News Digest Brainwaves Episode 166

This is a copy of the “script” we used to organise Brainwaves Episode 166. It is not a full transcript but should give you an overview of the news as we reported it. Quotes are in italics.

Headlines

Czech Games Edition announces new Harry Potter Codenames

https://bsky.app/profile/codenamesgame.bsky.social/post/3lul7oqmuws25

The Trevor Project

• On the 22nd of July, Czech Games Edition announced its summer lineup of games. This included their 10th anniversary editions of Codenames, including an XXL version, a Pictures version, and a Harry-Potter-themed version. 
• We are sure that most of our listeners are aware that JK R owling, the author of Harry Potter, has become increasingly critical of trans people and any attempts to legislate on trans individuals’ behalf. Rowling has gone as far as funding lobbying efforts to change the laws of the UK, which recently resulted in new government guidance on gender recognition that has had a negative impact on trans people’s ability to live their lives. 
• Czech Games Edition first published a Harry Potter version of Codenames in 2018, just before Rowling’s views became known. 
• This new edition has gained the company many complaints and questions as to why they would continue to associate themselves with a franchise that is irrevocably tainted by the actions of its author. 
• Rather than addressing those concerns, Czech Games Edition put out this statement
  • When we embarked on creating the newly announced version of Codenames many years ago, it was a dream coming true for many of us at CGE. The vast world of magic featured in the upcoming Codenames has been a source of inspiration. It ignited a passion for learning English and exploring new worlds through reading. It shaped our childhoods, sparked imagination, or gave comfort in difficult times. We know many people around the world share the same sentiment about this universe, even among those who have been hurt by the public views and actions of its creator. Deciding whether those feelings should also transfer to the once-beloved world is up to everyone, and we fully respect and understand those who do not wish to engage with this game. We still believe in the magic of stories and the connection they create between people.
  • As this is an ongoing conversation, we encourage everyone to approach discussion with care, empathy, and respect—both online and in person.
• We would like to draw listeners’ attention to the fact that neither the Harry Potter IP nor Rowling are mentioned in this post.
• Many trans creators and those who support them called out CGE on social media. No Pun Included and Shut Up and Sit Down both pledged to stop covering games by the company, and many smaller creators followed suit. Rodney Smith from Watch It Played, also posted a short video to Bluesky explaining his stance on the matter. While Rodney doesn’t go as far as to say the channel will never cover CGE games, he does express a desire to revisit many of the relationships he has with publishers based on the games in that publishers catalogue. 
• Efka Bladukas, co-creator of No Pun Included gave this quote to boardgamewire
  • “Boycotting someone sounds like a big thing, but we want to make it clear, from our side it isn’t. We’re simply choosing to no longer cover an established publisher who made business decisions that are resulting in harm to a marginalized community.
  • “It’s not the first one and sadly it won’t be the last. Czech Games Edition chose to carry a Harry Potter themed game. We don’t know over what circumstances they got the license, how long it has been in their hands or what their contract looks like and we dare not speculate.
  • “But somewhere, somehow, we presume, a decision was made by them to carry on with this in 2025. And it is a decision that will hurt many people who enjoy board games and Codenames specifically.
  • “We don’t want to be contributing to that harm, so our decision is automatic. At NPI our output is curated and small and because of that, we choose carefully what we cover. In an environment where more board games are being made than can ever be played, eliminating a publisher’s catalogue from the roster allows for space for other voices to be showcased.
  • “We hope that as a byproduct of this decision, we can show an example to others who make media about board games, and if they made similar decisions, we think this is to be celebrated.”
• Tom Brewster, editor in chief of Shut Up and Sit Down, also gave BoardGameWire a quote:
  • “I fail to see Harry Potter: Codenames as anything but a soulless cash grab that’s tremendously insulting to the trans folks JK Rowling has been trying her best to oust from public life. It’s a product to sell to people who prioritise their nostalgia for children’s fantasy over the culture their trans friends and family live in.
  • “Rowling is a miserable bigot who has routinely chosen to create a more dangerous world for trans people. She wields real influence, and has used it to set us back as far as possible, every single time.
  • “To tie your well respected brand to such a visibly horrible individual is a just a shockingly poor decision on all fronts. There are other published Harry Potter games out there – but I can see many of them being made before – or whilst – Rowling gestated into the frightful transphobe she’s become. CGE’s attempt to have a bite of the apple has likely been created entirely within this era of blatant, all-out transphobia.
• The Tabletop Game Designers Association also released a statement on the matter which they concluded by saying:
  • “We urge CGE to reconsider their plans to release Codenames: Back to Hogwarts, or at least dedicate a portion of the proceeds to organizations such as The Trevor Project to offset licensing fees that flow back to Rowling.”
• CGE went so far as to block some accounts that were being critical of them. They also turned off commenting on many of their posts announcing the game. 
• Rowling has publicly stated that money from royalty checks goes towards funding campaigns that target Trans people, has denounced the stars of her films for standing up for Trans rights and has generally used all the power at her disposal to attack the trans community in the UK and beyond. 
• It is worth noting that CGE have made a previous version of Harry Potter-themed codenames in 2018. This was just on the cusp of Rowling starting to go down the anti-trans route.
• In the most recent developments, a number of designers who had spoken out about CGE were contacted by the company.
• One of them is Marceline Leiman, designer of High Tides, who confirmed this in a Bluesky post dated 30th of July.
• On the same day, CGE posted this on Bluesky and other social media platforms:
  • We’re grateful to everyone who engaged with us over the past few days and took the time to share their perspectives.
  • At CGE, our aim was never to cause harm, and we acknowledge that, with our recent Codenames announcement, we have. We are working hard within our constraints to find the best way forward and we will update you as soon as we can.
  • We understand that what we have done has caused distress, and are working towards a concrete solution with several members of the affected communities.
  • Please bear with us as we figure this out.
• The story is clearly still developing, and we will bring you updates when we get them

