Grégory Grard named Board Game Designer of the Year at Lucca Comics & Games 2025

Lucca Comics & Games has named the winners of its Gioco dell’Anno (Game of the Year), Gioco di Ruolo dell’Anno (Role-Playing Game of the Year) and Board Game Designer of the Year awards.

Grégory Grard was named Board Game Designer of the Year 2025. The jury stated: ‘His creative journey demonstrates remarkable versatility: from light and witty party games to more strategic and structured titles, Grard has proven his ability to explore different genres and levels of complexity, while maintaining consistently high design quality.’

Recent launches from Grard include The Hanging Gardens and In the Footsteps of Darwin, (both co-designed with Matthieu Verdier), Zenith and Castle Combo (both co-designed with Mathieu Roussel) and Festival.

Botanicus – designed by Samuele Tabellini Ferrari and Vieri Masseini, published by Hans im Glück – was named Game of the Year. The jury chose Botanicus for ‘combining clear, accessible rules with meaningful depth of play’.

In addition, the jury awarded Flip 7 by Eric Olsen a Special Mention – Game for Everyone accolade. The jury praised its ‘brisk pace, high approachability and scalability, making it ideal for large groups’.

Elsewhere, Triangle Agency – created by Caleb Zane Huett and Sean Ireland, published by Haunted Table Games – was named Role-playing Game of the Year.

The jury selected Triangle Agency for its ability to ‘immerse players from the very first page into a contemporary yet unsettling world’.

–

To stay in the loop with the latest news, interviews and features from the world of toy and game design, sign up to our weekly newsletter here

More Recent News

BTHA and Mojo Nation to host Inventors Lunch at Toy Fair 2026

The free Inventors Lunch will return to Toy Fair on Thursday, January 22nd at 12PM, hosted upstairs on the Toy Trust Lounge (UL 161).

CATAN partners with Minnesota Timberwolves for activations, jerseys and giveaways

“This partnership highlights how CATAN has become woven into sports culture – celebrating teamwork, strategy and the power of play that unites fans on and off the court,” said Kevin Hovdestad, Director of Brand Development at CATAN Studio.

IDW Games to return in 2026 with Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game

“It’s really exciting to have total freedom in developing a new system: something that really fits with the G-Force era of Godzilla stories,” said co-creator Mark A. Latham.

LEGO readies The Goonies set

Brand-new elements were designed for Sloth’s pirate hat and bandana, and Mama Fratelli’s hair and beret.

Paladone to launch LEGO range in 2026

“This partnership lets us click our award-winning design and global reach together with the LEGO Group’s incredible brand power,” said Jim Downey, Chief Executive Officer of Paladone.

YuMe Toys details 2026 slate, spanning IP like One Piece, Hello Kitty and Molang

“Our 2026 portfolio underlines YuMe’s commitment to building long-term partnerships with world-leading licensors,” said Michael Kwan, CEO of YuMe Toys.