Industry figures are set to debate the perks and pitfalls around ‘Licensing Inventions vs. Going It Alone’ in a panel session at this year’s Play Creators Conference, sponsored by Eastar Manufacturing.

Chairing the session will be The Plan A Group’s Lee Allentuck – IR exec for Eastar – with Making Things Studio’s Fi Murray, The Fantastic Factory’s David Snow and Publisher Services Inc’s Rachel Krause on hand to share their thoughts.

The panel will explore the factors around whether inventors choose to license concepts or bring it to market themselves, what shaped their own journeys, and the trade-offs and lessons learn from both paths.

This year’s Play Creators Conference is taking place at London’s Stamford Bridge Stadium on Wednesday, June 24th. To book your ticket, head to: https://playcreatorsconference.co.uk/product/play-creators-conference-ticket/

–

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

The post Lee Allentuck, Fi Murray, David Snow and Rachel Krause to debate ‘Licensing Inventions vs. Going It Alone’ at Play Creators Conference 2026 appeared first on Mojo Nation.

Making Things Studio’s Fi Murray on why today’s sizzle reels need to do much more than dazzle…

Today, a successful pitch must address a complex ecosystem of decision-makers. To actually get a product made and sold, a sizzle reel needs to do much more than dazzle… It needs to dismantle doubt – in the most fun way possible! – across the entire organisation.

We kick off every sizzle with insight. Before a potential licensee sees a single frame of the invention, I want them to understand the why. What is the commercial reason for this thing to exist? If the receiver agrees with the insight, the concept lands easier.

When the narrative satisfies an entire business, it can align teams, remove friction and make the collective “yes” significantly easier to achieve. The structure is simple: the start forms the commercial backbone, speaking to the business, and then we flow into the innovation – often as if a consumer is watching it. Almost like it’s a TikTok.

We try to always remember that the sizzle is an asset that travels well beyond the in-person or virtual pitch, when we’re not there to defend or offer further explanation… It could be forwarded in an email, played in boardrooms, shared on slack, watched over Zoom or viewed on someone’s phone as they dash to the airport. By ensuring the sizzle speaks to everyone, we essentially plant a salesperson in every department.

Admittedly, this approach means our sizzles tend to sit at about 120 seconds versus the often requested 45 seconds… But I promise they’re not a yawn fest! Every bite is there for a reason, hopefully paced and delivered in a way that activates emotions in every recipient.

–

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

The post Making Things Studio’s Fi Murray sheds light on how she tackles that all important sizzle video appeared first on Mojo Nation.

The Gift of the Year Awards has detailed its Games and Puzzles finalists.

In the mix are games like Abstractable, invented by Making Things’ Fi Murray and published by Gibsons, Whirly Derby, invented by Tedman Getschman and published by Big Potato Games, and The Banana Game from Pikkii.

Also nominated are two titles from Confident Games – In a Nutshell and Breadcrumbs.

Completing the finalist line-up is Quick Flix from Boxer Gifts, Four in a Row from Block Design, Build Your Own Marble Maze from Paper Engine, Fox Under the Moon jigsaws from Joe Davies Ltd and Gibsons’ Art File classic games collection.

The shortlisted products will be assessed at a round of live judging during Spring Fair, with winners announced at the Gift Awards in May.

–

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

The post Abstractable, Whirly Derby, In a Nut Shell and more in the running for Gift of the Year awards appeared first on Mojo Nation.

Making Things Studio, Dynamo and Joking Hazard creators Scrungo are teaming up on a new toyetic game range.

The range will kick off with a licensed version under the Fuzzballs IP and combines ‘gamification, storytelling and irresistibly cute characters’.

“From the start, we wanted to combine pop-culture collectability with trickshot play that felt energetic and competitive – dopamine-fueled fun that kids, teens and grown-ups could all enjoy,” said Making Things’ Fi Murray.

Dynamo’s Steve Richards added: “It’s designed to be as fun to play with as it is to collect!”

–

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

The post Making Things Studio, Dynamo and Scrungo team up for toyetic game range appeared first on Mojo Nation.

With 2025 in full swing, design and invention figures discuss the exciting opportunities and tricky troubles ahead…

Adam Carson,
Director of Product Innovation, Fat Brain Toys

This year, Fat Brain has a great opportunity to reach new customers through a range of exciting product launches in fresh categories. We hope these new items will help us connect with a broader audience and tap into customers’ ever-evolving interests.

It’s been a fun process to explore different perspectives and showcase the range of our creative abilities. This also opens up opportunities for inventors. By looking further into other categories of play, we can work with inventors to explore many more toy and game concepts.

One of the industry’s biggest challenges will likely be balancing kids’ growing interest in digital entertainment with hands-on play. As screen time rises, the effort to get kids to engage in physical product only increases. To keep up, toy companies will need to get creative to make physical toys just as engaging as digital experiences.

Richard North,
President, Wow! Stuff

The biggest challenge will be tariffs imposed on companies selling Chinese or far east products to the US. The biggest opportunity? Offshoring elsewhere to avoid the possible tariffs and doing it ahead of your competition.

Adam Hocherman,
Co-Founder, Wayfarer Games

2025 must become the year of the ‘big swing’. It’s perhaps unsurprising that I write this tired analogy in the midst of the 2024 World Series in the United States. Major League Baseball, like the toy industry, has faced headwinds in recent years – and for many of the same reasons…

Baseball is a deliberate game that rewards the patient. That does not describe the demeanour of today’s young fans, who are looking for quick adrenaline hits and instant gratification. Interest in faster sports has encroached on baseball’s popularity… So too has a propensity for ‘newness’ encroached on what used to be a more patient – read, ‘evergreen’ – toy industry. This makes an inventor’s life much more difficult. So difficult that inventors, brand managers and others are reluctantly taking roles in other industries altogether.

Meanwhile, mass retailers increasingly look to move games in and out, year-by-year, as a matter of corporate strategy. On top of this, some major players are quite publicly ‘doubling down’ on a digital strategy: effectively an admission of defeat at the sword of the screen. As a result, great toy inventors are struggling to find footing… For many, the economics simply aren’t adding up – and therein lies the greatest challenge. Which brings me back to the greatest opportunity…

Many major publishers have eschewed the risks associated with ‘big swings’ due to reasons that are not unjustified from where they stand. But time is running out and perhaps that big swing – while still risky – is suddenly looking like a better strategy given the alternatives. This opens up opportunities for toy inventions – some of which I’ve even had to pass on myself – that may not have been feasible two years ago but are, or simply must be, today. Let’s Freddie Freeman-it!

Fi Murray,
Innovation Director, Making Things Studio

The toy industry has faced a series of complex challenges over the past five years, creating ripple effects across every layer of the chain. But challenges fuel opportunities… For 2025, our studio is focusing on diversifying how we bring concepts to market, forging new partnerships, flexin’ within the traditional inventor model and doubling down on strong performing categories, like developmental play for little ones. We’re also working on 360-degree IP that spans toy, print and digital realms.

One major industry trend is the growth of the second-hand toy market, especially for items aimed at children over three – and all the way up to adult collectors. Families increasingly see second-hand purchases as a sustainable and a budget-friendly choice…

The reason that platforms like Vinted are thriving is because pre-owned toys still deliver the thrill of novelty for kids, while satisfying parents’ sustainability goals and saving pennies against reduced incomes. These platforms are a testament to changing consumer habits – and a compelling case for manufacturers to adapt. Nearly 60% of toys for my kid this past Christmas were pre-loved from Vinted and Facebook Marketplace.