Gamefound Acquires Indiegogo

https://gamefound.com/en/blog/post/gamefound-acquires-indiegogo

• On the 23rd of July, Indiegogo, the global crowdfunding platform, announced it had been acquired by Gamefound, a rival platform in the space. 
• Gamefound was founded in 2016 in Poland by Marcin Świerkot and Szymon Matyjaszek and began as a pledge manager for Awaken Realms. Since then, it has evolved into a full-featured crowdfunding platform with a focus on tabletop games.
• The acquisition brings together Indiegogo’s 38 million-member community with Gamefound’s experience in tabletop crowdfunding, which saw it raise over $165 million in 2024, hosting eight of the ten biggest tabletop campaigns.
• As part of the merger, all of Indiegogo’s crowdfunding categories will be migrated to Gamefound’s proprietary infrastructure, including over 20 payment methods, integrated pledge and late pledge tools, multilingual and mobile support, and built-in analytics.
• Indiegogo will also adopt Gamefound’s flat 5% fee and its tipping policy, which gives 100% of tips directly to creators.
• Indiegogo and Gamefound will continue to run in parallel, but campaigns will be discoverable across both sites, and users will be able to log in with either set of credentials.
• In a statement, Indiegogo CEO Julie dePontbriand, who will remain in their role, said this of the merger:
  • “It’s time for crowdfunding to be a forward-facing industry again. Gamefound’s technology is unrivalled, and we’re thrilled to bring it to Indiegogo’s diverse community. Together, we’re making crowdfunding more innovative, creator-friendly, and exciting than ever before.”
• Marcin Świerkot, who will become Group CEO, added this:
  • “I strongly believe our success so far is a result of our simple philosophy – we need to have at least a 2x better platform than the next competitor. Friendly and intuitive for backers, professional and reliable for creators. Our tech team is working extremely hard and shipping new features every 2 weeks – I could not be more proud of their focus and discipline!”
• The acquisition comes at a time of economic uncertainty for the board game industry, with proposed tariffs on Chinese manufacturing creating concern among publishers. While a lawsuit was filed in April by several tabletop companies in an attempt to block the tariffs, the impact remains uncertain. Nonetheless, Gamefound reports continued growth and stable backer engagement.

