Hotel, The mysteries of Beijing, Panic at the mansion… If these names mean nothing to you, you probably didn’t grow up in the 1990s (or you had a very sad childhood). Lansay chose to come out these cult board games. Same Hotel whose goal is to cover the planet with cement to build buildings? Yes. Same The race for inheritance and his dubious ageist morals? Yes. Same The mysteries of Beijing and his racist puns. Yes yes…
“It’s the 1990s, it doesn’t always work,” admits Corinne Grenet, Product and Marketing Director at Lansay. A few years ago, we came out The high roller, which was a hit in 1995. And it was a complete flop. The name has not passed, the concept had aged: spending money on futile things. We must be attentive to the new expectations and aspirations of today’s parents. »
So why bring out those old games? Simply because they are likely to sell like hot cakes and installing them at a multi-generational gaming table is almost always synonymous with success. “When children become parents, they like to rediscover their memories. With each generation, we like to share our games with our own children, explains Corinne Grenet. And then these are reassuring products, safe bets. With a game that we already know, we know why we spend our money and that we will enjoy playing it. »
Two dice and millions of euros
With more than 30 million boxes sold in 2021 and an annual increase of more than 15% in recent years (and – what does not spoil anything – margins of more than 40%, one of a kind in the world of publishing), board games are a pillar of French cultural industries. The country has two giants, Hachette and Asmodée. To these we must add a host of smaller publishers, even toddlers, who feed the ecosystem with their creations.
Despite this french touch playful, top bestselling games remains marked by the same titles for decades: Monopoly, Scrabble, Cluedo, Uno… “These great classics continue to sell very well whatever happens, explains Pierre-François Periquet, Communication Manager France at Hasbro. There are about ten games that are absolute classics. They are recognized by the regularity of sales. The good pay Where Power 4, it is around 200,000 copies each year. For some games, we release versions with “portage”. For example, there have been Monopoly Fortnite Where Stranger Things recently. We adapt to fashion to make the brand last. Although I think the Monopoly will always be there…”
Adapt and go through the Reissue box
“We do not copy and paste, defends herself, however, Corinne Grenet, from Lansay. You still have to adapt to today’s children. For The mysteries of Beijing, we created a version with more fantasy, ghosts… Often, we change the design of the board, the characters, to modernize them. And when we can, we lighten the rules so that the games are shorter. Because today people have less time for family games. A game of more than 40 minutes is too much. »
These changes in player habits have been a chance for several new games and publishers who have successfully launched new titles. Yoann Laurent, creator and director from the company Black Rock Gamesedit for example Crack List, skyjo or White Eat Coco. Games with phenomenal success… “These games have great potential, acknowledges Yoann Laurent. They are reminiscent of classics like the One and reassure the general public. And for the players, rather than offering a Monopoly to friends who do not play, there is the possibility of bringing out these very fun games, the rules of which you learn by playing. »
From the aperitif to the Intermarché, itinerary of a successful game
These games, sometimes called “aperitif”, also have the merit of attracting new customers to the world of board games. A trend accelerated by confinement, which has seen demand explode. “There are a lot of fairly recent games that have made themselves known to a wider audience than just experts,” says Yoann Laurent. The environment has become more democratic thanks to the development of game bars, fun events, festivals… And above all the network of specialized shops. »
Vanessa, a saleswoman in a game store in Lille, prides herself on selling “almost always recent games rather than Monopoly “. His recipe? “Tell a game. Today’s games are packed with emotion. When, frankly, everyone is bored with a Thousand mile stones. »
“The classic route to a successful game is through word of mouth initiated by specialist stores,” explains Yoann Laurent. This is where it all begins, and where we publishers focus our efforts with sales people in constant contact with them. You also have to be at trade shows, especially those that give out prizes. Some games, like 7 Wonders, Dixit, Colt Express Where Rail adventurers, have built their success on these prestigious awards. And finally, if the game is really a success, it can integrate the GSS (specialized supermarkets, Fnac or Cultura type) and even the GSA (supermarkets food). There are more and more brands that are opening up to board games…”
New classics, old players
But what is a good sale for a board game? A publisher generally covers his costs from 5,000 copies. But below 30,000 copies sold the year of the launch, the game is likely not to settle and disappear from the shops. On the other hand, a game with 100,000 copies is considered a big success.
Thus, in recent years, board games have become new classics that are developing in multiple extensions: Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan… “These games paved the way for modern board games, which affect adults, continues the creator of Black Rock Games. About twenty years ago, these titles, with a very important mathematical and statistical side, affected a very particular socio-professional category: computer scientists, engineers, teachers…”
We are talking here about ex-geeks, who have become parents, and who allow the success of many cultural universes, in particular science fiction and fantasy, but who are also very conservative in their tastes. “It’s true that I sell the fourth extension more easily Zombicide Where 7 Wonders a totally new game, sighs Vanessa. However, there are some incredible new features: Imaginarium, Iki, LivingForest… But the game is also a collector’s environment, and not everyone wants to learn new rules all the time…”
Return of the HeroQuest
“Trying to create new classics takes a lot of work,” explains Pierre-François Periquet. There are between 2,000 and 3,000 games that come out per year, and there are 10% max that remain. ” For a Code Names or one Unlock, recent huge hits, there are hundreds of games that disappear from the shelves a few months after their release. But who knows? Maybe they will come back in a few years…
It is the strange fate of Hero Quest, a cult miniatures game from the 1990s released in 2022, where players embody heroes – warrior, dwarf, magician… – who face monsters in a dungeon. Disappeared five years after its release, the game had kept an aura among some heroic fantasy fans. In the 2010s, attempts at a new edition had failed. But in 2020, Hasbro bought the brand and launched a kickstarter to gauge the wait. “We quickly understood that the enthusiasm would allow us to release the game in stores, says Pierre-François Periquet. The game is expensive: 100 euros today against 50 francs at the time. We are targeting adult collectors but we also have the ambition to introduce children who have never played it, because the game, cooperative before it became fashionable, remains very modern. We are also taking advantage of the renewed interest in fantasy. Now, we are preparing a completely new extension for 2023! Even dead and buried, the games of the 1990s are coming back to haunt the gaming tables.