Imagine, then, if manufacturers could capture revenue from every resale within a product’s lifecycle – not just the original sale. Some companies are already experimenting with this through take-back schemes and various partnerships. By offering trade-in or resale options on their own sites – or collaborating with established second-hand platforms – manufacturers could foster new revenue streams, attract new customer demographics, and reinforce eco-friendly values.

Fashion has similar high volume, low value products. Zara, for example, has pioneered a model where customers can resell purchased clothing back to them. Zara then resells these to new customers at a discounted rate. This approach could create similar opportunities in toys, where manufacturers benefit at every stage – and consumers enjoy an ever-expanding choice of sustainable options. Toys are more complex in regard to QA, so it wouldn’t be as simple… But hey! What’s one more challenge to troubleshoot?!

Lisa Guili,
Vice President & General Manager, Educational Insights

Social commerce has started to gain serious traction in the US, and we’re expecting its growth to continue to fuel our own businesses in 2025. The exciting part is that while much of today’s social commerce is influenced by entertainment platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, the POS impact is evident across all forms of shopping – including physical retail.

Even more encouraging is that viral content can be, and is being, shared by creators with all levels of followings. This means consumers have more power than ever to drive what becomes a top-selling toy or game. This accessibility is opening opportunities for small and medium-sized brands to broaden their reach quickly and efficiently.

The surge in entertaining content has also contributed to expanding the ever-present kidult trend. For instance, adult couples creating content of themselves playing all types of games has grown significantly in the past year. It has made it permissible – dare I say ‘cool’ – for adults of all ages to engage in quirky, hilarious play as a pastime. At Educational Insights, we refer to this phenomenon as ‘coupletainment’.

The outcome, besides driving consumer awareness through engaging content, is an emergence of ‘age neutrality’ in the toy and game space. Age neutrality allows all ages to embrace toys and games. It’s so prevalent that I even saw a recent post from a specialty toy store owner about a preschool-aged toy that’s been in high demand for kids of all ages – including teenagers.

Virality is fleeting. To fully leverage all the opportunities that social commerce is creating, businesses need to strategically plan how to nimbly navigate viral moments and build them into long-term growth occasions for their products and brands.

David Snow,
Owner, The Fantastic Factory

All I can say with 100% certainty is that there will be some challenges and there will be some opportunities… Good luck everyone! If you made it through 2024 you are winning, big congrats. 2025 is going to be one hell of a ride… War, tariffs, inflation, interest rates, declining birth-rates, empty retail stores, Web3, internet, social media, space travel, container prices. That said, I know we will still make games that could be the opportunity you’re looking for in 2025.

David Yakos,
Co-Founder, Streamline Design & Salient Technologies

One of the biggest opportunities has to do with one of the bigger challenges we face as toy and game developers – and parents… Digital displacement and screen fatigue. Digital innovation offers major opportunities, but it also poses a large challenge to traditional human interaction and the toy and game industry.

Screen-based entertainment keeps vying for kids’ attention with dopamine boosts every 10 seconds, making it tougher for physical toys to stay engaging. Screens have become a pacifier, stifling active and imaginative play. Parents, if not oblivious, feel guilty over the excess amount of screen time. This imbalance has put pressure on toy companies to strike a balance between digital integration and encouraging physical imaginative play.

To stay competitive for kids’ attention, companies must either incorporate digital and tech features in a way that enhances physical toys to make play more interactive and magical – or embrace a low-tech approach that delivers highly engaging, hands-on experiences through human interaction.

Ben Dermer,
SVP of Toy Innovation, Spin Master

A recent challenge is aligning the inventor community to work earlier in the year. Current US shipping dates mean we start looking at concepts – and making decisions – earlier than ever, while the inventing world is to some extent still stuck in an older timeline. In truth, we look at more product concepts in the summer and early fall than any other time…

That means we’re pretty well into development by the time the winter toy shows come along. We’re obviously excited to see great new ideas at any time – and will jump on a great opportunity. When it comes to putting the line together, though, it’s a challenge to synchronise development timelines. Summer’s now the high time.

It’s also worth noting that, because most ‘big’ companies rarely do totally new brand launches, it’s understandably challenging to get inventors to invest heavily in ‘new’ versus – say – brand-focused development. While many big toy companies tend to focus almost exclusively on existing brands, the world loves new stuff more than ever – and the industry needs it. We need the next Super Soaker, Furby, L.O.L. and Hatchimals… We need the next big thing. It’s a hard target, but if you hit it big with ‘new’, it’s the biggest opportunity there is.

Compounding this challenge is the fact that the bar keeps getting higher when it comes to delivering ‘wow’. Kids and parents have seen mechanisms, motors, lights and sound, colour change, glow-in-the-dark and a hundred ‘reveals’. The industry needs new materials, chemistries, technologies, stories. And ways to deliver magic… But new materials are often hard to work with, unproven or difficult to manufacture. These days, the truth is that there are fewer disruptive advancements in physics and material sciences than in past decades.

Felipe Noriega,
VP & Regional Director EMEA, YuMe Toys

The biggest opportunity remains the kidult space. The market has embraced it and conversations with buyers are much easier. There’s a lot less education to be done. The biggest challenge is the fact it’s such a saturated market. It’s very hard to cut through. There’s so much product, so many licenses, loads of content.. It’s tough to stand out.

Matt Fantastic,
Creative Director, Forever Stoked Creative

The biggest opportunity I’m seeing is in non-traditional media tie-ins and collaborations. Traditional IP use has been a core part of the industry basically forever, and that’s not going away… But with the continued rise of platforms like TikTok – and the massive reach of non-traditional content creators – we’re going to see more projects that look to connect with audiences through partnerships with these creators. The old ways will still be there – but expect to see more official collaborations with YouTubers you’ve never heard of!

With games specifically, I also see a real hunger for new ideas and different takes on what a game can be. The massive influx of new adult gamers that occurred during and post quarantine are reaching a point in their fandom where they’ve worked their way through the classics and are looking for something different. We’ll see a lot more niche and higher concept hobby games hitting mass-market success.

The flip side of that hunger for novelty is that consumers are also hitting a point in their fandom where they’re starting to have full shelves, with unplayed games stacking up. This makes it harder than ever to get them to buy whatever new thing you’re putting out. At this point, the canon of modern classics is massive and offers a lifetime of amazing game experiences already… Getting attention and traction is harder than ever and will only get worse.

Josh West,
Head of Product Design & Inventor Relations, Ravensburger North America

The biggest opportunities will be in products that deliver a fun, simple, accessible experience. Products that consumers see and instantly understand that they can bring home – without breaking the budget – open and get straight to having fun with family and friends.

It’s a wonderful thing to innovate, but innovation brings challenges… If you’ve created something new, it comes with a proportional amount of teaching… How does someone use this new concept, and why would someone want to? There’s always opportunity there, but I think that we’re going to see an increased desire from consumers for familiarity – a shift towards ‘comfort buying’. Companies and inventors that can bring products that a purchaser will recognise – meaning both to understand and to have some measure of previous experience with – and that are budget-friendly will be very successful in 2025.

I think the year ahead will bring some uncertainty. The biggest challenge will be to create these same familiar, fun products, keep them at a low price point – and make them stand out. Those three elements are each difficult by themselves, but success in the coming market will rely on all three. Producing abroad will have some new difficulties, and that will really test our ability to control price points. Our industry’s ability to be creative and come up with fun ideas and how to promote them will be tried as well.