Itch bans NSFW content

itch.io
https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content

• Itch.io is an games site where many tabletop RPGs can be found alongside works of fiction, computer games, comics and much more. It is preferred by many creators as it takes a smaller cut of sales than sites like Drivethrurpg or Steam. 
• Recently it has caused headaches for many of its clients as it moved to ban content it saw as not safe for work commonly abbreviated as nsfw. 
• On July the 24th they put a statement on the site saying this
  • We have “deindexed” all adult NSFW content from our browse and search pages. We understand this action is sudden and disruptive, and we are truly sorry for the frustration and confusion caused by this change.
  • Recently, we came under scrutiny from our payment processors regarding the nature of some content hosted on itch.io. Due to a game titled No Mercy, which was temporarily available on itch.io before being banned back in April, the organization Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and itch.io, directing concerns to our payment processors about the nature of certain content found on both platforms.
  • Our ability to process payments is critical for every creator on our platform. To ensure that we can continue to operate and provide a marketplace for all developers, we must prioritize our relationship with our payment partners and take immediate steps towards compliance.
  • This is a time critical moment for itch.io. The situation developed rapidly, and we had to act urgently to protect the platform’s core payment infrastructure. Unfortunately, this meant it was not realistic to provide creators with advance notice before making this change. We know this is not ideal, and we apologize for the abruptness of this change.
• They go onto explain that this course of action will see some work removed permanently from itch, and that new procedures will have to come in to approve their work if using certain payment providers. 
• Itch went further and has actually stopped payment to accounts violating their new policy. 
• Steam, the online pc store, has also come under similar scrutiny from their payment providers but their reaction has been less extreme due to the more closed nature of their ecosystem. 
• This scrutiny from payment processors has come at the hands of an organisation called Collective Shout. The organisation says this about their aims
  • Collective Shout is a grassroots campaigns movement against the objectification of women and the sexualisation of girls.
  • Collective Shout is for anyone concerned about the increasing pornification of culture and the way its messages have become entrenched in mainstream society, presenting distorted and dishonest ideas about women and girls, sexuality and relationships.
• This recent campaign came about because of a game called No Mercy that was banned by many platforms worldwide for its depiction of sexual violence against women. 
• The Collective Shout claims that they are not responsible for itch removing all NSFW content. They say
  • We called on Itch.io to remov e rape and incest games that we argued normalised violence and abuse of women. Itch.io made the decision to remove all NSFW content. Our objections were to content that involved sexualised violence and torture of women.
• The group has long held that there is a connection between violence in video games and other media and that committed in real life. 
• The decision by itch to remove this NSFW content has left many wondering about leaving the site permanently. That itch has not accurately defined what they mean by NSFW content has left creators fearful that their money could be suddenly taken away from them for a perceived violation of the rules.

Updates

Diamond

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/60125/diamond-moves-sell-diamond-uk-employee-group
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/60161/new-filings-diamond-consignment-dispute-sparkle-pop-amends-complaint-against-alliance-entertainment

• As we reported previously, Diamond Distribution, one of the largest distribution companies for comics and RPGs in North America, ran into financial difficulties earlier in the year and was declared bankrupt. Since then, the company has been in the news a few more times, most recently for asking a court to allow it to sell any stock in its warehouses in order to pay off creditors
• Well, the bankruptcy saga continues, with Diamond trying to find money to cover its debts.
• On the 24th of July, Diamond Comic Distributors filed a motion in court to get approval to sell its shares in Diamond UK to an employee-led group from the UK subsidiary. The shares are currently held by Comic Exporters and Comic Holdings, both subsidiaries of Diamond.
• According to the court filing, investment bank Raymond James negotiated with a number of bidders for the sale of the shares, and the employee group submitted the most favourable offer at $2.1 million.
• Although Universal Distribution had initially included an option to acquire Diamond UK in its initial offer, it didn’t make it into the final purchase agreement for Alliance Game Distributors.
• The court has set a hearing for the 18th of August to consider the motion, following a period in which creditors may file objections.
• That’s not all though. No, not at all. We also have an update on the bid by Diamond to sell stock in its warehouses.
• On the 29th of July, two groups of creditors filed legal documents addressing the ongoing dispute over whether Diamond may seize and sell consignment inventory stored in its warehouses. The Ad Hoc Committee of Consigners, which includes two game publishers and nine comic publishers, filed a motion to suspend Diamond’s request, citing unresolved questions of inventory ownership.
• The motion argues that a full legal process, including service of complaints, discovery, and possible appeals, is necessary before any such sale can proceed.
• A separate filing from the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors called for a quick resolution of the dispute, because they are worried that a lengthy legal battle is going to eat into the little money that is left in Diamond’s accounts.
• Also on the 29th of July, Sparkle Pop LLC, the company that bought some of the assets of Diamond Comic Distributors and Diamond Select, filed an amended complaint against Alliance Entertainment.
• The new filing added a fifth count, alleging that Alliance violated the non-disclosure agreement it signed during the acquisition process by soliciting or hiring Diamond employees. Seven employees were reportedly hired, and the complaint suggests that Alliance may be preparing to compete directly with Sparkle Pop’s business.
• Alliance Entertainment had originally been awarded the assets of both Diamond Comic Distributors and Alliance Game Distributors, but later cancelled the agreement and filed a l awsuit after discovering that Wizards of the Coast would not continue supplying Alliance Game Distributors.

