The actual situation

The sudden confinement due to the coronavirus has brought us to a halt in the retail market, and board games, although to a lesser extent than other sectors, have also been seriously affected. Let's go on to analyze the most relevant points:

1. The massive closure of retail establishments (specialty stores, department stores, etc.) has paralyzed the gaming distribution sector.
   

2. The strong demand for home entertainment has made online sales have risen, but in any case estas Sales have not offset the closing of distribution in physical stores.
   

3. The closure of physical stores has also caused a decline in sales at publishers, which jeopardize their annual accounts for a few months of difficult results and a short-term market with damaged purchasing power.
   

4. The amount of time at home and the proliferation of digital culture has promoted the use of digital tabletop platforms and PnP games, and the inability to physically play with friends is changing the habits of fans.
   

5. Most publishers have canceled or delayed their publications this year due to confinement and falling sales, as well as the difficulty of being able to produce cheaply in delocalized markets due to global confinement and closure of borders and international transport. .

From these five points it is not difficult to clarify that many companies in the sector (stores, publishers, distributors, manufacturers, etc.) will have a difficult few months with strong treasury tensions. The lack of purchasing power of consumers and the lack of new titles will significantly lower sales in the coming months.

The Post Covid-19 Consumer

The University School of Commerce and Distribution (ESCODI) has recently carried out a survey led by professor in Consumer Psychology Alberto Vinyals, whose conclusion has been that 75% of the participants assure that they want consumerism to be reduced and more than 60% they are rethinking their needs.

Although online sales of board games have risen due to confinement and the temporary closure of stores sphysicalIn this same survey, 42% of the participants assure that they will buy less online when the health alert ends and only 17% affirm that they will buy more through digital platforms than they did before confinement. Professor Vinyals interprets these data as one of the consumer's need to rediscover the most social part of his consumption.

Physical stores, when they can open, are likely to have a rebound in clientes looking for a more humane experience, close and with greater added value, but it is likely that their compulsive or seasonal sales will be reduced. This type of consumption trends are being included in a current that is beginning to be known as post-materialism.

Cshare so much time at home is attracting new players, since the coexisting family environment is for now the only one that can share un board game traditional, so regular players are atdragging more familiar to this hobby.

Another point in favor of the future of games in the medium term is the fact that the children of the house need new leisure experiences in anspace reduced how is the house. Every more and more families areare interesting for starting or expanding your playroom at home, especially for the little ones. Muy good news for a leisure thatis increasingly booming.

Creatives don't hold back their creativity

Despite the slowdown, we all know that the minds of creatives do not stop, and less when you have so much time at home to be able to dedicate to your creations. That is why, although the publishing sector is or is going to go through a predictable crisis, the creativity sector is booming with many very good and interesting projects wanting to come to light.

It is likely that never before have there been so many games in the creative chamber of our country, waiting for their turn to come to light and be published.

The authors of board games they will see as in the next months will be difficult I'll findditorials willings or with the ability to publish muchos news games. Most publishers get it now try to pull stock, recoup investment and minimize risks in a market with a lot of uncertainty.

Lthe importance of the “evergreen”

In marketing, the term evergreen refers to those timeless titles that manage to last over time, without becoming obsolete, generating constant sales over the years. Reissue after reissue these games become classics that always sell and therefore safe values ​​for publishers who were lucky enough to bet on them.

Not all publishers have an evergreen in their catalog, and even less those with more than one. Most of the editorial sales are novelties that they sell for the fact of being, but they become part of our most cornered toy library as soon as we have other novelties that call us more.

Evergreen also have the power to be the preferred purchase for those new players who come into the world and are advised by the most experienced, or have heard other people talk about the most famous board games. In difficult times having this type of titles in catalog is a sure value that they continue to provide their publishers with constant and more or less fixed sales and predeemable. Definitely a great oxygen balloon.

The opportunity of the editorial moment

If you are not one of the lucky publishers with classics in their catalog, you surely need apostar for sales of news. How No. seize a moment A) Yes? Less plocations, mmore authors creating good games and more and more players demanding leisure at home.