The good news is that I really believe people are going to want to be together more – to periodically disconnect from distraction and connect with each other. Anything that we can do as playmakers to meet people where they are and facilitate those connections will be good for everyone.

Dougal Grimes,
Founder, EightyTwo

In the evolving games market, there has been a notable shift toward card-based games and lower price-point offerings, alongside a significant increase in direct-to-consumer and e-commerce purchases. This shift has lowered the barriers to entry, fostering an exciting landscape for creativity and diversity among new creators and game concepts. However, this environment has also intensified competition for companies and inventors alike.

With easier access to information on current trends, licenses and themes, many innovators are exploring similar territories, leading to a crowded market space. In this landscape, social media and influencer marketing have become the dominant channels for driving consumer engagement. For companies and inventors to stand out, they must focus on creating unique, ‘ownable’ elements within their games – or innovating creatively with brand licenses.

A distinctive visual or interactive hook remains a powerful tool across all consumer products, particularly in the attention-driven world of social media. To capture interest and generate buzz, inventors and companies must integrate inventive, cost-effective features into their games – even for simple card games – that make an impact and have the potential to transform a game into an iconic, must-have experience.

I would be remiss not to mention the transformative impact of AI on both the development and marketing processes, which may require a more extensive article! A wide array of applications now specialise in generating copy, images and video content. This provides creators – who may not have previously had access to these skills – the tools to bring their ideas to life.

This shift has effectively ‘raised the floor’, creating a more inclusive landscape where accessibility and diversity of thought are amplified in the innovation process. The democratisation of these creative tools is paving the way for fresh voices and ideas, further enriching the development of new products and marketing strategies.

Sara Farber,
Co-Founder, Galactic Sneeze

A few weeks ago, I found myself staring at the seemingly never-ending wall of games at Target. Many appeared to have similar mechanics, themes or names, which made me wonder how someone popping in quickly to grab a game would know which to choose. From my perspective, the market seems to be more saturated than ever before. The good news is that games – and party games in particular – are clearly a well-performing category to warrant so much real estate in a big-box store. But the huge selection seemed overwhelming to me from a consumer standpoint – and daunting from an inventor standpoint. Given this sea of products, I think the biggest challenge in 2025 will be to create games that truly stand out on shelf or in amazon searches.

This challenge is potentially also a great opportunity for inventors. As a shopper, if your eyes land on a product that taps into a current trend, theme or IP you’re passionate about, you’re one step closer to stopping and taking a closer look. And as game designers, we’ll need to figure out what those new trends, themes or IPs are – and harness them in a fresh way.

One interesting approach may be to lean into unexpected collaborations. Who would have predicted that in 2024, Michael Cera x CeraVe, or Snoop Dogg x The Olympics would be such huge sensations?! Like PUMA x Cheetos, I think there’s an opportunity for surprising mash-ups in the game aisle. And along with this, comes the potential for reaching new or niche audiences that may currently be overlooked. See you on the shelves!

Danny Kishon,
MD, All in 1 Products

The biggest challenge for companies this year will be the economy. 2024 has been a very tough year at retail all around the world. If you extract LEGO’s growth from any of the published numbers in virtually any country, you’ll see significant double-digit declines. Add the fact that ‘close out’ is included in the numbers and it’s really not a very pretty picture.

Also, Temu, amazon marketplace and other unregulated Chinese online shops selling direct to the consumer at very low prices is a growing issue and likely to get worse in a difficult economy. Freight – both in terms of massively increased cost and delivery times – created problems in 2024 and will likely do so again this year. These affect both prices and managing inventory as forecasting needs to move so much further forward… And Trump’s tariffs are likely to affect US companies and those selling into the USA.

This also impacts inventors… When a market is not doing well, there is often less of an appetite for investment in innovation. Companies become more risk averse, making it harder to place products. Overcoming this might involve investing in taking the project further down the road in terms of development – which is an additional risk as well as a challenge, and a challenge to cashflow. In essence, the challenge for inventors is to figure out where and what to invest time and effort into, in a marketplace where placing product is harder and tougher.

When it comes to opportunities for companies, the good news is that in a difficult retail marketplace, there is a real chance to change your market share. Having a hit when things are generally slow can get you leapt on by retail and see your numbers soar. Other opportunities lie in growing sales via direct-to-consumer sales and marketing-led online retailers like the US version of TikTok Shop, where influencers earn a commission on sales they promote.

For inventors, think kidult. It’s where the market is expanding and so far, has been led by nostalgia rather than innovation. And look at the categories that had bad results in 2024… Those companies – rather than the ones already doing well – may be the ones looking for inspiration and innovation. Team up with an influencer and add a marketing angle to your innovation. Team up with a ‘Product Doctor’ and get focus and help with what to spend time and effort on – and how.

Joost Poulus,
Chief Product Officer, Moose Toys

Every year, the biggest opportunity for us is to continue to raise the bar of what’s possible in toys! At Moose, we have an insatiable appetite for innovation and uncovering untapped areas of play. This means that we’re looking to our internal R&D teams and external inventors to create something new and unexpected that will wow our customers, retailers and partners around the world.

The biggest challenge facing the industry in 2025 is most likely something that none of us are aware of yet. Over the past five years, apart from the standard challenges a toy company faces, there has been many unexpected obstacles we’ve had to face. Obviously Covid was something that challenged us all as the world seemingly changed overnight – however it finessed our ability to pivot quickly so we’re well prepared for what may be around the corner next. From a play point of view, our greatest opportunity – continuing to innovate – is also our biggest challenge, as we find new and exciting ways to captivate and delight the attention of our customers.

–

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

The post Challenges and opportunities… appeared first on Mojo Nation.

This year, the prestigious Spiel des Jahres award was won by Sky Team – designed by Luc Rémond and published by Scorpion Masqué.

Sky Team is a co-operative game for two players who play a pilot and co-pilot at the controls of a plane, working together to land an airplane in different airports around the world.

You do so by assigning dice to different spaces in your cockpit to do things like balance the plane, control its speed, extend the landing gear, contact the control tower – or even to drink coffee to improve your concentration.

With Sky Team’s success in mind, we asked designers and publishers whether this could spark wider interest in two-player games… And whether this category of game is a tough sell or exciting creative challenge?

Scott Brady, Designer of games including Hues and Clues and boop
I found it very interesting that Sky Team was honoured with a Spiel des Jahres award this year. For some time I’ve believed two-player games were underrepresented in the hobby, and this proves my supposition correct.

During the early months of the pandemic, I received numerous emails asking if there were two-player instructions for my newly released game, Hues and Cues. There were not, and although I tried, I could not come up with anything I felt good about publicly releasing. Because of the perceived demand for two-player games during the lockdown, I began working on the game which eventually became boop. When I released it for free on BGG under the name Gekitai, it immediately garnered a following internationally. It was this success which led to its eventual release into retail.

Having travelled the con circuit extensively for the past few years, I have noticed a trend among the attending shoppers. Most notably at UKGE and PaxU, there was a high percentage of young couples shopping together – they were in the market for games which they could play on date night. This change in the traditional demographic of con attendees hasn’t gone unnoticed. I’ve seen a number of publishers pick up on this and have started to issue titles specifically for this market.

Another change I’ve noticed, in my area at least, is the absence of larger local game nights. Cons excluded, board game days at game stores seem to be on the decline – both in frequency and attendance – in favour of pay-to-play TCG events and tournaments. This leads to more gamers playing at home in smaller groups.

