Forty-two brand guides to the publishers and studios behind modern board games — and the groups that own many of them.

Modern board gaming has a few large groups and many independent studios. These guides set out who is behind each publisher, with honest caveats where the record is thin.

The Asmodee family

Asmodee, the French publisher and distributor, became the industry’s dominant group, and many studios covered here belong to it: Days of Wonder (Ticket to Ride), Z-Man Games (Pandemic), Repos Production (7 Wonders), Libellud (Dixit) and Space Cowboys (Splendor). Wizards of the Coast, maker of Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, is part of Hasbro.

Independents and family houses

Ravensburger is an 1883 German family company; HABA a 1938 family company; and Kosmos the Stuttgart home of Catan. Independent studios include Stonemaier Games (Scythe, Wingspan), Czech Games Edition (Codenames), Cephalofair (Gloomhaven) and Garphill Games in New Zealand.

How to use these guides

Each guide covers a publisher’s visual identity — its logo, signature games and voice — as design commentary, and notes where facts could not be fully confirmed. The table at the end gathers the essentials.

Publishers, part 1

Catan, Ravensburger, Fantasy Flight, Days of Wonder, Stonemaier, Asmodee and Rio Grande.

  • Catan — Klaus Teuber’s 1995 gateway board game, the hexagonal resource island, the Catan GmbH/Catan Studio structure, and honest caveats.
  • Ravensburger — The 1883 German family company, the blue-triangle emblem, the puzzle leadership, the family games and Alea, and honest caveats.
  • Fantasy Flight Games — The Minnesota studio of thematic, production-heavy games, Arkham Horror and Twilight Imperium, the Living Card Game, and honest caveats.
  • Days of Wonder — The Franco-American publisher of Ticket to Ride, the few-but-premium catalogue, the Asmodee ownership, and honest caveats.
  • Stonemaier Games — Jamey Stegmaier’s St. Louis studio, Scythe and Wingspan, the crowdfunding success and transparent ethos, and honest caveats.
  • Asmodee — The French board-game publisher and distributor that became the industry’s dominant group, its studios, its ownership chain, and honest caveats.
  • Rio Grande Games — The New Mexico publisher that brought Euro games to the US, Dominion and deck-building, Puerto Rico, and honest caveats.

Publishers, part 2

Kosmos, Z-Man, Repos Production, Libellud, CMON, Cephalofair and Czech Games Edition.

  • Kosmos — The Stuttgart heritage publisher, the German home of Catan, the EXIT escape games, the two-player line and science kits, and honest caveats.
  • Z-Man Games — Zev Shlasinger’s studio, Pandemic and modern cooperative gaming, Carcassonne’s English home, the Asmodee ownership, and honest caveats.
  • Repos Production — The Belgian publisher of 7 Wonders and Just One, the playful company culture, the Asmodee ownership, and honest caveats.
  • Libellud — The French publisher of Dixit and Mysterium, the dreamlike illustrated aesthetic, the Asmodee ownership, and honest caveats.
  • CMON — The miniatures-Kickstarter publisher behind Zombicide and Blood Rage, its CoolMiniOrNot origin, its recent distress, and honest caveats.
  • Cephalofair Games — Isaac Childres’ studio, Gloomhaven and Frosthaven, the campaign-legacy dungeon crawler, the record Kickstarter, and honest caveats.
  • Czech Games Edition — The Prague publisher of Codenames and Through the Ages, star designer Vlaada Chvátil, the clever-design ethos, and honest caveats.

Publishers, part 3

Space Cowboys, Leder Games, Awaken Realms, Portal Games, Restoration, Plaid Hat and Blue Orange.

