Games & Puzzles - Category Overview

Let the games begin!

While the Games & Puzzles category fared incredibly well during the pandemic, it remains to be seen what the effect the cost-of-living crisis will have on the category. However, there are still abundant opportunities out there for suppliers and retailers alike, and an awful lot for consumers to look forward to. Rachael Simpson-Jones speaks to a selection of leading games and puzzles suppliers about how they’re making the most of the market this year, and how their new launches cater to what consumers want.

Let’s kick things off with a look at this year’s trends. It seems online challenges such as Wordle are fuelling demand for physical word games to play at home: suppliers have recognised this and are either pushing existing products more strongly this year or launching entirely new ones. Gibsons says its existing family-friendly game Pass the Bomb caters perfectly to this trend, while University Games is launching a ‘confounding new word strategy board game’, 5-Letter Wordlet.

Modern word challenges may also boost sales of classic games such as Scrabble. At almost 75 years old, Scrabble is a stalwart of the Games category, but brand owner Mattel is continuing to keep it fresh and relevant for today’s audiences with new and exciting launches. “Scrabble is all about the power of words, which are always evolving to represent the world we live in,” says Kelly Philp, Marketing lead UK, Mattel. “With 63% of UK households owning a Scrabble board, our mission is to continue to create exciting adaptations of the game using fan-favourite licences and challenging twists. Scrabble Trap, for instance, gives players the opportunity to steal points, tiles or even the game using special Trap tiles: the addition of sabotage adds an entirely new dimension of gameplay.”

Macabre to some and fascinating to others (I’m firmly in the latter camp), consumers are also snapping up crime-themed games for dinner parties and family get-togethers. While much true crime media is a little too grown-up for younger kids, companies are taking care to keep many of their games accessible and fun for children. Vivid Goliath, off the back of the growing interest in true crime TV, books, films and podcasts, is expanding its True Crime category with Casefile: Truth & Deception, which it says will provide crime fans aged 12+ with unlimited replayability at an accessible price point. Casefile joins The Real Truth (also suitable for kids from the age of 12) within the wider range, along with the crimesolving/puzzle hybrid Scene of the Crime.

University Games, meanwhile, offers a good selection of Murder Mystery games which prove popular for New Year’s Eve parties. Presented in whisky-bottle-style gift tubes, Murder Mystery in Paris, Murder at the Tower and Murder Mystery Aboard the RMS Titania all contain six different plots suitable for players aged 14 and over. And those who enjoy some simple detective work can step into the shoes (or under the deerstalker) of Sherlock Holmes with Ravensburger’s new Sherlock Holmes Scotland Yard. Equally as entertaining and challenging as its generic predecessor, the game invites players to join the super-sleuth and his team as they hunt down the mysterious criminal Moriarty across the city of London.

E.T. - Light Years from Home by Funko

The North Pole Race from Brass Pig

An overlap between True Crime and Escape Room games is offering further opportunities for amateur sleuths. Having soared in popularity during lockdown, consumers still can’t get enough of Escape Room games, according to retailer Mike Berry of Leisure Games, one of this month’s Talking Shop contributors. Nicola Fox-Haggarty, commercial director at Hasbro UK & Ireland, confirms this, saying the company is seeing big demand for crime and mystery-solving games. Hasbro has combined the two themes into a new launch she believes will meet the growing demand head on. She says: “With crime thrillers exploding across TV, streaming, podcasts, books and even live entertainment, we don’t see this trend going away anytime soon. We’re launching our first ever Escape game with our much loved and trusted mystery game brand, Cluedo. Cluedo Escape: Treachery at Tudor Mansion is launching this autumn and will bring hours of Escape room themed fun to kids and adults alike.”

Licensing has always been of huge importance to the Games & Puzzles category, but we’re starting to see new games coming through based on classic blockbuster movies and franchises that offer players a fresh, far more strategic way to immerse themselves in their favourite properties. Funko, via its Prospero Hall studio, is launching E.T. Light Years from Home and Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar this year, both of which will appeal to more ‘serious’ gamers. I asked Stephan Brissaud, senior games director at Funko, how the company’s background in the pop-culture and collectibles spaces shapes its approach to game development. He told me: “First and foremost, Funko is about putting story first. We know which components of a licence or property really appeal to fans, and we build a game around that. For instance, the iconic BMX scene from the movie E.T. is a moment of cinematic brilliance. We therefore used that as the starting point for the entire tabletop game, Light Years from Home. This collaborative team game remains true to one of the core movie memories and taps into the emotional nostalgia that people continue to feel, even 40 years after the movie’s release. It’s also a property that parents want to share with their own children, and the game brings it to life in an engaging and accessible way.”

