Wanted Western posters, a frame to show the Most Wanted player and ‘golden nugget’ dice for the rewards.”   

He adds: “For Dungeons & Dragons, we will celebrate the franchise’s incredible 50th anniversary with play and products throughout 2024, and make sure WPN retailers have the best tools to support the franchise as we release revised and updated 2024 Core Rulebooks, starting with the 2024 Player’s Handbook on 17th September.”

Retail support is also available in the form of new POS solutions: Melissa & Doug is this year launching a new wooden spinner stand to effectively showcase its puzzle collection, which includes the best-selling Sound Puzzles and Chunky Puzzles as well as developmental top performers such as the Latches Board, the Basic Skills Board and Magnetic Daily Calendar. AB Gee, meanwhile, is providing customers with FOC FSDUs with any order of 48 puzzles from its Kidicraft Hornby or Kevin Walsh Nostalgia range, and Plus-Plus UK & Ireland created a new Easter-themed display this spring, which contains an assortment of three puzzle sets: 100-piece Chick, 100-piece Bunny and 15-piece Big Bunny.

Of course, impactful marketing campaigns remain key to raising awareness of new games and ensuring they find their way into the hands of consumers. “Subbuteo has been and continues to be a successful focus for our mass-market campaign,” explains University Games’ Mark Jones. “2024 will see another year of extensive online and digital marketing campaigns from University Games, supporting both our larger well-known brands as well as our new additions, including The Learning Journey. Our mass-media campaigns will also be supported by continuous PR and social media activity, as well as in store promotions, in conjunction with our retailer partners.”

Asmodee has a dedicated team of account handlers who keep retailers up to date with the latest board game releases, while the PR campaigns the company runs show consumers what’s coming up across a range of media platforms. These are supported by influencer campaigns that reveal the gameplay behind its newest launches. Demonstrations remain a crucial pillar of Asmodee’s offering, too: its team of demonstrators is kept busy throughout this year, engaging with existing and new players alongside key retailers at events and festivals across the UK. Jo Shapley adds: “A few years ago, Asmodee launched its successful Hobby Next scheme to support bricks & mortar stores by giving them access to exclusive game expansion packs, accessories and minis for key game releases. These give customers an incentive to shop local and enhance their gameplay.”

According to Tomy’s Mary Wood, reaching consumers is not getting any easier. Tomy’s marketing team faces a constant challenge: how best to invest marketing spend, given the rapidly changing and ever evolving consumer media market. She says: “Some more traditional AV methods still work for Children’s Games, but we think that getting back to basics for Adult and Strategy games - sampling and word-of-mouth, whether via games cafes, games expos or influencers - is important. Radio or podcasts also have a role to play as the linear viewing audience continues to dwindle.”

Mary adds: “I say this every year, but it remains absolutely true: retailers can rely on Tomy to invest what we say we will invest in the games we bring to market. Not all games work, but they all get the most appropriate level and type of investment to ensure they have the best chance of being successful. Sometimes we have to pivot, but we are here for the long term and understand that investment is needed for both current games and new games - which is why our games remain at the top of the leader boards year in, year out.”

Over the coming pages, Toy World brings readers a round-up of the very best new games and puzzles launching this year and takes a look at the myriad ways companies will be playing them up to consumers.