  • Space Cowboys — The French Asmodee studio founded by industry veterans, Splendor, the Unlock! escape series, and honest caveats.
  • Leder Games — Patrick Leder’s Minnesota studio, Root’s radical asymmetry and Kyle Ferrin art, the 2026 studio shakeup, and honest caveats.
  • Awaken Realms — The Polish miniatures-and-app studio behind Nemesis and Tainted Grail, its painting-studio roots, its production craft, and honest caveats.
  • Portal Games — Ignacy Trzewiczek’s Polish studio, Robinson Crusoe and Detective, the storytelling ethos, and honest caveats.
  • Restoration Games — Justin Jacobson and Rob Daviau’s studio for restoring out-of-print classics, Return to Dark Tower, Unmatched, and honest caveats.
  • Plaid Hat Games — Colby Dauch’s narrative studio, Dead of Winter and Mice and Mystics, the sold-then-bought-back story, and honest caveats.
  • Blue Orange Games — The family/gateway publisher of Kingdomino, its France/US roots, its eco-conscious mission, and honest caveats.

Publishers, part 4

Iello, HABA, Steamforged, WizKids, Renegade, AEG and Osprey Games.

  • Iello — The French publisher of King of Tokyo (by Magic creator Richard Garfield), its gateway games and localization business, and honest caveats.
  • HABA — The 1938 Bad Rodach family company (Habermaaß), its wooden toys and children’s games, My Very First Games, and honest caveats.
  • Steamforged Games — The Manchester studio adapting video-game IPs (Dark Souls, Monster Hunter, Elden Ring) into board games, Guild Ball, and honest caveats.
  • WizKids — Jordan Weisman’s studio, the Clix combat-dial system, Mage Knight and HeroClix, prepainted D&D minis, the NECA ownership, and honest caveats.
  • Renegade Game Studios — Scott Gaeta’s prolific California publisher, Clank!, the big licensed-IP RPG business, and honest caveats.
  • Alderac Entertainment Group — The 1993 US publisher from Shadis magazine, Legend of the Five Rings, Smash Up, Thunderstone, and honest caveats.
  • Osprey Games — The tabletop arm of the British military-history book publisher, Undaunted and Paleo, the curated catalogue, and honest caveats.

Publishers, part 5

Roxley, Capstone, Garphill, Chip Theory, Pegasus Spiele, Queen Games and Wizards of the Coast.

  • Roxley Games — The Canadian publisher of the deluxe Brass editions (the BoardGameGeek #1), Santorini and Dice Throne, its premium production, and honest caveats.
  • Capstone Games — The Cincinnati publisher of Ark Nova and English editions of heavy European strategy games, the Simply Complex line, and honest caveats.
  • Garphill Games — Shem Phillips’ New Zealand studio, the North Sea and West Kingdom trilogies, The Mico’s folk art, and honest caveats.
  • Chip Theory Games — The Minnesota studio of poker-chip and neoprene components, Too Many Bones, its premium durability, and honest caveats.
  • Pegasus Spiele — The 1993 German publisher and distributor, Port Royal, the winged-horse name, its huge catalogue, and honest caveats.
  • Queen Games — The 1992 German publisher of two Spiel des Jahres winners (Alhambra, Kingdom Builder), Escape, and honest caveats.
  • Wizards of the Coast — The maker of Magic: The Gathering (which invented the TCG) and Dungeons & Dragons, a Hasbro giant, Avalon Hill, and honest caveats.

Publishers, part 6

Feuerland, Hans im Glück, Eagle-Gryphon, Matagot, Pandasaurus, Floodgate and Ares Games.

  • Feuerland Spiele — The German publisher of Terra Mystica, Gaia Project and Ark Nova, co-founded by Uwe Rosenberg, and honest caveats.
  • Hans im Glück — The Munich publisher of Carcassonne and El Grande, the “Lucky Hans” name, its Euro-game heritage, and honest caveats.
  • Eagle-Gryphon Games — The American publisher of Vital Lacerda’s deluxe heavy Euros (The Gallerist, On Mars, Lisboa), Age of Steam, and honest caveats.
  • Matagot — The French publisher of Kemet, Cyclades and Inis, the mythical-cat name, its thematic mythology games, and honest caveats.
  • Pandasaurus Games — The Austin publisher of The Mind, Machi Koro and Dinosaur Island, its accessible-fun ethos, and honest caveats.
  • Floodgate Games — The American publisher of the stained-glass dice game Sagrada and Bosk, its design-forward beauty, and honest caveats.
  • Ares Games — The Italian publisher of War of the Ring and Wings of Glory, its thematic and miniatures epics, and honest caveats.

