The modern board game market is indispensable without Asmodee: The company has been around for three decades – and there's a story behind its success. It all began with three friends and an idea.
The Witcher – The Old World, Dune Imperium: Uprising, Marvel Zombies, and numerous Star Wars games – without Asmodee, nothing would work in the world of board game licensing today. And three decades after its founding, the company is also enjoying success in other areas. According to the company, Asmodee in numbers translates to over 110 million games sold per year – the titles come from over 20 game studios and over 20 distribution units. The giant currently has 2.200 employees. Personnel growth has picked up significantly since 2018. In that year, Asmodee welcomed its 1.000th employee – just seven years later, the number of employees has more than doubled. Two years after its launch in Germany (2010), Asmodee had a real hit: Dobble. The fast-paced game has sold around 45 million copies. Asmodee now has a broad portfolio, sells collectible card games, is even gradually developing its own game, Star Wars Unlimited, is bringing games to market for children, families, connoisseurs and experts, is working on projects related to role-playing games and tabletop games – and, with its in-house studio Gamegenic, is running its own line of accessories to support particularly popular games with bells and whistles.
Asmodess Holy Trinity: Exploding Kittens, Dobble and Ticket to Ride
Three product lines can be considered a holy trinity: In addition to Dobble, Exploding Kittens and the games of the Ticket to Ride series are also real hits in a portfolio that also includes over 4.000 products. Asmodee recently completed its IPO on Nasdaq Stockholm – thus celebrating another milestone. On January 7, Embracer's extraordinary general meeting resolved to distribute Asmodee's shares to Embracer's shareholders. Shareholders registered on February 5, the record date, thus received one Asmodee share for each Embracer share held. The total number of Asmodee shares outstanding is 233.692.028.
"Over the past 30 years, Asmodee has grown into a global market leader in board games – with a unique network that connects some of the industry's most recognized brands with our worldwide distribution model, both for our own games and those of our partners," said Thomas Koegler, CEO of Asmodee. The listing on Nasdaq Stockholm is a milestone in this 30-year journey and will further support future growth.
"I am very proud of our teams, whose dedication, hard work, and passion made this day and the beginning of this new chapter possible. With our unique portfolio, as well as the strong interest in board games from the entire entertainment industry, we see numerous opportunities to continue our profitable growth together with our shareholders. Together, we will continue to create exceptional shared gaming experiences for people all over the world," said Kogler. However, with the IPO, the pressure to succeed increases even for a company the size of Asmodee. After all, shareholders want to be satisfied. The balance sheets must be right. And the gaming giant is doing a lot to achieve this. The Heidelberg-based games publisher has long been part of Asmodee, as have Lookout and Blackfire. The gaming giant, with its German headquarters in the gaming capital of Essen, recently entered into partnerships with the RPG studio Edge as well as with Ares, Ulisses, and Moose Toys. New releases included: For example, Asmodee will launch a German version of the Star Wars pen and paper game. Genre fans have been hoping for this for many years.
Asmodee should become more visible
Asmodee's Marketing Director Birthe Hestermann explains that the company has built a strong presence in the business-to-business sector over the past decades, but now also has a new focus on direct consumer relationships. For example, Asmodee was more prominent at SPIEL'24, says Hestermann. "And we want to continue on this path." Asmodee is to be expanded as a brand for gamers. "You can expect a lot in this area," promises Hestermann. Asmodee Germany CEO Udo Fischer also points to the SPIEL in Essen: Asmodee is much more visible there – according to Fischer, without having booked additional space. In other words: Asmodee doesn't need more space in Essen, but has significantly adapted its brand presence to generate more attention among gamers. The individual game studios are a fundamental part of this. "Our DNA is the studios," says Fischer. "They are the creative minds; that's where the wonderful games come from."
With Star Wars product lines that run for years and bold projects like the beginner-friendly Trading Card Game Altered Asmodee has hot irons in the fire, but at the same time shows that they are tackling game lines where success is uncertain.
No rework, but a big step of change is coming from Star Wars Unlimited in March, when the next set of the trading card game, "Shift to Lightspeed," is released. Changed pull rates for Legendary cards, a limited collector's line, new accessories, and, of course, three new game mechanics could entice all those fans who may have taken a break after the rather weak set "Decline of the Republic" to pick up the trading card game again. Thematically, it returns to the classic trilogy and thus to the beginnings of Star Wars Unlimited. Quite a few fans still consider the premiere set to be the best. The new twist: lots of spaceships. The idea could work – and Star Wars Unlimited thus bringing it back into more direct competition with Ravensburger Disney Lorcana.
Fans can expect several new releases this year, including the family game "For the Crown" from Repos and "The Shadow Theater" from Space Cowboys. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - The Trick-Taking Game is a strong license, building on the fantastic two-player game The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth. The board game The Lord of the Rings: The Fate of the Fellowship from ZMAN Games, scheduled for release in summer 2025, should be no less interesting. The fantasy theme will then meet Matt Leacock's popular Pandemic system, which has previously worked well for Star Wars and World of Warcraft. Ultimately, Asmodee's lineup is a good mix of sequels and add-on content for tried-and-tested, popular games (Mischwald, Dune Imperium, Great Wester Trail), but there is also a noticeable focus on standalone titles: Horrible Therapist from Exploding Kittens could be a hit, as could Critter Kitchen as the spiritual successor to Flamecraft.
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