This is a copy of the “script” we used to organise Brainwaves Episode 139. It is not a full transcript but should give you an overview of the news as we reported it. Quotes are in italics.
Headlines
Ninja Division files for bankruptcy
- It’s been our sad duty to report on the collapse of several companies over the last few years and today we have to add another one to the list.
- Ninja Division, the publisher behind Super Dungeon Explore, has filed for bankruptcy. We got this story from Boardgamewire.
- The company made a name for itself around 2014 from its Super Dungeon Explore game and went on to fund other games through crowdfunding over the following years.
- The bankruptcy filing said the company had debts of $1-10 million and assets of up to $100k.
- The issues began in 2016 during the development of Super Dungeon Explore legends. The company said that lukewarm feedback to the in development game sent them back to the drawing board. The ramifications of that decision rippled out and have led to the game being delayed many times since the title funded. The game raised $1,290,522 from 6611 backers.
- By 2017 the company had exhausted the funds to produce the game and estimated that they needed another $750k to complete it.
- In 2019 the company had let go many of its staff and it seems now that the situation has reached an end.
- The comments on the Kickstarter are understandably angry. ICV2 reported that co-owner John Cadice had said they would no longer be using Kickstarter due to the ‘toxicity’ of users on the platform.
Hasbro presents “compelling” case for AI
- As reported by Dicebreaker on the 15th of March, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks recently announced plans for the use of AI technology within the company that owns Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.
- When speaking to Gamesbeat at Dice Summit on the 1st of March, Cocks describes how Hasbro is planning on training a large language model, similar to ChatGPT, using the company’s entire RPG catalogue of official releases.
- Cocks says of the plans:
- “This is cutting-edge technology, and Hasbro is a 100-year-old company…when you talk about the richness of the lore and the depth of the brands–D&D has 50 years of content that we can mine. Literally thousands of adventures that we’ve created, probably tens of millions of words we own and can leverage. Magic: The Gathering has been around for 35 years, more than 15,000 cards we can use in something like that.
- “We can leverage all of that to be able to build very interesting and compelling use cases for AI that can bring our characters to life. We can build tools that aid in content creation for users or create really interesting gamified scenarios around them.”
- According to Cocks, Hasbro has already experimented with the technology through its Peppa Pig and Transformers brands. The AI tools developed for these two non-gaming brands are currently aimed at adults to make sure all the content is appropriate.
- Cocks goes on to say:
- “We’re doing R&D efforts around AI. I think most major entertainment and IP holders are at least thinking about it. The key there is the responsible use of it. We have an even higher bar we need to hit because we serve audiences of all ages. We go from preschoolers on up to adulthood. I don’t think we can be very cavalier in how we think about AI. That said, it’s exciting. There’s a lot of potential for delighting audiences. We need to make sure that we do it in a way that respects the creators we work with, respects their works of art, respects their ownership of those works, and also creates a fun and safe environment for kids who might use it.”
- It sounds like some of Hasbro’s goals for D&D are to make character and interactive map creation easier using the generative AI tools they are developing.
CGE acquires new factory
https://czechgames.com/en/home/news-24-03-01-cge-acquires-their-own-factory
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/56509/czech-games-edition-acquires-board-games-puzzles-factory
- In a press release dated 24th of March, Czech Games Edition, or CGE, announced that they have become the co-owner of long-standing manufacturing partner Oriens Karton
- CGE is the Czech Republic-based publisher of titles including Through the Ages, Codenames and the recent Kutná Hora: The City of Silver.
- Oriens Karton is a board game and puzzle production facility, which CGE has used almost since its inception 17 years ago.
- Ludofact, which co-founded Oriens Karton in 2004, is going to remain co-owner of the facility.
- In a statement, CGE said:
- “The decision to acquire our own production facility feels like a natural next step for CGE as we’ve grown with each passing year. […]
- This acquisition allows us to further optimize the facility’s manufacturing processes. Now, we can adjust the production pipeline to better suit our needs and the needs of our games—which will allow us to try new things when it comes to how our games are manufactured. […]
- “We’ve already tried using new material, ReWood, for the first time in Kutná Hora: The City of Silver last year, and we’re looking forward to continuing exploring and bringing new possibilities and materials to board games manufacturing.”
- The manufacturing facility will not be exclusive to CGE, and German board game partner HeidelBÄR Games has already been producing games there. CGE is actively inviting other companies to use the facility. In their statement they say:
- “With this, we would like to extend an invitation to game publishers worldwide, offering them an opportunity to utilize our factory for production (of both board games and jigsaw puzzles) and associated logistical needs. If you’re interested in producing in the Czech Republic, or would just like to hear more, please, contact us at production@czechgames.com.”
Updates
Haba emerges from Bankruptcy
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/56479/haba-familygroup-emerges-insolvency-proceedings
https://habafamilygroup.com/en/haba-familygroup-end-self-administration-insolvency-proceeding
- Back in episode 130, we reported that German game manufacturer HABA had entered voluntary insolvency to try and arrest the collapse of the company.