As brilliant as its E.T. game is, it’s Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar that Stephan is most excited about. At an RRP of £100, he says this meaty strategy game offers retailers a solid margin and ‘really packs a punch’, weighing in at 7kg and possessing enormous on-shelf appeal. He says: “As a legacy game, which comprises 12 scenarios played over a minimum of 24 hours, the game offers incredible value for money and repeat playability. The engaging storyline is designed to immerse players into the game, and the intricate details, figures and authentic design feel all add to the unrivalled experience.”

Other companies with new movie-licensed offerings for this year include Cartamundi, which has launched the new Jurassic World: Tracker & Dino Chase board game. Ravensburger, meanwhile, has announced a new game in the Villainous franchise - Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side. Immersive games fans have long been asking for Star Wars Villainous, according to Ravensburger, whose Villainous development team spent over a year diving into the characters and their stories to translate them into the Villainous gameplay system. “Ravensburger is a long-standing family-run business and quality is at the heart of all that we do,” explains Katy Fletcher, head of Marketing and Product Development, Ravensburger. “Thanks to the thorough research that goes into the development of our games and puzzles, and our meticulous production processes, many of our established family games titles enjoy strong brand recognition - in particular, long-standing titles such as Labyrinth and Memory, as well as immersive games including our Villainous titles and movie-licensed offerings games. Of course, partnering with global licensors as well as established game development experts such as Richard Garfield and Max J Kobbert makes a significant difference, particularly among more dedicated games fans.”

Being such a big year for football, which saw the Lionesses finally bring it home at the Euros 2022 and the FIFA World Cup kicking off in November, it’s no surprise the sport is in focus as we move into Q4. University Games’ best-selling Subbuteo table football range, which includes both the Official England and Official Lionesses Main Games, is expected to be on many Christmas lists this year, while Winning Moves has overhauled its World Football Stars range to now include the latest and greatest from the world of football, with both men and women featuring in a new 1,000-piece puzzle and Top Trumps Quiz.

Star Wars Villainous from Ravensburger

It's not all about licensing though, as evidenced by the huge range of new generic games and puzzles coming through for this year and 2023. Tomy, for example, has six new games launching across its Drumond Park and Tomy Games brands this autumn/winter, all of which Mary Wood, general manager UK & Ireland, is excited about. She tells me that although all the games have tested well with consumers and hold wide and varied appeal, she does have her favourites. “Rumble in the Jungle a classic Tomy game that we’ve unearthed from the archives and refreshed, while Link Logo is a new addition to the Logo family,” she says. “Logo is such a strong family of brands, led by Logo 2 (which was the No. 1 Adult game in 2021) and now supported by Logo for Kids. This launched last year and is going from strength to strength. The Drumond Park development team has done a great job with this new version of the game and retailers have widely backed it.”

Hasbro is continuing to expand on its Monopoly brand with the launch of Monopoly Travel World Tour, which hit shelves on 1st August. Billed as ‘the ideal travel inspiration’, Travel World Tour lets families discover exciting destinations from around the globe. Nicola Fox-Haggarty says: “We’ve found that children know more virtual places in the world than they do geographic ones, so this game bridges the gap and makes geography education fun. Players buy destinations, complete travel goals and stamp the dry erase gameboard with their token stamper to win. Families can create memories with the Travel Journal cards, which become part of the gameplay in future games, and can learn fun facts about locations across the globe along the way.”

Emma Weber, Marketing and Licensing director at Vivid Goliath, says the company is seeing continued success with classic, evergreen games such as Gooey Louie, Pop the Pig, Don’t Wake Dad, Shark Bite and Gator Golf. According to Emma, success is being driven via innovation that delivers ‘surprising and unpredictable’ outcomes every time kids and families play. She adds: “Chompin Charlie, our newest introduction to this category, arrives in the UK having been a sell-out success in the US in 2021. We’ve also seen a strong uptake in travel/entry price point games. Nexcube has really benefited from this as: it continues to cement its place as the ‘go to’ puzzle cube, being smoother, faster and better value than others on the market, and ideal for taking on the go.”

