What better way to spice up a weekend with friends if not with board games? The board game industry is on the rise and we never cease to see novelties in this industry. In this tech-driven era when many people started growing apart from each other, board games are an excellent bonding solution that won’t let technologies take the fun out of our daily lives. The industry offers a wide array of games that are sure to attract your attention.
Whether you’re into strategy, trivia, or cooperative gameplay, the board game industry has everything at its disposal to meet your needs. So, if you are ready to switch from scrolling through TikTok and Instagram to face-to-face fun, board games are ready to help you handle the transition.
So, it’s no wonder they’re gaining popularity every day. And as the industry is evolving, we hear about new trends that we might see in the coming years. In this article, we’ll be discussing the statistics and future trends in the board game industry, and if you’re interested in seeing what the future will bring forth, then keep on reading.
Board Game Industry and Statistics
Are board games still popular? Well, of course. The answer is a big YES! Let’s dive deeper into board game industry statistics and projections to understand the scale of this industry.
- Europe holds the largest market share of the board game industry with 43% of the market with Germany in the lead.
- The global board games market size reached $16.8 Billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $40.1 Billion within the next ten years. In 2024, the board game industry is expected to generate $9 Billion in revenue.
- Board game statistics further show that the industry is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.52% from 2024 to 2028. And what’s interesting is that the industry’s most significant “propellers” are digital devices that have left many people fatigued.
Dominant Game Types
Puzzle-type games and strategy games, including chess, jigsaw puzzles, 3D puzzles, party board games, Rubik’s cubes, and other brain teasers, dominated the global board games market in 2022. Tabletop gaming statistics indicate that the generated revenue exceeded $6.9 billion.
Educational Segment
Educational board games emerged as the dominant force in the market. Board game sales statistics show that the segment secured over 41% share in 2022. These games appeal to a wide audience and contribute significantly to the industry’s growth.
Current State of the Board Game Industry
So, how big is the board game industry? It’s colossal in market size. The current state of the board game industry is robust with strategy games holding 69% of total sales. The revenue of the industry was $3.39 billion in 2023. Also, the revenue change for 2023 was 16% which is 4.4% more compared to 2022.
Market research indicates a substantial rise in the global board game market. Factors such as the growing demand from sectors like the IT industry, media and entertainment, and education are driving this expansion. Key regions like North America and Europe play significant roles in market growth, with the United States particularly influential due to its high adoption of advanced technology.
In these highly competitive times, the industry will continue growing, with new investments continually entering the field. Technological innovations are enhancing product performance, making board games more widely used in various applications.
For example, the integration of augmented reality and virtual reality flavor traditional board games. They offer immersive experiences and new gameplay opportunities.
Popular Genres and Themes
There are over 25 types of board games out there. But the most prominent are — classic board games, cooperative games, word games, and role-playing games. Let’s explore them separately.
Classic Board Games,
The most popular classic board game is Monopoly. It is a multi-player economics-themed board game. Here, you have to roll two dice to move around the game table, buying and trading properties and developing them with houses hotels. Your goal is to drive the other players to bankruptcy.
Cooperative Board Games
All right, now let’s talk a little about the most popular types of board games. And in our first place, we have cooperative board games. In cooperative games, you and your friends will have to beat the game together. At the very end, you’ll either win or lose as a team. One popular cooperative board game is Forbidden Island.
Area control games
Then we have area control games that most of us are definitely fond of. I mean, the name is pretty self-explanatory, right? You’re trying to have more power than your opponents in as many areas of the map as possible. And here’s a popular area control game — Twilight Imperium.
Word Games
Also, we have word games. This theme is particularly popular among families. They’re all about spelling, unscrambling, defining, and finding links between words. One particularly popular board game is Scrabble.
Party Games
Exploding kittens is Gen Z’s favorite party game. This is a strategy game where players draw cards until someone draws an Exploding Kitten and loses. You have to use strategy and special cards to avoid explosions and outsmart opponents.
Role-Playing Games
Dungeons & Dragons is the most popular role-playing board game. In role-playing games, you make characters (like a wizard or warrior) and go on quests with friends.
Market leaders
The top three leading companies in the board game industry are Asmodee, Hasbro, and Ravensburger.
- Asmodee is a French multinational board game company that is famous for its Twilight Imperium we talked about earlier. The company accounts for 18% of the global board games market share.
