Asmodee Acquires Catan From Mayfair Games

[Fanghawk]

Asmodee Acquires Catan From Mayfair Games

//cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/882/882859.jpgAsmodee has acquired the English rights to Mayfair's Catan, arguably the most successful board game of the past decade.

<a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139774-Settlers-of-Catan-Now-Just-Catan-For-New-Edition>Catan needs little in the way of introduction. It's arguably the most accessible and beloved board game in decades, selling millions of copies worldwide. Everyone from tabletop hobbyists <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139501-Green-Bay-Packers-Are-Obsessed-With-Settlers-of-Catan>to professional football players agree it's a riveting experience, without even getting into its expansions and spin-offs. So it's no small thing to announce that <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138631-Fantasy-Flight-Games-Acquired-by-European-Asmodee-in-Board-Game-Merger>the Asmodee Group just acquired all of Catan's worldwide English-language licensing rights from prior publisher, Mayfair Games.

"I am very proud and honored that through this acquisition, we are becoming a major partner to Catan GmbH and the Teuber family, with whom we share common values and vision for Catan and for board games," Asmodee Group CEO Stephane Carville said in a statement. "With Catan we are expanding our IP portfolio with an absolutely iconic board game and brand, one that will join and strengthen the gaming experience we provide."

Outside of the usual changing-hands corporate speak, this acquisition also heralds the creation of "Catan Studio". In short, Catan Studio is an independent unit within Asmodee Group that's responsible for developing Catan content and expanding its community. Mayfair Games will continue to distribute Catan during a transition phase, at which point Asmodee North America and its partners will take over.

It's pretty hard to understate Catan's effect on the board game market. This one product almost single-handedly revitalized interest in tabletop games, attracting millions of players from all age groups. And while it's not as quite as ubiquitous as Monopoly or Risk, Catan is still far easier to break out during a casual family board game night.

I'm a little tempted to say this is the tabletop equivalent of Disney buying Star Wars, were it not for the fact <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138631-Fantasy-Flight-Games-Acquired-by-European-Asmodee-in-Board-Game-Merger>that Asmodee literally acquired Star Wars license holder Fantasy Flight Games back in 2014. This French publisher was already one of the biggest names in board games, and now it has a Catan-sized feather in its cap. Now the question is whether Asmodee has any plans for new expansions, spin-offs, <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139902-Producer-Gail-Katz-Buys-Settlers-of-Catan-Film-Rights>or movies with the Catan brand.

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[Callate]

Unlike the "King" purchase, this one might actually be worth a few billion.

Honestly, I like Settlers. I play it with others, I play it on my phone, I have the 5-6 player expansion. But other than that, I've never felt a huge need for the expansions. Most of the ones I've seen (5-6 player version aside) seem to add a level of complexity that make them more suited to the computer than physical board gaming, hindering the game's underlying elegant simplicity.

In short, Asmodee's acquisition isn't likely to affect me one way or another. I already have all the Settlers I need or want.

And I still think a Catan movie makes only slightly more sense than a movie of Pong.

 

[laserwulf]

And I still think a Catan movie makes only slightly more sense than a movie of Pong.

The Catan novel was a good read, albeit a little long. By not having a traditional narrative, the game's general themes and setting can be woven into stories without having to worry about things like going against a predefined canon.

 

[09philj]

I've always preferred Carcasonne.

 

[Callate]

And I still think a Catan movie makes only slightly more sense than a movie of Pong.

The Catan novel was a good read, albeit a little long. By not having a traditional narrative, the game's general themes and setting can be woven into stories without having to worry about things like going against a predefined canon.

I'll take your word for it on the novel, but the game being something of a "blank slate" somewhat calls into question why someone would choose to expand on it in fiction rather than creating something original. It's easier for me to believe that someone who would make such an attempt was merely trying to capitalize on the existing audience for the game, hoping that there was an overlap, than that they were particularly drawn to Catan as a setting for their work. And on similar lines, it's easier for me to believe that it's something untried author(s) (producer(s), director(s), actor(s)...) would take on than experienced hands. Someone without a lot of history gets the chance to be "...who was associated with the surprisingly good Catan adaptation"; someone who has history risks becoming "that flack with so little self-respect they did Catan for the paycheck."

None of this is to say that one couldn't do a good program or movie based on Catan. But that's sort of as much as saying one could make something good out of almost anything.