Distribution

It’s only been about a year-and-a-half since Asmodee consolidated operations and abandoned Fantasy Flight Games’ exclusive deal with Alliance Game Distributors (in favor of a portfolio approach with ACD, Alliance, GTS, Southern Hobby, and PHD). Effective this month, though, Asmodee North America back to exclusive with Alliance, claiming the arrangement will benefit hobby retailers.

Alliance Game Distributors is building a dedicated team of Asmodee Sales Specialists who will work directly with retailers to help them grow sales by understanding the retailer’s specific needs and providing in-depth product knowledge of ANA products and services. This sales team will also provide greater visibility into stock availability, allocations, and other retailer initiatives, as well as sending retailer feedback to ANA.

At the same time, Asmodee is restructuring its broader sales policies and assigning all specialty retailers (new or existing) to one of three categories. Flagship Accounts are for those with brick-and-mortar stores that provide in-store gaming space. These will have access to the full range of ANA products, early access to new releases, and benefit from organized play support. Toy and Gift Accounts, for those without in-store gaming space, will be limited to the top-selling, broad-appeal titles and restricted to general release dates. General Accounts are for those with different business models, perhaps such as event sales, game cafes, and primarily online businesses. These will be able to participate in organized play and sell the full catalog but not benefit from early access. All three types of account will henceforth be permitted online sales but also must commit to a minimum advertised price (MAP, of no more than a 20 percent discount off of MSRP).

Coiledspring Games has signed on as exclusive U.K. distribution agent for Iello Games’ full product line and for Games Workshop’s Talisman: The Magical Quest board game.

Ares Games of Italy will be distributing the English-language games of Phalanx (UK) worldwide except for Europe. This includes existing products, such as Germania Magna: Border in Flames and Hunger: The Show, as well as the soon to be republished classic, Hannibal & Hamilcar – Rome vs. Carthage (due November 2017).

CMON is no longer handling U.S. distribution for Ankama Products (Krosmaster board games).

This week marks the formal launch of a distribution arrangement that sees Passport Game Studios carrying the product line of Rule & Make of Australia. These include Skyward: The Airborne City, Entropy: Worlds Collide, Smiths of Winterforge, Robots & Rockets, Tavern Fame, and more. Passport also recently expanded its existing distribution partnership with the Polish game company, Granna, to bring the CV series of board games to Canada.

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Boards to Bytes

Tokaido, a game from publishers Funforge and Passport about traveling the East sea road in Japan, is now available in digital form (Android and iOS). At first glance, it appears to do a good job of maintaining the tabletop version’s beautiful aesthetic. There’s strategy for sure but the board game, at least, I enjoyed as much for the journey as for the winning. Single player, pass-and-play, and online multiplayer options are all available.

Zynga, in collaboration with Hasbro, has released Boggle With Friends. Available on Android and iOS, Boggle With Friends has both head-to-head and solo game modes, and is free-to-play with in-app purchases.

Also licensed from Hasbro, Marmalade Game Studio has released mobile versions of Clue (A.K.A. Cluedo) for Android and iOS. Right now, it’s single-player only but a multiplayer mode is planned.

Dungeons & Dragons-based Planescape: Torment is coming back in an Enhanced Edition from Beamdog playable on PC and mobile.

 

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Passport Partners With Pegasus

Passport Game Studios announced this week a partnership arrangement with Pegasus Spiele and eggertspiele through which it would bring some of the German companies’ games to the United States. The first two products under the deal, Hospital Rush and Grog Island, should arrive as early as July. Both are already available in Europe.

Hospital RushHospital Rush has players take on the role of interns competing for hospital positions with cures, sound medical care, and a healthy dose of dirty tricks. It’s a worker-placement game for 3-5 players.

Grog IslandIn Grog Island the players are retired pirates investing their saved loot in businesses and ventures close to a pirate’s heart: peg-leg shops, voodoo dolls, parrots, and treasure chests. Central to the game is an auction where players bid their dice.

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mittel10Passport Game Studios has just announced the North American release dates for both Yunnan and Hansa Teutonica. The games are coming stateside thanks to Passport’s partner, Argentum Verlag. Both games will be released on April 10th.

This will be the first time Yunnan has been available in North America, and the first time in several years Hansa Teutonica has been available.

Expansions for both games are expected in June, but there’s no solid date yet.

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