- Hasbro produced Monopoly and Scrabble. The company accounts for 12% of the global board games market share.
- Ravensburger accounts for 4% of the global board games market share.
Demographics and Consumer Behavior
Are you interested in learning about board game demographics and factors that influence consumer’s decisions regarding their purchase? If your answer is a YES, then make sure to thoroughly read this section!
Target Demographics for Board Games
Based on research done by YouGov, a fifth of the global population lists playing board games and card games as their hobbies. Almost half of board game and card game enthusiasts, about 47%, fall between 18 to 34 years old.
In the board games audience, women and men are equally represented (51% vs. 49%); however, in the gamers’ cohort, women constitute only 39%. Preferences differ: board game players prefer real-looking people in ads (62% vs. 57%).
Also, apparently, Gen Z enjoys playing board games more than earlier generations. In a 2020 survey, 38% of Gen Z’s respondents in the US enjoyed playing board games.
Consumer Behavior and Preferences
There is a pattern that explains consumer’s purchasing motivations and influences. People often buy board games as gifts for occasions like birthdays or holidays. Also, many people purchase games for personal use, either for personal enjoyment or to share with friends and family during gatherings.
Online reviews and recommendations play a significant role in guiding purchasing decisions. Consumers rely on the experiences and opinions of others to make a decision, especially on Reddit.
Price sensitivity varies among consumers and it affects decision making as well. The emergence of board game cafes and bars has helped many consumers make a decision on whether or not buy a particular board game. You can find many game bars that will allow you to explore new games before making a purchase.
In the last couple of years, the board game industry has witnessed a growth in a number of consumers buying solo and cooperative games. This trend is reshaping the way games are designed and more games of these genres will be produced.
Impact of technology on board game consumption
Board games now use technology to make them more fun. Some games have digital scoring or sound effects that you can hear on your phone or tablet. You might even use apps that work with the game to make it more exciting. This mix of technology and board games makes playing them even more interesting.
While some people still prefer regular board games with pieces you can touch, the ones with technology add a new level of fun. It’s like having a game within a game! This mix of old-fashioned fun with new technology appeals to lots of different people, making board games even more popular.
For example, XCOM: THE BOARD GAME is the perfect illustration of how technology transformed board games. In this game, you have to work with your team to defend Earth from an alien invasion. The game uses a companion app that serves as a timer, controls the alien invasion, and provides you with crucial information and missions.
You must use strategies and make decisions quickly. Coordinate their actions to fend off the aliens and protect humanity. The integration of the app adds a dynamic element to the gameplay. It keeps players engaged and immersed in the experience.
Emerging Technologies in Board Games
In this digital era, some board game companies started integrating technology to make board games more relevant for digital natives. Integrated AI and VR technologies have added really interesting features that you will definitely find captivating. Let’s start by exploring the integration of augmented and virtual reality in the world of board games.
Integration of AR and VR
The integration of AR and VR in board games will transform our perceptions about board games. I think you would appreciate seeing characters coming to life with augmented reality as much I would. Augmented Reality will provides you with features like seeing holographic figues moving on the board and interacting with the real-world environment around you.
With VR, you can take your immersion experiences even further. You can be fully transported into the game’s world, where you can interact with characters and environments in a lifelike way. For example, in a mystery game, you could explore crime scenes and examine evidence as if you were a detective on the case. This heightened sense of presence and interactivity makes each gaming session incredibly immersive and unforgettable.
The impact of AI on board game design
AI has greatly influenced board game design with complex algorithms. AI algorithms can serve multiple purposes in board games — provide challenging opponents in single-player modes, optimize game balance through simulation and analysis, and generate dynamic content such as procedural maps or quests.
AI can provide you with challenging adversaries. Your AI-powered opponents can adapt to your strategies which will make it a hassle for you to defeat them. So, if you’re a solo player, you’ll definitely appreciate the features AI brings to the table.
The Future of Board Game Industry
It is no secret that the industry is rapidly changing. In this tech-driven era, it has flourished bringing fascinating features to us players. In the last couple of years, the popularity of board games has surged, and it is expected to continue growing in the future.
Also, I need to note that the introduction of technologies to the board game industry has changed it in a number of ways. As we discussed earlier, many board games use AR and VR to fully immerse us in the gaming experience. In the future, these trends are expected to grow and improve — enhancing our immersion experiences.