I love seeing two-player games get their due. From the design side, there are many concepts we can implement which just don’t work at higher player counts. I’m excited to see those on the shelves soon. With the success of Sky Team, it means you’ll be able to buy them sooner than later.

Mathilde Spriet, Communications Manager, Helvetiq
Sky Team’s recent success in winning the industry’s most prestigious award is indeed a significant achievement, and it shines a spotlight on the potential of two-player games within the board game market. From our perspective as game publishers, this victory could certainly spark a greater interest in two-player games for several reasons.

Firstly, Sky Team’s recognition demonstrates that a well-designed two-player game can achieve critical acclaim and captivate the gaming community. This serves as an inspiration for both designers and players, showing that engaging and competitive gameplay experiences don’t necessarily require larger groups.

Secondly, the dynamics of the gaming market are evolving. With the rise of more personalised and intimate gaming experiences, two-player games cater to a niche – but dedicated – audience who appreciate the depth and strategic interaction that such games offer. The success of Sky Team can validate the viability of this niche, encouraging publishers to invest more in developing and promoting two-player games.

However, it’s important to acknowledge the challenges. Historically, two-player games have been a tougher sell compared to multiplayer games, primarily because they limit the number of participants and thus the social aspect that many gamers seek. Additionally, retailers may be hesitant to stock two-player games in large quantities, assuming a smaller market.

Despite these challenges, we see a growing area of interest. The increasing popularity of two-player games can be attributed to several factors, including the rise of board gaming as a mainstream hobby, the growth of gaming couples, and of course the covid period, which saw an explosion in demand for single-player and two-player games.

As publishers, we are committed to exploring and expanding this segment of the market. We believe that with innovative designs and targeted marketing, two-player games can indeed become a more significant part of the board gaming landscape.

Hidde van Dijk, Group Innovation Manager, Jumbo Group
There has always been a market for two-player games. At Jumbo, we have experience with Stratego – a game liked by many players. The advantage of any two-player game is that you can “easily” find a player that is on your playing level, where it will be more gradually difficult to find three or more players for a multi-player game. In my opinion, a two-player game must be simple to learn, but hard to master. This ensures players can grow into the game and keep being excited about playing it over and over again, while discovering new tactics.

So yes, I believe that Sky Team will rejuvenate the interest in two-player game. It’s not always easy to get a group together, and the advantage of having a co-operative game is that you can play as a team on your own level, which makes it even easier to get started.

Sen-Foong Lim, Game Designer (Two-player design credits include Akrotiri and Legend of Korra: Pro Bending Arena)
I think Sky Team’s Spiel des Jahres win might broaden the audience for two-player games, but those who primarily play at this player count know that there’s a solid crop already available.

7 Wonders Duel and Splendor Duel, for example, take the core experiences of their bigger brothers and distil them down to the smaller player count. Patchwork, Targi, Morels and Watergate prove that you can fit a lot of game in a little box. This says nothing of all the great two-player card games like Star Realms or Jaipur, more abstract games like Hive, Shobu or Onitama, or combat-centric games like Space Hulk or the Unmatched series. Every board game forum has at least one thread a week asking for the best two-player games available and it’s no surprise that Sky Team is highly touted amongst the recommendations.

In designing any game, my key focus is the player experience. I don’t typically set out to design a two-player game. Instead, I consciously choose to make it strictly for two players because that specific player count is integral to the experience. In a game like Sky Team, being two-players makes sense – there’s a pilot and co-pilot.

Akrotiri – which is currently out of print – was originally a four to five player game… It was reduced to its two-player incarnation because the publisher loved playing so much that they didn’t want to wait longer than they had to in order to take their turn. Potential changes to board state and downtime are likely to increase as the number of players increases.

Two-player games are a niche player count within a niche hobby, but I think there’s a strong contingent of dedicated two-player game players – the market exists! I actually find two-player games easier to design and playtest initially, but perhaps more difficult to balance since there’s less margin for error with the small player count.

Here’s hoping that Sky Team’s success leads to a boom in this category!

JM Duparc, Creative Director, Identity Games
Two-player games are definitely something we’re interested in. I haven’t played Sky Team yet, but when we develop games, we really look at the two-player experience. Gaming is increasingly being embraced by adults – and the two-player game is already a brilliant pastime for couples. Our Medical Mysteries game was developed to be just as great a two-player experience as it is for bigger groups, especially because one of the great things about it is the discussion element.

There are games out there that are technically playable with two players, but they lose the essence of what makes the gameplay special, or what the inventor ultimately intended the experience to be – a game for more players. When we work on a game, we keep that in mind.

Ultimately, if the game is cool and innovative, there’s no reason why a two-player game should be less commercial than a game for bigger groups. In fact, it might be a bonus!

Danielle Reynolds, Project Director, Wacky Wizard Games
I’ve designed some two-player games in the past – mostly competitive abstracts – and publishers typically shut down the pitch immediately saying there isn’t an audience for that player count. So I would say it’s been a tough sell in general… Even though at board game cafes two-player games are always in high demand – and most couples that buy multiplayer games, regardless of player count, need the two-player version to be fun.

I’m hoping Sky Team’s success helps open publisher’s minds to taking pitches for two-player games. As a designer though, I wouldn’t currently recommend putting a lot of energy into designing something with that player count because it is such a tough sell.

Also, I think a big part of Sky Team’s success was the co-operative nature of the design. I’ve noticed party games and entry-level games have been moving towards co-ops more because they’re accessible to new gamers and add a layer of teamwork we aren’t seeing in the world as much anymore. I think that mash-up with a well-developed almost legacy style game is what made it so successful…

So, if you are going to be attempting a two-player game design make sure to make it a unique mashup of mechanics with a sellable theme. Or jump on the “Duel” bandwagon and make a streamlined two-player variant of a favourite game as a design challenge for fun! Whichever way you go, good luck!

Curt Covert, Owner, Smirk & Dagger Games
We have not shied away from two-player games. Some of our most popular titles are just for two – including SHOBU and Boop. We have another compelling two player deduction game slated for next year. Abstract strategy is very often based on a head-to-head competition.

Matt Fantastic, Creative Director, Forever Stoked Creative
Two-player games have always been simultaneously super popular and super niche – but when they hit, they can hit hard.

Tons of couples primarily play games with just each other, but it’s a lot easier to get together two to five or more players, so if a game is just as great at two as it is with more, that’s gonna make more publishers happy. That said, it can be a real bummer to open something that claims to be for two players but it’s mostly a janky variation of a game that was clearly designed for more… Sometimes that variant is amazing though, so it’s not always bad.

In terms of pitching, there are plenty of publishers happy to do two-player games, but also plenty that aren’t. I always ask when we get to them in the pitch deck because it’s so divisive as a product category.

For me, when looking at two player designs, I’m really trying to focus on systems that are intrinsically limited to two players. What can we do that just doesn’t work with more? Usually, it has to do with the push/pull back and forth in a zero-sum game, but there are all sorts of things you can only do with two.

In the ‘not really announced yet’ follow up to TEAM3, TEAM2 – a hot scoop! It’s coming in 2025 and we’re stoked! – we came up with more than 30 different variations on how one player can communicate the building plans to a single other player… Who then does the building. So, if you’re familiar with TEAM3, imagine that as one modality of information transfer, while TEAM2 has over 30 – which is a lot!