Independent publishers

Lookout Games, Gamewright, Thunderworks Games, North Star Games, Devir, Horrible Guild and Bézier Games.

  • Lookout Games — The publisher founded in 2000 at Schwabenheim an der Selz, Germany, home of Uwe Rosenberg’s Agricola and Le Havre and the Kennerspiel-winning Isle of Skye, controlled by Mayfair Games from 2013 and owned by Asmodee since 2018.
  • Gamewright — The family-game publisher founded in 1994 in Newton, Massachusetts, by parents looking for better games, publisher of Rat-a-Tat Cat, Sleeping Queens, Forbidden Island and Sushi Go!, and today a division of the puzzle maker Ceaco, which Buffalo Games has owned since 2020.
  • Thunderworks Games — The Madison, Wisconsin board-game publisher Keith Matejka started in 2013, which made Roll Player in 2016 and published Jordy Adan’s Cartographers in 2019, a 2020 Kennerspiel des Jahres nominee, in a shared fantasy world it calls Ulos.
  • North Star Games — The Maryland publisher Dominic Crapuchettes founded in 2003, maker of Wits & Wagers, Say Anything and Evolution, which licensed its party games to Mattel, sold Happy Planet to Exploding Kittens and relaunched as NorthStar Game Studio with a Quillsilver Studio logo.
  • Devir — The games publisher founded in São Paulo in 1987 as a comics and role-playing importer, whose Barcelona arm Devir Iberia opened in 2000, brought Catan and Carcassonne to Spanish tables, began its own games in 2004 and bought Seville’s Maldito Games in January 2025.
  • Horrible Guild — The Italian board-game and role-playing publisher founded in 2014 by Lorenzo Silva as Horrible Games, renamed at Essen in October 2019, maker of Potion Explosion, Railroad Ink, Similo and The King’s Dilemma, a 2020 Kennerspiel des Jahres nominee.
  • Bézier Games — The American board-game publisher Ted Alspach founded in San Jose, California, in 2006, incorporated in 2013 and moved to Tennessee in 2016, home of Ultimate Werewolf, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Suburbia and Castles of Mad King Ludwig.

Independent publishers II

Allplay, Button Shy, Flatout Games, Keymaster Games, Mindclash Games, Red Raven Games and Grail Games.

  • Allplay — The Kansas City-area company Chad DeShon founded in 2014 as BoardGameTables.com to sell custom board game tables, which began publishing games in 2018, renamed itself Allplay in 2023 and publishes titles such as Things in Rings and Mountain Goats.
  • Button Shy Games — The New Jersey publisher Jason Tagmire established in Haddon Township, known for 18-card games in screen-printed wallets, a monthly release schedule, Sprawlopolis and Tussie Mussie, and a store on Haddon Avenue opened in 2023.
  • Flatout Games — The Seattle-area board-game design collaborative founded in 2017 by Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin and Shawn Stankewich, whose CoLab produced Calico and whose Cascadia, designed by Randy Flynn, won the Spiel des Jahres in 2022.
  • Keymaster Games — The Athens, Georgia, publisher of Kyle Key and Mattox Shuler, known for Control, Campy Creatures and Parks, Henry Audubon’s national-parks game, with a Focus Lab rebrand built on a gold “Key” mark, greens and orange and a 1970s-inspired display face.
  • Mindclash Games — The Hungarian publisher led by Viktor Peter, whose first game, Trickerion: Legends of Illusion, came out in 2015, followed by Anachrony, Perseverance and Voidfall, with a Mindclash Play line for shorter games.
  • Red Raven Games — The publisher Utah designer and illustrator Ryan Laukat founded in 2011, which crowdfunded Empires of the Void and went on to Above and Below, Near and Far and Sleeping Gods, all set in Laukat’s own painted world.
  • Grail Games — The Australian board-game publisher David Harding started in Sydney in 2014, known for reprinting Reiner Knizia’s Medici and Stephenson’s Rocket, refreshing Fjords and making small card games such as Boomerang and Elevenses under the slogan “Games worth seeking.”