Everything seems to indicate that it is time to get news, get ready a the Christmas campaign, a new course with kids with more time at home, a summer without too many trips ... but limited investment capacity and the need to minimize risks can limit our possibilities. Come on a give a series of keys to overcome this barrier:

1. This is not the time for big investments, minimize risk. Bet on more or less simple production games, with low investment requirements and with popular final prices that bring your product closer to the widest possible audience. There are very good games that do not need a large display of media.
   

2. Minimize your investment everything possible. Ouror world It is full of multipotential people capable of developing a game, testing it, debugging it, making their protos at home and testing them with their own, editing it and there are even people capable of illustrating it, preparing it for printing y translate it if necessary. There are somebThey have their own videos, tutorials, reviews and even have their own podcast. We are surrounded by incredible people, multipotentials that are worth their weight in gold.
   If you are a multipotential creative, congratulations, your level of editorial sovereignty and business resiliencel puts you in an important position of advantage andn the market. If you are not, nor do you have such a person in your team, you are taking time to incorporate it, it will be your best investment in years and more in the current times.
   

3. Minimize your roll. We could include this section perhaps in the first, even in the second, but due to its importance it deserves its own section. Do not make copies of your game as if there was no tomorrow, the margin of sale sometimes is not everything, and nots good make 2000 copies of your game to become your new sofa. Bet on a short run, test your product on the market and if it goes well, you will have time to reprint and thus be able to invest knowing that you will recover your dinero in a reasonable time.
   

4. Bet on the Minimum Viable Product (better known by MVP in its acronym in English) as a rule of thumb when developing your game. Standardizes everything possible andn components, cut everything that is superfluous or not necessary (be careful, do not overdo it, there are things that although they are not aesthetically functional they contribute a lot), minimize the economic and ecological impact of su production and brings a product to the market with a high recreational value, a great value of social and environmental responsibility andl lowest possible price. No you don't need a huge box ni boards gigantes with muchs folds and two million custom tokens, tokens and dice. Perhaps with a more modest box, including cardboard, a contained board, cubes or tokens on standard plates and generic dice, your game is also a great game and costs a quarter.
   

5. Si your liquidity is not enough, finance your publication. You have several ways: get a minimum print run of 50 units and if you like to do a pre-sale campaign later, bet directly on a crowdfunding, sponsors, take a small loan and risk controlled amounts or, if you are someone with experience putting your games on the market, bet on negotiating a deferred payment for production knowing that you will know howplace it short term for gspawn the sales you need and so face the payments. Entrepreneurship is taking risks, and in the business world of publishing and desktop publishing we know it every time we decide to bet on a new game. Fortunately, unlike other products, board games do not have an expiration date and you will always have new opportunities with the same product.

Everything tofinalized In this article, Troquel Games has led us to make a series of far-reaching decisions in our company. Changes in the production line, in the working methods, in the business philosophies and in the relationships with clients, suppliers and collaborating companies in order to be able to support our sector in ehese moments tan difficult.

That is why, as of May 1, 2020, El Troquel disappears as a craft workshop and Troquel Games takes over as a more industrialized and specialized production. Thanks to all the experience accumulated during all these years and all los cambios made, right now we can offer you a series of advantages that can help you publish your game even in the most ccomplicated:

1. Our minimum print run is 50 units at industrial production price and with a free quality confirmation prototype.
   

2. We give you our best price from the first moment, that's why from 50 to 1000 units you will always have the same production price, the best qWhat can we offer youregardless of the units you needeif you decide to do.
   

3. We advise you, we accompany you and we help you to ensure that your project succeeds. We put all our experience and our strategic position consolidated during these years, at your disposal so that you have the best support.
   

4. We finance your production in case you need it. If you are a professional in our sector with a proven solvency knowing how to place your games on the market, we finance your production in comfortable terms of up to 6 months without interest. We risk you because we believe in you.
   

5. We help you sell your games putting at your disposal our online store, payment gateways and logistics. Further, we take over the warranty of our products at no cost to you.

For all this, and despite the current situation, Publishing a board game has never been easier In our country. With the best quality, the lowest risk, all the professional support of a company committed to our sector, our society, our team and you.

Get in touch with us if you want to publish your game and we will help you in every possible way to draw up the best plan for your project.