It meant we got to do things that are just fundamentally impossible with more, like ‘drawing’ on someone’s back with a finger or using mirrored movements. It was a ton of fun working through them all and thinking about what we can do with two players specifically.

Another game we did recently – Trash Talk – was originally conceived as a two-player game, but publishers kept asking if we could add multiplayer. When we signed with Friendly Skeleton, we all worked on how to make that happen… It turns out that the game is still great with two, but adding more creates a whole different layer that’s really fun. That is a case where being flexible and open to trying anything really paid off!

Fi Murray, Founder, Making Things Studio
Across all game categories, we’ve seen a demand for two-player games – and/or starting with a minimum of two players – increasing, so they’ve certainly got mass-market appeal. The ‘two-player plus’ opens up playability for friends living together, date nights, siblings, coffee shop catch ups, older players, pool-side and so on…

I love watching Games4Two’s reviews to spot new titles to try out. They’re often playing games that require more than two players but hack the rules to make it work. It really clearly brings focus to what the game is all about… Usually a competitive, emotive, funny moment of them duelling and bantering… A sentiment in casual games is if it’s fun to watch, it’s going to be fun to play!

Adam Hocherman, Co-Founder, Wayfarer Games
This is an area that I’ve been thinking about since the debut of Watergate from Capstone Games, who I feel really embraced the two-player game as a market all its own back in 2019. Both Watergate – in which you play as either Nixon or as the “The Press” – and Sky Team are incredibly clever concepts that lend themselves well, thematically, to a two-player game.

What’s attractive about designing games for two players, specifically, is that I believe it scratches a niche within the strategy sub-category of games. At the cons I have observed a lot of younger couples walking the show who share a passion for this hobby. Many, but not all, games designed for two to four players play really well at a two-player count.

It doesn’t even matter – marketing a “two-player game” is going to attract an audience who, perhaps, has not yet started a family and is potentially on the younger end of the more traditional strategy games market demographic today. There is a market opportunity here.

Carine Rosalia, Toy & Game Inventor, Lunch Squares Studio
Sky Team looks like a captivating game – congrats to Luc Rémond and Scorpion Masqué! Quick and highly replayable two-player games are my favourite as a customer and something that I want to develop more as an inventor because it makes it that much easier for people to play anytime, anywhere. You don’t need to organise a group of friends, or rally all the family members. You can play a round to develop a bond with someone you are getting to know or spice up the day-to-day with someone you see often. Just like people impromptu burst out into a song in musicals, maybe people should break into games in the middle of a conversation! I hope that many publishers will see the two-player market as a growing opportunity.

Barry McLaughlin, Co-Founder, Barry & Jason Games and Entertainment
Sky Team looks amazing and I’m happy that it won this award! I have always been a fan of two-player games because I spend the most time in two-person scenarios…. With my wife Jade or with my work wife Jason. So, anything that can be played by just two people or has a two-player option is perfect for me!

As far as designing these kinds of games, we always have a two-player option in mind, though we have yet to design a game exclusively for two. But clearly there is demand, as evidenced by the popularity of the content creators Games4Two. So, I think we’re gonna dive in and see what we can create for just two players. I’ll get back to you next year!

Artūrs Perepjolkins, Inventor Relations Manager, Brain Games
I don’t think that Sky Team’s success this year will lead to a greater interest in two-player games. It has always been quite a niche genre of games that is, was and will always be very limiting. You can’t really play two-player-only games in a family setting… Unless someone takes on the role of curating the process, but that isn’t really “participating in the act of playing”. Additionally, if you invite people over and would like them to try this great hobby called “modern board games”, you can do that more easily with a four or four-player game than with a two-player game.

–

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

The post A two-player game won the Spiel des Jahres this year… Is this category an exciting opportunity for designers and publishers – or a tough sell? appeared first on Mojo Nation.

Which personality type is more useful for a career in toy and game invention? Inventors share their thoughts…

Ron Dubren, Inventor, Ron Dubren & Associates
Introverts have a leg up on the creative inventing side. They’re less likely to be distracted by social life and obligations, and very much enjoy introspection, analysis and problem solving. Extraverts do well on the selling side. You need over-confidence, persistence and a thick skin. I found that to prosper as a toy inventor, I have to wear both hats.

Matt Nuccio, President, Design Edge
Both introverts and extraverts can excel as toy or game inventors. Introverts may thrive in the creative solitude of idea generation, independent brainstorming, crafting intricate designs and diving deep into details. Extraverts might excel in pitching concepts, collaborating with others, networking, presenting ideas with enthusiasm, and navigating collaborative projects. A balanced approach that incorporates the strengths of both personalities can lead to success by adapting to different aspects of the toy and game industry.

Fi Murray, Founder, Making Things Studio
I read a study recently that showed ‘extraversion’ is powered by the hormone oxytocin, meaning – essentially – that warmth, trust and emotions can power your personality in any given moment. Oxytocin levels can affect how we perceive ourselves and how extraverted we are in social settings. For example, I feel confident, energised vibes after a pitch that’s been met with excitement, open arms and praise. It’s a huge oxytocin hit! But if met with coldness, or a lack of interest or passion – especially from someone I don’t know very well – my ‘extraness’ would plummet, no matter the pitch resilience I’ve built up.
Over years of exposure to new situations, we find it easier to power up our extraness in times of need. Like a walking juxtaposition, I love tradeshows, pitch events, networking shows, but boy do I need a few calm, heads down, project-work days with my closest teams to counter it – a dopamine refuel!

Danielle Reynolds, Project Director, Wacky Wizard Games
Being an extravert has proven useful as an inventor. I have a large social battery, so I’m able to attend around 12 conventions a year without burning out. Thanks to my large network, I have an easy time recruiting playtesters. Being an extravert has helped me market myself – and my games – to more publishers, which has increased my likelihood of getting signed. I’ve had publishers tell me that they love signing a title with an inventor that will self-promote the game. The only downside to being an extravert is that I want to spend time with people outside of working in games and sometimes that’s hard to balance due to all the convention travel… I don’t give myself a lot of non-productive alone time. Plus, I get a drop in my mood after conventions. It’s something that, as an extravert, I’ve learned to balance so I stay mentally healthy.

David Snow, Owner, The Fantastic Factory
Both personality types can do very well in inventing. It’s more important to be confident in your pitch and the reasons why your invention should be considered by companies. If your confidence is high, this comes across in the pitch. As you get to know companies, you can adapt your style to suit each inventor relations person. This comes with time, and time is on your side as an inventor.

Westley Ciaramella, Partner, Catapult Concepts
Being extraverted has been key to my success! Some of my closest friends are in the toy industry. Late nights and extracurricular gatherings are nice breaks from the inventing grind!

Brendan Boyle, Associate Director, Fuse & Adjunct Professor, Stanford University
I vividly remember the time I had to deliver a speech in a high school assembly. Thankfully, I stood behind a podium because my knees were literally shaking; knocking back and forth. At that time, I was mostly an introvert when facing crowds… But being the sixth out of seven siblings, I was also a bit of an extrovert, always seeking attention from my parents and siblings.

–

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

The post Introverts, Extraverts and Inventing appeared first on Mojo Nation.

Fi, you wrote a short article a while back called Dream Reviews. I was really taken with it because it so beautifully complements the One-Star Review technique, which people can read about here… In the meanwhile, I want to revisit your idea in more detail. So first: how did it come about?
I’d discovered it as an initiative being used in the publishing world. In short, there was a collective of authors that would write aspirational reviews of their own books.

