Publishing giant Ravensburger and the French start-up Wizama are working together to further merge analogue and digital worlds. From now on there are two Ravensburger-Classics available on a new game console: Wizama has named its interactive game pad “Square One” on which you can play board games like you would on a “real” game board.
Wizama is a startup company founded in 2017 by Franck Botta, CEO and research engineer at Technicolor; Florent Guitton, operations director and former project manager at Thomson, and Damien Botta, CRO and former HR management consultant. The declared mission: to connect the board game world with that of video games. The result is the board game tablet "Square One", a new type of console that essentially functions as a digital game board.
Digital board game with haptic elements
The interactive tablet functions as part of the board game experience and is not intended to completely monopolize the gameplay. So players continue to use physical components, such as cards or figures, and then drag them across the “Square One” screen instead of on a classic game board. Players have to choose one of the supported titles and first place a frame around the game board, in this way playing cards can then be scanned, for example.
This is exactly where the publisher Ravensburger comes into play, offering the classics Labyrinth and Pharaoh on Wizama's high-tech playing field. Ravensburger has concluded a corresponding license agreement with the French start-up.
Wizama adapts classic board games for the interactive screen in order to be able to offer players an immersive adventure in which the haptic experience of board games can be supplemented with other effects, such as sound. Basically, this board is also a kind Hybrid game, so how to get similar concepts from hybrid or Rudy Games knows - the orientation is nevertheless completely different. Instead of mini-games, Wizama's "game board" actually functions as such.
An advantage of "Square One": In contrast to purely online formats, players actually sit opposite each other at the table, interacting with each other in reality and physically. With the board game console, Wizema has created an open system that currently contains 15 game titles and can be expanded.
For Thomas Zumbühl, International Category Director Games at Ravensburger, it is the perfect platform to further develop international product brands such as Labyrinth or Pharaoh and offer them in a variety of ways. Both titles are among the most internationally successful family games Ravensburger. Wizama has presented its innovative project at several shows and festivals such as the International Games Festival (Cannes, France), UK Games Expo, Japan Expo, Gamescom (Cologne, Germany) and (Munich, Germany). The idea made it to the final at the Electronica Award 2018 and won several awards the following year, including the US Design Award and the award in the “Best Gaming Product” category at CES. Wizama is based in Brittany.
The board game console "Square One" is currently being crowdfunded via Kickstarter. There, the start-up has now exceeded the targeted financing amount of 50.000 euros. So far, more than 330 supporters have invested around 160.000 euros Wizama's Square One campaign underway but until December 15th.
The board game console is innovative, but not particularly cheap. Wizama calls around 500 euros as the standard pledge, which then includes ten games. If you also want additional equipment, such as special dice, you have to dig deeper into your pocket. By the way: Not only old board games find their way onto the new console. Also titles like Cthulhu Wars or Kosmos' Kennerspiel des Jahres The crew can be played on the "Square One".
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