News

Zatu denies exploitative environment claims

Reddit post that was deleted – link to Web Archive / Way Back Machine saved version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250427174157/https://www.reddit.com/r/Norwich/comments/1k5xipq/experiences_with_employment_at_zatu_games/

• As reported by board game news website BoardGameWire on the 21st of July, Zatu Games, one of the UK’s largest board game retailers, has been accused of exploiting low-paid apprentices and fostering a toxic workplace environment.
• Former employees have taken to sites such as Indeed and Glassdoor to describe workplace practices they found troubling
• On Indeed, one review noted high turnover and described how management focused strictly on productivity targets. In another Indeed review, a warehouse operative described Zatu as “awful to work for,” citing sudden dismissals during festive seasons and an overly heavy focus on key performance indicators.
• In addition, a Reddit user with the handle Delicious-Mine-9589 posted in the site’s forum r/Norwich to talk about the working conditions.
• The post has since been deleted, but we were able to retrieve an earlier version using the Web Archive, in which Delicious-Mine-9589 had this to say:
  • “Had an absolutely horrific experience. Had to practically beg to get my contract sent over (it never did), absolutely zero communication company wide […]. Each and every mistake made by an employee is scrutinised to death. […] Towards the end a manager sat me down to discuss my KPI’s. This involved picking 120 units of product off the shelf each hour, in a massive warehouse. When I explained to him this was simply not possible given the other responsibilities I had, I got berated. It was at this point I decided to walk out and never return.”
• Zatu Games vehemently rejected the accusations made by employees.
• David Budd, Commercial Director at Zatu Games, said this to BoardGameWire:
  • “We take our apprenticeship programme seriously – it’s one of the most important ways we offer people a genuine entry point into the tabletop and board game industry, which can otherwise be difficult to access, and we’re proud to help bring fresh talent into the sector.
  • “An apprenticeship is, by its very nature, a fixed-term programme. It provides a year to 18 months of hands-on experience alongside structured learning, mentoring, and regular feedback, but it doesn’t automatically guarantee a permanent role at the end. That’s true across most businesses who offer apprenticeships.”
• Budd stressed that all practices, including staffing levels and operational demands, comply with UK regulations and apprenticeship frameworks.
• Budd also said that performance expectations were typical of retail operations and denied any misuse of the government-supported apprenticeship scheme. He emphasised that Zatu is committed to offering fulfilling roles and training opportunities across the organisation.

Games Workshop rides high 

https://investor.games-workshop.com/news-posts/annualreport2025

• On the 29th of July, Games Workshop PLC, owners and makers of the various Warhammer IPs, released their annual report.
• Coming off another year of great success, the Nottingham-based firm, now in its 50th year, reported a 17.5% increase in total revenue, now totalling £617.5m, and an Operating profit of £261.3m. This period was also the time when GW entered the FTSE100
• Direct sales through Warhammer stores is down 5.2% on the previous report, but £90.6m came from online sales.
• This 365-day period also saw 30 stores opened and 8 closed- bringing the total to 570 stores in 24 countries, as well as an increase in subscribers to its Warhammer+ service and more MyWarhammer account users.
• The report also highlighted that the US tariffs may result in £12m profit reduction in the next report, but that the company is still focused on “long term growth, not short term results” and “ Staff pay and record profit share maintained” and they’re ”ahead of schedule on climate goals”
• Mark Lam, Non-executive chairman at Games Workshop, said:
  • “We saw record sales in our core business and a bumper year of licensing income, delivering the best financial results in our company’s history.”
  • “Our ‘forever’ ethos is fundamental – we take decisions for the long term, not to make next week’s numbers look good.”
  • “We don’t need huge spreadsheets of customer data or complicated data algorithms. We know. And we know because we stay close to our fans and customers.