Aspirational – because they wrote the reviews before they wrote the books?
Exactly. At a point when there was an idea for a book, a strong idea that could definitely become a reality, they’d ask themselves, in effect: “What do I want people to say about this book? How do I want it to be reviewed?”

To me, that’s a fantastically interesting – and very grounded – visualisation technique. So did you just adapt that for toys and games?
Yes. I started using it as part of my creative process in the studio. Whenever I have an idea for a product or an IP, anything that’s got enough shape to form a concept, I write a Dream Review – a Five-Star Review, I think you might call it.

I would call it that! And you extrapolate these reviews, do you, based on whatever you thought was good about the idea?
Yes – and that’s the beauty of it, really… You probably already did most of the work when you were determining whether or not it WAS a good idea! So as a process, it’s essentially reframing a brief into a consumer perspective – super simple. I make it full of first-person perspective, pulling in the insights that shaped the concept.

And playing Devil’s Advocate Fi, might someone reading this think it sounds a bit namby-pamby? Or that it takes up a lot of time?
Ha! We’ll, it’s not time consuming – we’re talking about a few minutes. And actually, Ai can even do it for you now… Enter your thoughts as a prompt and it reframes your input in a few seconds. You can shape it up from there very, very quickly.

Maybe some will think namby-pamby; it’s certainly not a ‘must do’, nor is it the most serious or tasks. But I’m in the ‘business’ of converting ‘make believe’ into commercial opportunities quickly… So I need to marry wild, blue-sky concepts with insights and strategy effectively. A Dream Review makes the process efficient and fun for me. It’s as much a commercial strategic exercise as any tool.

Great answer! Take the rest of the day off after this!
I might! I was also going to add that you could describe this as a manifestation tool – putting down in writing the ambition of a concept, saying this is what I want the idea to deliver in the future. For me, emotion has to be an ingredient in my process – I’m creating things for real humans, often for tiny humans that impact their most formative years. And after doing it, I find I have something of a touch point for the rest of the process.

How so?
Well, as you get into a project, it’s very easy to forget the original intent and ambition of a concept. You know how easy it is to get off track when you’re in the thick of it… You’re faced with feasibility tests, costing, troubleshooting, value engineering and all that day-to-day stuff. But referencing back to the Dream Review is my way of keeping the magic of the concept alive. It lets me hold onto the original spark; its reason for being.

Yes. Asking if you’ve strayed too far from the brief…
Right. It also makes you wear the hats of two consumers – depending on the target audience age… Firstly, the user – the kid – and secondly, the reviewer – the grown up. Kids aren’t writing reviews, and within 60% of the categories I create for, the grown ups are making the purchasing decisions. So I need to bring both consumer sets into the review to help shape the brand, marketing, comms and so on.

And how important is it, Fi, that this review aligns with reality?
I don’t think the exact outcome matters much, but it sure can become a reality. Put it this way: I’m now starting to see the Dream Reviews I’ve written come to fruition in the creations that launched. It’s fascinating to see what stuck, what didn’t make it through and if the original intent of the idea held up. And then you start to see real reviews coming in – now that’s the true reality!

Can you give us an example of a Dream Review?
I can… Here’s a Dream Review I wrote for a Mouse in the House product:

“CUTE factor overload! I’ve never seen my kids’ imaginations so alive! This brand makes you imagine an amazing happy mouse world vs yucky house rodents! The play is like a modern take on traditional fairy doors. It feels wholesome and open ended – the locations are real-world aspirational, made fantasy!

If you’re a fan of this brand, you need to check out the animated series on YouTube – so fun – l feel like I’m watching a Pixar short! Also, because the playsets are against the wall and mini, they don’t take up loads of space in our lounge… No having to make the kids tidy them away everyday! We can’t wait to expand the world – I think we know what will be on their birthday lists coming up.”

That’s great! And you have real reviews, do you not, that follow suit?
Yes! There are three or four if you want to paste them in…

“My daughter loves this. She gets up every morning to play with it and makes her own little dream world with it. Her imagination is amazing, and it stores easily due to its size”.

“This cute house is so nice! My daughter loves it. This toy has kept my daughter entertained for hours. Perfect size for small hands. My daughter loves imagination play and had lots of fun playing with it. A good size toy that provides lots of opportunities for play but compact enough that it doesn’t take up tons of space. I loved that it came with batteries so could be played with straight away. The house lights up in the dark. Nice and bright and full of fun”

“Bought this for my granddaughters at Christmas. They loved it – found it pretty easy to assemble with a bit of help from Granddad and really enjoyed playing with it. Their Mum was also pleased because it didn’t take up much space on the floor!”

“Absolutely amazing. My daughter loves the accessories that come with it, and she has had fun putting everything together to role play. It is small, compact and lightweight to carry around. We love the glow in dark stickers. The roof opens too which is amazing and although not an interactive toy, you can use your imagination to move and do as you wish”.

Great! Well, that proves it works! I mean, some of those the key themes are right there so I can really see how a brief would inform that process – and vice versa… Because you’d pretty quickly know if you’d veered off course! IS it cute? DOES it take up much space?
Right. I’ve also found it useful during the pitching and selling process. It helps keep things in focus in sizzles, line-review presentations, retailer previews and marketing content, because they all need to spark an emotional reaction from the receiver… So identifying what you want people to feel and think after they’ve interacted with your content and product really helps. These reviews end up reflecting and communicating the goal. Of course, only time will tell if the Dreams Reviews I’ve written for this year’s things come to fruition!

–

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

The post Dream Reviews: Serial inventor Fi Murray reveals how she starts with the end in mind appeared first on Mojo Nation.

We asked figures in the industry for their favourite toy and game launches of the year. The only caveat… They couldn’t choose a product they were involved in!

Here’s what they said…

Naomi Brugnatelli, Inventor Relations Manager, Games, Hasbro
I’m a big fan of FRIENDS and thought my friends at Mattel did an amazing job capturing so many details from the show in a tiny compact Central Perk mug. I especially loved Monica’s turkey head, Phoebe playing the guitar and Joey and Chandler’s pet chickens. Could this collectible Polly Pocket play-set BE ANY CUTER? Now if only I could get my hands on one!

Rob Ames, Creative Director, Triclops Studio
The top slot for me is Zuru’s Mega Gross Minis; part of their popular 5 Surprise line. 36 minis, brilliantly executed and parodying all your favourite brands – but with a rad gross-out filter. I’m a huge Garbage Pail Kids fan – as well as Madballs, Mad Scientist and anything else with a gross twist from the Eighties and Nineties… The minute I clocked these, I was in! The little shopping bag is a nice touch, as is the mouldy, stinky-scented rarities – especially as most collectibles rely on glow-in-the-dark or metallic variants to drive collectability. My personal faves include Poo-Kemon, Sick Tacs, the ‘Just Spew It’ Puke sneakers and the Santa Ooze skate deck. Great job!

Dianne Lauble, Director of Inventor Relations, PlayMonster
For me this year, it’s Barbie. This amazing toy/icon/empire reinvents itself over and over again with themes, forms and – as is the case this year – an oh-so-relevant blockbuster movie. The good news for the inventing community is that Mattel has historically relied on new features to keep her going. It has to be said… She’s got legs.

