US trade tariffs cast a long shadow over the board game industry, but new interviews with significant industry figures reveal the anxieties and fears facing manufacturers and developers.
In an interview with The New York Times, Price Johnson, the chief operating officer (COO) of Cephalofair Games, stated that taxes on imports to the US are causing the company's traditional pricing models to disintegrate. Cephalofair, known for producing the fantasy hit Gloomhaven, was forced to leave product worth $1.2 million (£0.89 million) at a Chinese port for approximately two months due to financial and logistical uncertainty caused by US tariffs.
Also in discussion with The New York Times, John Stacey, the executive director of the Game Manufacturers Association, offered a grim forecast for the US board games industry. Stacey outlined declining exhibitor numbers at board game conventions and went on to suggest that many of the companies behind the best board games may be out of business in as little as six months.
This follows our earlier report concerning board game publisher CMON, which issued a profit warning on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on August 21. The warning predicted an estimated equity loss between six and eight million US dollars due to "rising costs of living" and US tariffs. CMON is known for major titles like Zombicide, Blood Rage and Cthulhu: Death May Die, though the publisher was forced to sell the rights to numerous properties back in May.
Johnson has been vocal in his criticism of US trade policy. On the temporary tariff pause earlier this year, the COO remarked that the measure "doesn't get my praise or thanks. That's more/less the bare minimum step to avoid pandemic-level trade disruption."
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