Diana Jones Award 2025 Winners Announced

• On the 30th of July, the committee of the Diana Jones Award, the annual award for ‘Excellence in Gaming’ that is given out to everything from individual games to entire conventions, announced the 2025 winners.
• Yes, you heard it right: winners – plural.
• While normally only one winner is selected from the many nominations, this year, the committee announced a tie, naming both Daybreak and author Rose Estes as joint recipients of the 2025 award.
• Daybreak, by designers Matt Leacock and Matteo Menapace, is a cooperative game about the climate crisis and reflects both the scale of the challenge and the potential for global cooperation.
• The Diana Jones Award committee praised the game for offering a rare sense of hope in the context of climate change, describing it as “inspirational” and “scientifically accurate”. In addition to its thematic ambitions, Daybreak was recognised for its innovative use of environmentally sustainable components and its emphasis on community-driven solutions as much as technological ones.
• Additionally, Rose Estes, was honoured for her foundational contributions to gaming literature. Estes was one of the first employees at TSR, and among the few women at the company in its early years and wrote the original Endless Quest novel in her own time using a non-linear, pick-a-path format. She later wrote many additional titles and now operates the Hauser Gallery in Seal Rock, Oregon. In 2022, she was inducted into the GAMA Hall of Fame.
• The winners were announced during the annual Diana Jones Award ceremony in Indianapolis, traditionally held ahead of the Gen Con Indy convention.
• Finalists for this year’s award included journalist Charlie Hall and the tabletop news platform Rascal News. More information on their nominations can be found on the 2025 Award page, a link to which you can find in the show notes.

Obituaries

Ace of Aces designer Al Leonardi passed away

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3542362/passing-of-al-leonardi

https://www.potterfuneralhome.com/obituaries/alfred-leonardi/#!/Obituary

• On the 12th of July, Alfred John Leonardi, board game designer, teacher, and founder of Nova Game Designs, passed away peacefully after a long illness at the age of 86.
• Leonardi was known for his pioneering work on Ace of Aces, a revolutionary pictorial system for simulating World War I aerial combat. After five years of development, the patented format was met with acclaim from fans and military pilots alike. It would go on to be inducted into the Origins Awards Hall of Fame in 1993 and became a foundational title for Nova Game Designs
• He was widely respected not only for his contributions to the board game industry but also for his deep generosity, humour, and enduring commitment to those around him. He is remembered fondly by his many friends, colleagues, students, and the broader gaming community.
• Nova Game Designs has confirmed it will continue to publish Leonardi’s classic and unreleased designs, in tribute to a man whose games brought joy to generations and whose legacy will long endure.
• The Brainwaves team’s thoughts are with family and loved ones.

Jobs, Opportunities, and Events

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TabletopJobs

Playfest London

https://www.minervatabletop.co.uk/playfest

• Playfest London is an all-day board game playtesting event in South London organised by Scott Lowe-James, owner of Minerva Games and designer of Swatch.
• This is their fourth annual Playfest London event, which started in 2022 and is growing every year.
• This year’s special guest is Matteo Menapace, co-designer of 2024’s Spiel des Jahres winner Daybreak and lecturer in game design, will be in attendance to talk about his experiences, answer questions, and to playtest one of his prototypes.
• Venue: The Bedford, Balham
  Date: September 28th 2025
  Time: 11am – 7pm
• Tickets
  Designer: 2 hour playtesting slot – £10
  Playtester: All-day gaming – FREE

Patreon Shoutouts

Kevin Bertram

James Naylor

https://naylorgames.com

Shaun Newan
game-a-lot.fun/en
facebook.com/gamealotboardgames

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