Sam Unsicker, Partner, Big Monster Toys
One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen is the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Transforming Rhinomite RC. Not only is it two amazing toys in one, it was created by two amazing people: Peter Williams and Robert Schwartzman of Pace Development. When I first saw this at Toy Fair last year, I thought: ‘Here it is, innovation is finally making a comeback in the toy industry!’ I was excited for Mattel, I was excited for Robert and Peter, and I was excited for the tons of young kids who will now have a favourite toy in their lives! Congratulations to all!

Tony Serebriany, Senior Director, Inventor Relations & International Sales, The Op
Another year with so many great games being released, but two amazing small box games are the ones I’d like to highlight. The first is Sides from Captain Games. I had the good fortune of being introduced to this co-op word mystery game earlier in the year at a small convention. This simple and clever game was one that regularly was finding its way to the table with groups of all sizes – and well into the night with bigger groups too. It seemed to by flying off the shelves at Essen this year!

The next one is a clever bluffing memory game from Ravensburger called That’s Not A Hat. This game is so simple and elegant in its execution… And fast becomes hilarious as you try and track which gifts are in which location around the table as players are passing cards left and right.

David Snow, Owner, The Fantastic Factory
The game I loved this year for its simplicity and multi-generational play is Smash Down by Ideal/John Adams. It’s a simple concept with great repeatable gameplay that will be a hit – or smash – this Christmas.

Dougal Grimes, VP Innovation & Inventor Relations, Spin Master
For me, it’s Elmer’s Squishies by Elmer’s – part of Newell Brands. Elmer’s Glue, for those who didn’t grow up in the USA, is a brand of PVA glue that’s used in schools… It’s kind of the ‘Kleenex’ in terms of a brand for kid’s glue and school supplies. With the social media boom in slime around 2015 – then amplified over the pandemic ­– Elmer’s glue became hugely popular as an ingredient in making homemade slime. Having released a line of slime-focused Elmer’s products, it’s cool to see the brand extend out into other types of compound play, such as their Squishies that launched this year. It’s one of those great situations where consumers really dictate the usage of products and then innovation can grow from there. Kudos to the Elmer’s team for listening to the trends and building on it with fun new play patterns.

Fi Murray, Founder, Making Things
I’ve loved seeing all the activations surrounding Biggies. It’s always great to see a new brand make it through in this retail climate. From the origin creation through to the 360 brand launch, you can see how much effort has gone into it from Eolo and Fun-Damental.

My second pick is Pretentables from Fat Brain. It’s an awesome twist on an evergreen category. Intuitive, considered and creative – with a stylistic design-led twist on pretend play.

Gavin Ucko, Founder, The Happy Puzzle Company
Screwball Scramble: Level Up. I mean seriously… Screwball Scramble gone vertical! What’s not to love?

Boaz Coster, Partner, Theora Concept
My first pick is Foosbots by Fat Brain. An all-round addictive product and perfect game. Toyetic, collectible, compact, playful – fun!

I’d also choose Reel Big Catch by Educational Insights. The cute surprise – a very ‘stretchful’ feature – that makes all the difference and adds so much fun to that game.

Finally, I’d say Clixo by Toyish Labs. Flexible creative construction, unique designs, easy and very colorful – truly imaginative play.

Alex Prieto, Head of Fun, Eolo Toys
Choosing one is not an easy task… But I must say I’m impressed with execution of Beast Lab from Moose! The boys space is tough – and taking the magic of a girls toy and passing it into a boys toy is even more complicated… But Beast Lab nails it. It takes the best parts of Magic Mixies and transforms it into a strong boys property and toy.

But I can’t just say one! So my second pick is Real FX T-Rex – another super execution by the Wow! Stuff team.

Jim Harrison, Director, Butcher & Harrison
My first pick is Trio – designed by Kaya Miyano and published in Europe by Cocktail Games. It’s a great little pick up and play card game that’s perfect as an icebreaker! I picked this up in Essen and my three grand-daughters are obsessed with it, endlessly wanting another game. A deck of 36 cards – numbering from two to 12 – is dealt out between the players with a number of cards face down on the table. On their turn, a player can ask any player ­– including themselves – to reveal either their highest or their lowest card, or flip over one of the face down cards. They do this a second time, and if the two cards match, they can do it a third time. If all three cards match – a Trio – the player takes them and places them face down in front of them. Win three Trios to win the game.

My second pick is Ticket to Ride: Legends of the West – designed by Alan Moon, Rob Daviau and Matt Leacock and published by Days of Wonder. This one is Ticket to Ride meets legacy games at the gates of the Wild West. An enormous box contains twelve separate Ticket to Ride adventures that are played in sequence, with each game adding new board sections, components and rules which will make permanent changes to the way the game is played. Although the basic gameplay will be essentially familiar to anyone who has played a Ticket to Ride game, this is definitely a re-invention and re-imagining which breathes new life into an old favourite!

Andrew Hajithemistou, Head of Innovation & Inventor Relations, tms
My top pick this year has to be the ingenious Build Your Own Wallace and Gromit Rocket Kit from the creative powerhouse team at Paper Engine. Their collaboration with Aardman to bring to life the iconic characters, machines and widgets from the Wallace and Gromit animations is just magic! The kits re-introduce a late Eighties classic animated short to kids of today, giving children – and ahem, kidults too – the freedom to build these fully interactive cardboard kits, with no glue and just a little time and patience. I love how simple sliders, tabs and flaps are pulled and opened to move and reveal hidden features… And with zero plastic in sight, Paper Engine have truly set the bar high with a focus on delivering a great play experience with sustainable materials. Wallace would totally agree… “Cracking good job!”

Gary Pope, Co-Founder, Kids Industries
Without the slightest shadow of a doubt it has to be Piñata Smashlings as my favourite launch of the year. Digital first, brave, start-up-scrappy with super high quality. It’s their eggs that have done it for me… On the face of it simple – but actually, anything but. The play value is built in versus other eggs and Toikido has taken the time to really understand what they are making and who they are making it for. Two Smashings, a game code and playable egg? Yes please… Joined up thinking and dedication to the development of the IP that rivals any of the big boys – and this a teeny team of 10.

Sen-Foong Lim, Game Designer, Developer & Writer
My family loved Robot Quest Arena from Wise Wizard Games in conjunction with Perfect Day Games. Not only are the miniatures super cute, but the gameplay features quick and snappy deckbuilding in a PvP Arena setting. We really enjoyed the combinations that the robots and cards provided, but my personal favourite bit of design magic was how robot destruction is handled is such a way that there’s no player elimination – and no runaway leader. While getting your robot wrecked obviously doesn’t feel great, it’s not the soul-crushing experience it often is in similar games. Robot Quest Arena has a wonderful, family-friendly vibe and that’s reflected in its mechanisms – just reboot and respawn!

Robert Yusim, President, Product Counsel
My choice would be Clixo! Clixo is brilliant because of the 3D end results you can create from the innovative 2D shapes. And pieces click together with a pleasing ‘click’ sound! Clixo is fun and educational at the same time… The possibilities are endless.

Christian Castro, Director of Product Development, Relatable
I’d like to recognize the team at Tragos Games for their newest game, Get Loud: the Bilingual Guessing Word Game. As a Colombian-American who grew up in a Spanish speaking home, it was always hard to find a card game that would resonate with both my Spanish-speaking family and my English-speaking mentality. The team at Tragos Games have mastered solving that issue with Get Loud. While many continue to say that toys and games targeting the Latino community – or any under-represented group – are too niche to have mass market appeal, Tragos Games founder Carolina Acosta has proven them all wrong. How? By getting the bilingual Get Loud – as well as her OG game Tragos – placed in Target stores across the United States in 2023!