A young but passionate company, Spinning Poodle also produces games that are perfect for travel. Contained within compact boxes and tins, and both designed and made in the UK, the company’s games get families laughing and playing together, according to founder Roger Coleman. He tells Toy World: “We have seen too many kids in restaurants on tablets while their parents chat, and we're on a mission to get them playing low tech games together instead. Our card games work on two levels: simple colourful fun for younger players in addition to strategy for older players, meaning everyone can join in.”

Roger adds: “We are very excited about our newest game, Slug Sandwich, which is out this autumn. We've designed Slug Sandwich to build on the success of our current best-selling game Hide the Slug, which seems to have really captured the imagination of the public. Whilst Hide the Slug is a fun version of the classic card game Cheat, Slug Sandwich is a similarly fun version of the classic card game Rummy. It's also our first game which works well for two players, something we have seen a lot of demand for.”

Also reasonably new to the Games scene is Brass Pig, with its family-friendly festive board game The North Pole Race. February 2022’s winner of Small Business Sunday, Brass Pig launched the game in autumn last year. Company founder and game designer Alexander Hamilton is putting everything he has behind making The North Pole Race a success. “We have spared no expense on the product,” he says. “This game is made with the same level of professionalism and quality that you would expect from market-leading brands, and it’s too good to not succeed. The North Pole Race deserves to be in the locker of any game enthusiast.”

Sticking with Christmas for a moment, there are plenty of other festive treats on offer for this year. Jumbo is launching several Christmas titles this year, including Wasgij Christmas 18 – Gingerbread Showstopper, Falcon de luxe’s The Christmas Tree Farm, and Falcon Contemporary’s Leicester Square, while Ravensburger special 26th limited edition Christmas Puzzle, Santa’s Workshop, is joined by 12 other Christmas puzzle launches ranging from 100 up to 1,000 pieces, available in XL and XXL sizes.

It's been interesting to see how many companies are now highlighting their products’ suitability and versatility as décor or display items for the home. Framing and hanging jigsaw puzzles is nothing new – my mum has framed the personalised 60th birthday Made for You by Gibsons puzzle I got her a couple of years ago, giving it pride of place in the dining room – but some of the artwork being offered is really quite contemporary nowadays. Rex London is really making the most of the opportunities presented by this growing area: its in-house design team has created a number of beautiful contemporary scenes, including the Wild Wonders Long Puzzle and Coral Reef puzzle.

The inclusion of additional ‘freebies’ is also setting other puzzles apart from the rest: some manufacturers are providing impressive wall posters with their puzzles. Ostensibly for educational purposes, the Hape Human Body Puzzle, part of Toynamics UK & Ireland’s growing Games & Puzzles portfolio, includes a large fullcolour poster showing a host of fun facts.

Perfect for the more crafty puzzler, or for hardcore aviation fans, Kidicraft’s 3000-piece puzzle of the Airfix Spitfire comes with a Supermarine Spitfire Model kit to build and display at home. This launch is one of many resulting from a recently signed deal with Hornby. The initial range comprises 28 jigsaw puzzles across all three of the licensor’s classic brands - Hornby, Airfix and Corgi - with something for beginners, collectors and enthusiasts alike. Speaking to Roy Greenwood, director of Kidicraft, it’s clear he feels licensed puzzles are integral to the success of his business this year. “The current demand for generic jigsaw puzzles has returned to near its pre- Covid levels, but the market is suffering from the impact of numerous new suppliers jumping into the market since the pandemic, looking for a quick win,” he explains. “This has then caused an overstocking issue across many wholesalers and retailers, and we’re seeing a drop in sales of up to 20% on generic ranges. Licensed puzzles are outperforming the market at the moment, however: our Star Wars, Marvel and Hornby ranges are all truly exceeding our expectations. I’m also incredibly excited about the upcoming licensed Naruto range, which we announced very recently. Manga is a completely new category for us, but the feedback from major retailers has been superb and we think it’ll perform very well indeed.”