Independent publishers III

Deep Water Games, Sit Down!, Funforge, Tasty Minstrel Games, Brotherwise Games, 25th Century Games and CMYK.

  • Deep Water Games — The Midwest board-game publisher launched in December 2017 by Jacob Way, Nolan Nasser and Travis McIntire, which brought Welcome To… to English-speaking players, merged into Ox Eye Media in 2019 and was renamed Friendly Skeleton in 2023.
  • Sit Down! — The independent board-game publisher of Longchamps in Wallonia, founded in 2011 and owned by Megalopole SRL, whose real-time co-operative Magic Maze was nominated for the 2017 Spiel des Jahres, and whose team came to games from prepress and graphic production.
  • Funforge — The Paris board-game publisher founded in 2008 and led by Philippe Nouhra, which published Antoine Bauza’s Tokaido in 2012 and Monumental, sold the Tokaido line to Stonemaier Games in 2024 and was placed in judicial liquidation in July 2025.
  • Tasty Minstrel Games — TMG, the US board-game publisher Michael Mindes founded in March 2009 with developer Seth Jaffee, named after a Monty Python joke, known for Eminent Domain, Belfort and Dungeon Roll, its Dargon dragon mascot and Deluxified editions.
  • Brotherwise Games — The Los Angeles board-game publisher founded in 2012 by brothers Chris and Johnny O’Neal, known for the pixel-art card game Boss Monster, Call to Adventure and its games in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere.
  • 25th Century Games — The Atlanta board-game publisher Chad Elkins started in 2016, known for Space Explorers, new editions of Reiner Knizia’s Ra illustrated by Ian O’Toole, and the Mensa Select winners Gartenbau, Agueda and Diatoms.
  • CMYK — The US board-game publisher co-founded by Alex Hague and Justin Vickers, which began as Palm Court with the party game Monikers, published Wavelength in 2019 and Daybreak, and reissued Quacks with clay-style art in 2025.

Publishers, studios and accessories

Stronghold Games, Ultra PRO, Indie Boards & Cards, Kolossal Games, Board&Dice, Hachette Boardgames and Lucky Duck Games.

  • Stronghold Games — The US hobby publisher set up in 2009 by Stephen Buonocore and Kevin Nesbitt, which reissued Survive: Escape from Atlantis!, took on the English-language Terraforming Mars from Sweden’s FryxGames in 2016 and joined Indie Boards & Cards in Indie Game Studios in 2018.
  • Ultra PRO — The card sleeve, binder and collectibles-storage company of Commerce, California, which began as Rembrandt in photo pages, was acquired by Marlin Equity Partners in 2007, licensed Magic: The Gathering sleeves from 2006 and added board games with Jolly Roger and Playroom.
  • Indie Boards & Cards — The US board game publisher started in 2009 and run from Oakland, California, known for The Resistance, Avalon, Coup, Flash Point: Fire Rescue and Aeon’s End, which merged with Stronghold Games in 2018 to form Indie Game Studios.
  • Kolossal Games — The US board game publisher formed by Travis R. Chance in 2017, known for Western Legends, Ruination and All Manor of Evil and for crowdfunding Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy, and now a member of the Independent Publishers Alliance.
  • Board&Dice — The Wrocław board game publisher founded in December 2013, which merged with the Romanian publisher NSKN Games in November 2018 under the Board&Dice name and now publishes heavy strategy games such as Teotihuacan, Tekhenu, Tiletum and Nucleum, plus the Escape Tales series.
  • Hachette Boardgames — The board game division of the French publisher Hachette Livre, built from 2019 with Gigamic, Blackrock Games, Studio H and Funnyfox, then Le Scorpion Masqué, Hiboutatillus, La Boîte de Jeu, Catch Up Games and, in 2025, the Dutch distributor 999 Games.
  • Lucky Duck Games — The tabletop publisher founded in 2016 by Vincent Vergonjeanne and Mateusz Komada, run from Kraków, Poland, known for app-linked “Digital Hybrid” games such as Chronicles of Crime, and owned by the Dutch family games company Goliath since April 2024.