- HABA exited insolvency on the 29th of February 2024
- The insolvency involved a restructuring of the company and the loss of 600 jobs.
- Martin Mucha, a restructuring expert at law firm Grub Brugger who supported HABA’s efforts over the period said
- Over the past few months, we have worked intensively on a clear brand positioning, viable cost structures and a sustainable internal and external positioning of the company. We have succeeded in setting the course for a successful future for HABA FAMILYGROUP so that the company can continue its 85-year tradition.
- Dr Mario Wilhelm, Managing Director of HABA family group said
- The end of the self-administration proceedings marks an important milestone on our path into the future. We are sending an important signal to our customers, suppliers and the Upper Franconian region.
- The company will continue to be steered by an external committee designed to keep the business on track. According to the statement
- The strategy for the HABA brand entails a focus on high-quality toys and games aimed at children’s development, while HABA Pro aims to further expand its market leadership in furniture for daycare centers and all-day facilities.
News
Nasa RPG
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/multimedia/online-activities/the-lost-universe
- We don’t normally cover press releases unless things are interesting enough to us, and this story piqued our interest
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA (the American space people) have released an RPG adventure, The Lost Universe, for free on their website. It was designed to be adaptable to the game system of the player’s choice but the description clearly suggests a D&D bent (for level 7-10 characters).
- “A dark mystery has settled over the city of Aldastron on the rogue planet of Exlaris. Researchers dedicated to studying the cosmos have disappeared, and the Hubble Space Telescope has vanished from Earth’s timeline. Only an ambitious crew of adventurers can uncover what was lost. Are you up to the challenge?”
- Nerds and NASA go hand-in-hand, with Star Trek fans petitioning NASA to name one of their space shuttles Enterprise (which NASA did) amongst other things.
Stonemaier Stakeholder Report
- Stonemaier Games, publishers of Scythe and the cultural juggernaut that is Wingspan has filed its most recent financial reports for its shareholders.
- Stonemaier made $16.7 million. This was down from $20.7 million in 2022 but the company stated that profits were up due to some better relationships with partners and logistics.
- In the update, Jamey Stegmaier, the owner of the company, says that Stonemaier currently has no debt and has taken no loans in 2023. He mentions the tight cashflow the company sometimes has saying
- As usual, cash flow was tight at certain times of the year due to the gap between when we need to pay Panda (our manufacturer) and when distributors pay us, but we make it work. (I mention this to dispel the notion that profitable companies are always flush with cash.)
- The company breaks down all the comings and goings from the company as well as the sales of all their games. The best-selling game is still Wingspan by a country mile. That title is approaching 2 million copies sold. Scythe takes second place and then Viticulture.
- The full report gives a breakdown of the marketing the company has carried out and also has details of the conventions the company attends.
Obituaries
James Ward Dies
- Tabletop games designer James M Ward has died aged 72. For 20 years James worked at TSR, the original publishers of Dungeons and Dragons, and was possibly most well known for the sourcebook Deities & Demigods (providing game stats for deities of various religions and belief systems around our world, and some mythic folklore characters as well), as well as Metamorphosis Alpha, an early Sci-fi RPG
- After TSR, he helped design a lot of CCGs as part of the boom in the late 90s, including Wheel of Time, Babylon 5 and Dragonball Z.
- He was also an early playtester of what would become Dungeons and Dragons at the table of E Gary Gygax and was immortalised in various settings as Drawmij the wizard.
- In 1989 he was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame, and he leaves behind a great legacy, maybe the most important being his helping shape D&D.
Jobs, Opportunities, and Events
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TabletopJobs
BRP Design challenge
https://www.chaosium.com/blogthe-basic-roleplaying-design-challenge
- Chaosium announces their Basic Roleplaying Design (BRP) Challenge, which wants to assist new and upcoming creators financially to bring their games to independent publication, either digitally or in print. Chaosium is looking for designers from all walks of life, with original ideas, concepts, and systems.
- If you’re interested, you need to provide a pitch for your game, a production budget, an outline of how the financial support will make your game a reality, a competitor market analysis of your game, showcasing where it fits in the market, how the BRP rules have been used in your game and what makes the use of the BRP system, the setting, and/or the gameplay experience of your design unique.
- Entry is free and all entrants retain ownership of their work in its entirety.
- There is a link in the show notes to a page with more details of the prizes on offer, the entry form and everything else you need to take part.
Patreon Shoutouts
Kevin Bertram
James Naylor
Shaun Newan
game-a-lot.fun/en
facebook.com/gamealotboardgames
Our Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/thegiantbrain
Metallic Dice Games
Promo Code: ROLLWITHBRAINS
Sir Meeple
Outro
Uno fan decks
- UNO, the game that has graced a million tables, has seen many variations over the years. Now it has decided to enter the realm of franchises with several new fan focused decks.
- You’ll soon be able to buy decks themed around
- Avatar: The last airbender
- Masters of the Universe
- Star Trek
- Monster High (this is still a thing?)
- Disney Villains
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