Cluedo Escape from Hasbro

Like many other companies, Kidicraft is working hard to become more environmentally friendly. It’s making all its floor display units 100% recyclable and introducing eco-friendly, zero plastic, paper envelopes for puzzle pieces throughout its 1,000-piece Hornby brands jigsaw puzzles collection. Gibsons puzzles, meanwhile, are made from 100% recycled board, vegetablebased inks and no shrink-wrap plastic, while biodegradable seals secure the product. Many of Gibsons’ games are also completely plastic free, such as Quirk and Out of Order.

In addition to several other companies, Gibsons has also identified a desire among consumers for cheaper games and puzzles that still offer quality and plenty of entertainment, a theme echoed by Mike Berry at Leisure Games and Nicola Fox- Haggarty at Hasbro, and by Alex Green, managing director of Asmodee UK, in the exclusive interview on pages 16 and 18. We’re all aware of the impact the pandemic had on the category, when bored consumers embraced games and puzzles as a way of coping with lockdown cabin fever, but although expendable income is shrinking, it might be that games and puzzles come to rescue of families unable to afford days/evenings out during the difficult months ahead. October will see the energy price cap increase around +80% and in January it’s currently forecast to increase a further +20% or so, meaning the average consumer’s budget for entertainment is likely to be heavily squeezed. A board game or puzzle provides hours of entertainment for a low price, compared, say, to the price of cinema tickets or a trip to the zoo – even big-box strategy games offer exceptional value for money, when you consider the hours of gameplay on offer. I don’t have a crystal ball, but it seems likely that the products featured throughout this supplement could well prove a very attractive option for families watching the pennies this winter.

Behind the scenes, the inflated cost of shipping (though this is coming down, albeit slowly) and raw materials is requiring manufacturers to tread a delicate line between their own overheads and affordability for already struggling consumers. With economic conditions as they are, this looks unlikely to change any time soon: all anyone can do is manage the situation as best they can, and support their retail partners during what are undeniably challenging times.

So – what support can we expect to see this year, over and above the usual? Funko’s Stephan Brissaud told me Funko is ramping up its efforts in the UK this year by working closely with board game cafes to bring its games to life at a grass roots level. The company is also engaging mainstream influencers who will share its portfolio with their audiences and is upping its investment in media relations to ensure Funko Games titles are on as many Christmas wish lists as possible. Stephan adds: “We’re also exploring sampling within schools through our Marvel Battleworld expandable/collectible games as well as heading back to Essen in October.”

Hasbro has developed a competition mechanic to help drive sales of its new Monopoly Travel World Tour edition. The campaign allows consumers to design and win a family world tour worth £25,000, and Hasbro will be supporting its retailers by producing a full suite of POS materials to help with activation. “We’ve kept the promotion as simple as possible to encourage participation,” explains Nicola Fox-Haggarty. “Shoppers will be able to download the planner in a digital format from our microsite. Families and friends can then come together to design their perfect three-stop world tour: one destination in the UK & Ireland, one in Europe and one anywhere across the rest of the world. We’ll then be choosing one lucky family to pack its bags and experience its creation for real.”

Gibsons has collaborated with Global Player on a campaign for its Out of Order game, which launched in autumn 2021. The company’s first party game, Out of Order will be promoted on two podcasts with over half a million listeners every week. Gibsons will also be supporting independent customers with Black Friday deals on key lines to boost crucial pre-Christmas sales.

Tomy, meanwhile, is focusing on getting its products to market at ‘price points that work’. Sometimes, Mary Wood explains, this means Tomy taking a shorter margin itself in order to secure the optimum RSP for its retail partners –an altruistic move on the company’s part. The company is also investing a significant amount of money this year with Bazaarvoice. The agency creates software that allows brands and retailers to collect and display several types of usergenerated content on their eCommerce websites, including consumer product reviews, which helps with decision making when purchasers are looking at products online. Considering how many of us now shop with our smartphones in hand, searching the internet for reviews before heading to the tills, this is a great way to boost sales in bricks & mortar stores.

Mary finishes: “Integrity is important to all of us here at Tomy. So, when we say we are going to support our retailers and invest in marketing our products, we do just that.”

Over the coming pages, Toy World brings you everything you need to know about the newest games and puzzles either available now or launching soon.