What Game Publishers Are Saying About The Tariffs

Screenshot 2025-04-04 at 12.13.01 PM.png

Many tabletop game companies have already spoken out about the recent US tariffs and how they will be affected. I will add to this thread as and when I hear of new statements.

Game Manufacturer's Association (GAMA) -- "The latest imposition of a 54% tariff on products from China by the administration is dire news for the tabletop industry and the broader US economy. As an industry highly dependent on producing goods overseas and importing them into the US, this policy will have devastating consequences. Tariffs are essentially taxes on consumers, not on the countries where the products are produced. Publishers will be forced to pass these costs along to their customers or face the prospect of ceasing operations. Nearly a third of all US consumer goods — including clothes, food products, appliances, cars, and entertainment items like games — are imported. This means higher prices across the board as all these products will need to increase prices to compensate for these new Trump Taxes... This one-two punch is likely to put many of our members out of business or force them to downsize and lay off employees to survive."

Steve Jackson Games -- "Some people ask, "Why not manufacture in the U.S.?" I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn't meaningfully exist here yet. I've gotten quotes. I've talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren't. We aren't the only company facing this challenge. The entire board game industry is having very difficult conversations right now. For some, this might mean simplifying products or delaying launches. For others, it might mean walking away from titles that are no longer economically viable. And, for what I fear will be too many, it means closing down entirely."

EN Publishing -- "We at EN Publishing have four Kickstarters fulfilling (Voidrunner's Codex, Gate Pass Gazette Annual 2024, Monstrous Menagerie II, and Split the Hoard) which have been paid for, including shipping, by the customer already. Two of those (Voidrunner and Split the Hoard) involve boxes and components, which meant they were manufactured in China. The other two are printed in the EU (Lithuania, specifically). All four inventory shipments will arrive in the US after the tariffs come in. We haven't yet worked out exactly what that means, but it won't be pleasant."

Chaosium -- "First, we will certainly need to raise the price of our books and board games. We simply cannot afford to absorb the cost of these additional tariffs. We wish it were otherwise, but that’s just the reality of the situation. Second, this may result in delays. We need to look at potentially new manufacturing locations, new supply chains, etc. This may delay manufacturing of some anticipated products until we know how to deal with the changing environment."

Kobold Press -- "The short and sweet reality is that each hardcover printed outside the US will cost from 20% to 54% more to produce, and like a lot of TTRPG companies, we simply can’t absorb that tax hike and stay in business. The Steve Jackson Games statement makes it abundantly clear; while tariffs can be part of a national strategy, this is a very high, very sudden tax hike for a printing industry that doesn’t have a lot of US capacity. There’s no way to “just move” these projects to the US. So, prices are going up to allow game publishers to pay the new import taxes. There’s very little we can do about it. If you are unhappy with the price hikes, we strongly recommend that you contact you representatives in Congress."

The Arcane Library (Shadowdark)-- "The current tariffs, severe though they are, are not going to impact pricing or deliverabilty of [The Western Reaches]. We planned for this in our margins and can safely absorb the costs."

Evil Baby Entertainment (The Broken Empires) -- "Those of us living in the U.S. know that a whole bunch of new tariffs (read: taxes) have been levied on many imports. There’s no question that I’m going to get hit with at least an extra 20% tax on every product that comes in from my overseas manufacturers. I have heard horror stories about other Kickstarter creators who charged backers additional fees to cover such unanticipated costs. Rest assured: my backers will NOT be charged any additional fees. I will eat the cost of the tariffs myself. Not gonna lie, that’s gonna hurt — but we had a deal, and I have no intention of altering it in the face of this unwelcome development."

Stonemaier Games -- "65% of our sales are in the US, so this will take a heavy toll on Stonemaier Games. We’re fortunate that yesterday’s launch product, Tokaido, arrived in the US just before the original 20% tariffs took effect. We won’t be so fortunate when Vantage–a project I’ve worked on for 8 years–ships from China in May and June. I’m not sure yet what we’ll do about that... Manufacturing the types of games we make is not an option in the US. People have tried, even recently. Even if a company wanted to invest in the infrastructure to try to make it happen, the short-term losses from the tariffs will eat too deep into their cash to make it possible (plus, many of the machines used to make games are also made in China, so you’ll pay a huge tariff even if you invest in the machines needed to make games in the US). Plus, many publishers currently have print runs in production in China–it simply isn’t possible to change course for those print runs. So with costs (tariff taxes) due to skyrocket in a few months, prices will also significantly increase."