Potential future trends and opportunities in the board game industry
At some point in the future, technology may become an integral part of all kinds of board games and more people getting into board games will want more complicated and strategic options. So, the industry has to start brainstorming about even more complex games that will keep players captivated in the gaming experience.
This could mean incorporating smartphone apps to enhance gameplay or using augmented reality to create immersive experiences. Of course, the industry has already started experimenting with AR and VR, but in the future, this trend will grow.
For instance, a detective board game might utilize an app to provide clues or simulate crime scenes in AR. Similarly, a strategic war game could use technology to track troop movements and simulate battles. By embracing technology and creating deeper, more engaging experiences, the board game industry can continue to captivate players and attract new enthusiasts.
Board games will also start to include even more themes and characters to make everyone feel included and interested. Themes might range from historical events to futuristic worlds. So no one will feel left out or uninterested.
Navigating Challenges and Seizing Opportunities
Many startups in the board game industry come across plenty of challenges that may seem hard to navigate at first sight. Here, I’m going to give you some tips and tricks that every entrepreneur should know before launching a startup.
We should first note that developing unique board games is not everyone’s cup of tea. You should be overly enthusiastic about board games to launch a board game startup. You know what they say — if you’re genuinely enthusiastic about something, the chances of failure are close to zero. So, if you have a passion for board games, then you’re halfway through. If you’re not, however, you may encounter many many challenges that would be hard to navigate.
Anyway, even if you are enthusiastic about board games. There are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind before launching a startup. You may already know that the game’s design might be the most important element in board games. It is the unique design that attracts people’s interest. “Don’t judge the book by its cover?” Well, here this rule does not work. You DO judge the board game by its design.
If your design isn’t unique enough, people would seek other alternatives to spice up their Friday nights with friends. Also, it’s of crucial importance to adhere to the personalized demands of players. You should make games that would make your target consumers interested in purchasing your board game.
Also, many players are growing fond of AR and VR in board games. So, before launching a startup, you should do proper market research to find out about your potential customers’ needs and preferences, and only then start developing a game.
Challenges in the Board Game Industry
With all this in mind, let’s now talk about challenges in the market. The board game industry is very very competitive and poses many challenges. If you’re in the industry, then you may have noticed how significant the high production costs and complexities of distribution are. This makes it hard for many board game makers to bring their creative ideas to life and share them with players.
Also, the industry is being flooded with countless new board games every year. This is a big problem as many board games are overshadowed by industry giants such as Asmodee or Hasbro. Even though your ideas may be more unique than those of Hasbro, for example, most people will cling to trends and refuse to see what board games are there besides what market leaders offer. For most people, popularity determines quality. But we all know that it isn’t quite as black and white.
Another noteworthy challenge the board game industry faces are video games that compete for many consumer’s attention. This means traditional board games have to work even harder to attract and keep players engaged. So, there’s that.
Last but not the least for sure, is the challenge of piracy and intellectual property theft. This harms both established and new game creators by stealing their ideas and profiting from them illegally.
Opportunities on the Horizon
There are two things I would like you to consider when making board games. So brace for it. If played correctly, you can win the game and find your rightful place in the industry.
You can start by integrating VR and AR to your board games. This will make your game stand out as most board games have not integrated virtual reality as of yet. This can attract tech-savvy audiences and add layers of excitement to traditional gameplay.
Another important trend is the increasing demand for sustainability. By creating board games using eco-friendly materials, your product will become even more attractive to many consumers. They will certainly appreciate this environmentally conscious approach.
Empowering Your Journey with Prelaunch.com
Navigating these challenges can be quite a hassle. So, what can you do to launch your startup with a high chance of success? Market validation is not a want anymore, it’s a MUST. In these highly competitive times, it is imperative to test your ideas and see if people are interested in your products.
And here, we come to your rescue. At Prelaunch.com, we will guide you on your journey to success. We are the world’s #1 market validation platform, so you can count on us. You can visualize your ideas with these three simple steps:
- Describe your product in 2 sentences
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You can also use our AI market research assistant on your journey to success. Without ample market research, you will encounter even more unprecedented challenges. So it is important to know what people are interested in and aren’t. Market knowledge will make your task much easier and more straightforward.
Conclusion
The board game industry is growing and changing rapidly. Startups in the industry encounter various challenges due to high production costs and complexities with distribution. We at Prelaunch are ready to guide you on your journey to success. Test your ideas and do ample market research before launching a startup. Play safe!
