At Toy Fair New York this week, there are many reminders of how licensed properties have long proven to be a good fit with board and other tabletop games for all ages. While not every licensed game will be a success, licensing is assuming an expanded role in several current trends in the board and tabletop game industry:
- Cooperative games. These are products that emphasize teamwork and good communication rather than competition. One notable licensed version is Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar from Prospero Hall. More recently, the young-adult graphic novel series Catstronauts is featured in a co-op board game released in February 2025 from Atlas Games after a successful Kickstarter campaign.
- Trading card games. Classic TCGs, especially Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh! are still going strong. All were introduced in the 1990s and all are involved in outbound licensing (and inbound in the case of Magic). Joining them more recently are TCGs based on existing licensed worlds. They include Disney Lorcana from Ravensburger; Star Wars: Unlimited from Asmodee-owned licensee Fantasy Flight Games; Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, an edition of Magic: The Gathering; and Neopets Battledome Trading Card Game from Upper Deck.
- Corporate connections. Corporations are entering the board game category, sometimes with licensed products or limited editions, and sometimes for premiums or other promotional uses. Examples in this space have included General Mills pairing with Hasbro for a Lucky Charms game timed to St. Patrick’s Day 2024, the U.S. Postal Service teaming with Big Potato Games, Sugarfina and Babybel both lending their names for versions of Hasbro’s Candyland, and Jelly Belly joining BeanBoozled for a co-branded version, of which a sixth edition was released in July 2024.
- Tarot cards. Interest in both self-care and hobbies/pastimes spiked during the pandemic, and tarot cards—which reside in both worlds—were no exception. They continue as a hot category today. Examples have included an Al Hirschfeld deck from Running Press, a Marvel deck from Rizzoli, Dungeons & Dragons from Penguin Random House, and Game of Thrones from Chronicle, to name a few. Insight Editions alone has produced tarot decks for properties ranging from Dark Crystal, Buffy, and The Lord of the Rings to Labyrinth and Disney Villains, among many others.
- Co-branded editions. Hasbro’s and Mattel’s games divisions have long been active in creating co-branded versions of their well-known classics, featuring a wide range of IP, and the trend continues. Mattel’s Uno is paired with properties from Seinfeld to Star Wars, while Hasbro, through licensee Op, offers Clue and Monopoly in any number of editions, as well as Risk: Stranger Things, Yahtzee: One Piece, Operation: Shrek, Trivial Pursuit: Parks & Recreation, Life: Hello Kitty, and many more. Game brands beyond Hasbro and Mattel have gotten into the action as well; Exploding Minions by Exploding Kittens is one example.
Meanwhile, a number of new licenses in the board game space were announced in the days and weeks leading up to this year’s Toy Fair. Bandai partnered with KessCo for a Tamagotchi board game, Lion Forge licensed Resurrection Games for Iyanu board and card games, and Netflix signed Spin Master for a Love is Blind Party Game, among several others.
Watch for Raugust Communications’ detailed coverage of the trends spotted at this year’s Toy Fair, to be posted next week; a link will be provided in RaugustReports.
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