Coyote & Crow -- "Osiyo, friends. Not to make this all about Coyote & Crow, but yesterday's news from the US Gov may have some devastating impacts on C&C Games as a whole. A cumulative 54% import tariff on goods from China will essentially kill my company (and the games industry). Sadly, it's partially our own hobby's fault that we're in the worst position to weather this storm. For years, board games have operated on razor thin margins because many fans are resistant to price hikes. But even with the amazingly generous and awesome folks that support Coyote & Crow, we won't survive this. I'm not going to ask anyone to "dig deep" or to in any way stretch themselves to support us. We're /all/ going to be in bad shape in the coming months and years if this plays out like it look like it will. Instead, I'm going to do what Natives always do: we adapt, survive, and carry on. What that exactly means in this situation, I don't know, but I have ideas and in the coming months, I'll be working on those behind the scenes. For now, we have a "fair" amount of inventory of existing games here in the US and Canada, we'll continue working with our digital partners, and we'll be pushing on with Ahu Tiiko - if nothing else to at least get you the PDF. The fate of the print edition is up in the air for the moment, but I will get back to you and all of the backers as my options start to come into focus. I hope you all are planning for your own situations as best you can. We're going to need community to get through this. Stiyu (stay strong)."
 

log in or register to remove this ad


log in or register to remove this ad




r/boardgames is something else right now.

Greater Than Games was shuttered due to the tariffs.
This is so sad...they had so many cool things for their rpg that were supposedly in the pipeline, and now I guess we'll never see them.

To say nothing of my fantasy of seeing their IP cross over with the Dice Throne game...
 

I didn't see it posted here yet, so apologies if this is a repeat. Here's the note sent by the Exalted Funeral regarding the Dolmenwood kickstarter:

First the link for those who can access the Kickstarter page directly:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/exaltedfuneral/dolmenwood-tabletop-rpg/posts/4364549

And for those who don't use the link:
April Update
user avatar
Exalted Funeral Creator
April 18, 2025

Hello Everyone!

Regarding the general state of things given recent world economic news, we want this update to be as transparent as possible.
Tariff Update

As many of you are well aware there has been a seismic shift in international trade regarding tariffs and general price increases for goods.

If you have not seen our newsletter already let us reiterate that Exalted Funeral is committed to bringing you the best in independent gaming. That includes all of our past commitments and future endeavors. Here is the statement that was sent out:

Art in it's many forms has endured throughout time and has been a voice for those that suffer. Games are indeed a form of art and Exalted Funeral has and will continue to be a conduit for those games and individuals no matter how the landscape appears and changes.

EF has been committed to bringing the best in underground and original games to market. We are throughly pissed off with the ever-changing tariff situation and volatility in our economy but want our fans, family, and friends to know we are working towards bringing home our current obligations and finding solutions for future endeavors so we can continue to bring to the table the best in gaming. The outlook isn’t rosy and the challenges are very real, but who said this was easy? Its not easy for anyone but our resolve is gonna stay.

In light of all this please use your voice to contact your local, state, and national leaders and let them know how you feel.

- Matt, Owner of Exalted Funeral

We as a team have been exploring solutions to these issues and want to let everyone know that the work is being done to keep the games coming. While some items are currently excluded from tariffs, other items we publish as a company and the partners we are working with are not. Our internal pipeline has been disrupted due to this and it is causing our deliverables and timelines to be shifted as well. We are sincerely sorry for the delays.
Status of Stock

Due to two very large recent Exalted Funeral project fulfillments at all three of the warehouses we work with, we have had to be strategic about timing the stock arriving in order to manage the volume of orders and warehouse space. Therefore, we are still in the process of receiving stock from Europe and China. This stock will unfortunately now be subject to tariffs so we need to navigate how to deal with that.
Impact on Fulfillment Timeline

This will most certainly cause the fulfillment to be delayed by several months as we balance the increase cost and new and ever changing uncertain circumstances and processes with receiving these items.

I know this is not the news you wanted to hear, but we can definitely guarantee two things:

One, all of the Dolmenwood components are all already manufactured so fulfillment will absolutely still happen for all backers.

Two, we will NOT increase costs for these items for any backers.

We apologize for the delay. We truly love and appreciate all the support. Just know that we are always working, ALWAYS, to bring these titles home by getting these through the channels and into your hands as soon as we can. Please stay tuned for more info soon.

If you're in the US please reach out and let your representatives know how you feel.

Thank you,

-Cristin & Matt, EF Owners
 

Due to two very large recent Exalted Funeral project fulfillments at all three of the warehouses we work with, we have had to be strategic about timing the stock arriving in order to manage the volume of orders and warehouse space. Therefore, we are still in the process of receiving stock from Europe and China.
It doesn't actually sound like tariffs are the culprit here for the delay, more of just a sucky by-product of logistics issues.
 


It doesn't actually sound like tariffs are the culprit here for the delay, more of just a sucky by-product of logistics issues.
It sure as shingles does.
While some items are currently excluded from tariffs, other items we publish as a company and the partners we are working with are not. Our internal pipeline has been disrupted due to this and it is causing our deliverables and timelines to be shifted as well.
 

It doesn't actually sound like tariffs are the culprit here for the delay, more of just a sucky by-product of logistics issues.

My takeaway is that the tariffs are a major cause of those sucky logistics issues:

Therefore, we are still in the process of receiving stock from Europe and China. This stock will unfortunately now be subject to tariffs so we need to navigate how to deal with that.
Impact on Fulfillment Timeline
This will most certainly cause the fulfillment to be delayed by several months as we balance the increase cost and new and ever changing uncertain circumstances and processes with receiving these items.
 

Remove ads

Remove ads

Top