Just announced today, game publishers Asmodee and Fantasy Flight Games are merging. This follows a merger earlier in the year of Asmodee and Days of Wonder.
Fantasy Flight Games, Asmodee Games, and Days of Wonder logos
As with the previous merger, today’s announcement states that the previously separate companies’ game studios will continue developing games independently. FFG gains access to Asmodee’s contacts and distribution in Europe and Asmodee gains access to FFG’s game development experience and titles like Netrunner, X-wing, Star Wars Edge of the Empire, Talisman, Battlestar Galactica board game, Battlelore, Elder Sign, and dozens more board, role playing and card games.
The previous merger with Days of Wonder gave Asmodee access to the Memoir ’44, Small World, and the Ticket to Ride game lines as well as Days of Wonder’s expertise in mobile game development. (DoW’s Small World and Ticket to Ride mobile games are exceptionally good.)
Asmodee is known for making a variety of games for both “gamers” and more casual/family players such as the Timeline series, 7 Wonders, Dixit, Seasons and many others.
All three of the previously separate companies were very successful in their own rights with large followings of players in several of their “cornerstone” games. I have a number of each company’s games in our home library including Timeline, Memoir ’44, X-wing, Mag Blast, and just about every variation of Ticket to Ride. Each had large exhibit areas at Gen Con last year and together would be the largest single exhibitor in terms of square footage at next year’s Gen Con should they keep the same “booth” size and demo areas. The combined companies are still dwarfed by mega toy and game makers like Hasbro, but have a combined library and distribution network much larger than other game con stalwarts like Mayfair, Steve Jackson Games, and Paizo.
The question is: Is Asmodee done merging and growing? If not, who do you think is next?