Leila Nosrati, Licensing & Inventor Relations Advisor
My favourite product this year – “hands down” – is the Make It Real Party Nails Glitter Nail Studio. Who doesn’t love a glitter vortex? Seriously though, this thing is not just for tweens! If you like sparkly nails, this kit makes it incredibly easy to give yourself or a friend a lovely and long-lasting manicure. I love that the glitter is biodegradable and the pods really do cut down on the mess. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go pick a colour…

Danielle Reynolds, Project Director, Wacky Wizard Games
I’d pick Runaway Parade Game’s Smug Owls. It’s a riddle generating party game that’s small, cute and clever. My friends really enjoyed playing it when I brought it back from Origins this year.

Scott Rogers, Game Designer & Author
2023 was such a great year for toys and games, it’s hard to choose just one! At the top of my list is Mars Toys’ Prank Villain 12″ figure. Based on the villain from the classic Batman TV show, this figure is amazing! The likeness is eerily perfect – it’s like having a miniature Cesar Romero on my shelf. He comes with lots of great accessories straight from the show and is the perfect companion piece to Hot Toys figures that came out a few years ago.

Next is Mezco’s One:12 Collective Golden Age Batman and Two Face figures. They are exactly what I’ve wanted since childhood! They come with so many additional hands and heads and accessories, it’s crazy. They are gorgeously made, have great articulation and look fantastic!

Hasbro has done a great job with these playsets in the past – especially the Jabba’s Throne Room and Tantive IV adventure sets – but the Star Wars: The Vintage Collection Boba Fett’s Throne Room kicks it up a notch! It’s chock-full of super-detailed accessories and furniture – and even comes with a fat Bib Fortuna to sit on the throne… At least until Boba Fett shows up! It’s so fun to display figures in and even photograph. I hope Hasbro makes the Tatooine Cantina next!

And because I love board games, I would remiss not to mention Septima from Mindclash games. This game is a gorgeous production with beautiful art by Villo Farkas. It’s a strategy worker placement game about witches helping out a village while competing to be the next Septima. It even includes an amazingly helpful guide to put all the pieces back into the box! Highly recommended!

Alex Murty, International Growth Manager, Joking Hazard
I’m obsessed with Japanese games publisher Oink. When I go to a convention, the first thing I do is go to the Oink booth and grab myself a bargain before things start to sell out. This year at Essen was no exception and one of my many purchases from their stand was their new game Tiger & Dragon. I’m all about small box games and Oink have perfected this corner of the market with their cute box sizes and cool art style. Tiger and Dragon is based on the traditional Japanese game Goita and is described as being ‘the ultimate kung fu showdown between martial arts masters’. Essentially you are attacking and defending using numbered tiles and the first person to get rid of all their tiles is the winner. It’s a very simple game to play, but has a real strategic depth to it… And like all of Oink’s games, it’s absolutely gorgeous. The tiles especially are weighty and look and feel beautiful. It’s soooo good – go get yourself a copy!

Tyler Turk, Owner, Crated with Love
This last year I met the founders and inventors at Womple Studios and fell in love with their DinoGlows collections. These prehistoric and pulchritudinous plushies are not only reversible – showing both their cute outward appearance and their skeleton within – but also glow in the dark! I brought one home for my daughter, which quickly became her go-to plushie for nap time. This product is a perfect example of inventors looking at trends and adding their own beautiful design and innovation to bring something to life!

–

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

The post Stuff We Loved: What are the industry’s favourite toy and game launches of 2023? appeared first on Mojo Nation.

What makes inventor partnerships work?! We find out from two pairs of collaborating studios in Making Things & Phase Two and Big Ideas & Tricky…

Fi, Mat, thanks for making time. First off, what first brought Making Things and Phase Two together?
Mat Hall, Phase Two: Having worked with Fi across a number of brands and products in my previous role, I knew we shared a passion for designing meaningful play experiences. A few years later, when we started Phase Two, our mission was to surround ourselves with like-minded, positive, creative people… So naturally Fi was one of the first people I spoke to about collaborating. Luckily, she was equally enthusiastic and it was then just a question of waiting for the right opportunities!

What are some of the benefits of collaborating over solo inventing?
Fi O’Malley, Making Things: Collaborating is like rocket fuel to a concept – a power up! A double dose of quality, efficiency, creativity, innovation, pitch deliverables… The list keeps going. It can expedite everything. Our aim is to make our licensee partners’ R&D life easier by trying to go above and beyond the traditional inventor-model deliverables. We want to make their yeses easier and no’s harder.

How does this practically work? Do you divide up responsibilities?
MH: We both instinctively know where our strengths lie, but with any creative process, front-end stages are blurry with a mixture of face-to-face meetings, scribbles sent via WhatsApp, shared mood boards and eureka moments when we’re out and about. Once we have a fixed brand and concept direction, it comes down to processing the presentation content, designing, making, testing… Then making again!

What’s the key to making this kind of collaboration work?
FO: Respect. Mat is one of the most talented designers I’ve ever known; I’m lucky to work with him. We speak the same design language. We like ‘go big or go home’ type thinking on a concept. We love to create platforms, brands and cross-industry IP.

And the most simple one: Being mates! Working with Mat and his studio gives me that homely feel I’d get from the in-house days. You have camaraderie, a team and a sounding board for the days you might cry… So you end up crying with laughter rather than actual tears!

MH: We were really lucky that we’d worked together for many years, so there was already a foundation of trust, respect and a shared vision. We still get a buzz from creating and sharing our work so maintaining that focus comes naturally.

—————————————

Guys, it’s always lovely to catch up. How did Tricky and Big Ideas start working together?
Simon Skelton & Ruth Elliott, Big Ideas: We’d known each other for a long time before we started working together. We knew we were like-minded and this led to giving collaboration a try. It started a few years ago with the odd project – emphasis on the ‘odd’ projects! Now it’s lots of projects!

Geoff House, Tricky: Yeah, that’s right. We’ve known each other for ages and I’ve always liked the stuff that Simon and Ruth have launched, so it seemed like a good idea to discuss a few projects that we thought had potential but were a bit stuck on. This proved to be loads of fun so we’ve continued to work on stuff together!

What are some of the perks of working together over solo inventing?
SS & RE: Solo inventing can be a lonely place. Working with others creates a constant environment of challenge and improvement. It helps to push ideas to their limit. And each of us to our limits too.

GH: After 15 years of working pretty much solo, it’s great to be able to bounce ideas around with other people. Initially, it was great to work on my own – that was one of the main attractions of inventing for me – but I enjoy working on ideas with friends even more. It feels like we cut through the ‘okay’ ideas and get to the good stuff quicker.

Do you all get together to come up with ideas? How does it work?
SS & RE: We get together regularly. It’s important. Especially when there are games to play. And we each have our own fortes, so we concentrate on different aspects of development. When it comes to ideas though, these are always collaborative.

GH: It also helps that we’re all ideas focused and familiar with all the different aspects of being inventors, so we sometimes come at problems from different perspectives. We undoubtedly pick up on things that may have been missed in a solo environment.

What do you feel is key to successful collaboration?
GH: Open, honest discussions about the items we put on the table to work on together. No one wants to be working on an item they don’t believe in.

SS & RE: Yes, brutal honesty… With each other and with our clients. And being open to change… To get the best out of a concept, we each have to listen to and push each other.

–

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

The post Perfect Partners: Inventors discuss the art of collaboration appeared first on Mojo Nation.