Self-publishers, digital studios and group labels

Fowers Games, Alley Cat Games, Dire Wolf, Rebel, Ludonaute, Catch Up Games and Next Move Games.

  • Fowers Games — The small American board game label of designer Tim Fowers, which self-publishes Burgle Bros, Paperback, Hardback and Fugitive through Kickstarter and its own web store, with art by Ryan Goldsberry and a team of independent collaborators.
  • Alley Cat Games — The independent Cambridge board game publisher that grew out of Caezar Al-Jassar and Kuly Heer’s 2016 Lab Wars Kickstarter, incorporated in August 2016, and known for Dice Hospital, Kittin, Tinderblox and Ada’s Dream.
  • Dire Wolf — The Denver studio announced in 2010 by former Worlds Apart and Sony Online Entertainment Denver principals, which built Pokémon TCG Online and Eternal, then published Clank! in 2016 and Dune: Imperium in 2020, both designed by Paul Dennen.
  • Rebel — The Gdańsk board-game shop, distributor and publisher founded in 2003 by Piotr Kątnik and Paweł Piechota, publisher of Rebel Times and K2, owned by the Asmodee group, with a 2024 brand book that sets a red #e30045, black and five supporting colours.
  • Ludonaute — The French board game publisher founded by Anne-Cécile and Cédric Lefebvre, behind Colt Express, Lewis & Clark and Living Forest, which sold those three games to Tycoon Games in 2025 and chose to stop publishing new titles at the end of that year.
  • Catch Up Games — The Lyon board game publisher founded in 2014 by Clément Milker and Sébastien Kihm, known for Sobek, Cubirds, The Loop and Faraway, in which Hachette Livre agreed to take a majority stake in May 2023, with the founders still running it.
  • Next Move Games — The Quebec studio founded as Plan B Games, which launched the Next Move imprint for four-letter “modern abstract” games in 2018, publishes Azul, the 2018 Spiel des Jahres winner, and has been owned by Asmodee since 2021.

At a glance: founding, base and signature

Taken from each guide’s fact panel. Follow the link for detail and caveats.

BrandFoundedBasedSignature
25th Century GamesBy Chad Elkins (2016)See guideSpace Explorers; new editions of Ra
Alderac Entertainment Group1993 (USA)See guideLegend of the Five Rings
Alley Cat GamesSee guideSee guideDice Hospital, Kittin, Tinderblox, Ada’s Dream
AllplayKansas City area, USA (2014 (as BoardGameTables.com))See guideGame tables; Things in Rings, Mountain Goats, On Tour
Ares Games2011 (Italy)See guideWar of the Ring
Asmodee1995 (France)See guideThe studios
Awaken RealmsSee guideSee guideNemesis
Blue Orange Games1999 (US / France)See guideKingdomino
Board&DicePoland (December 2013)See guideTeotihuacan, Tekhenu, Tiletum, Nucleum
Brotherwise GamesBy brothers Chris and Johnny O’Neal (2012)See guideBoss Monster card game
Button Shy GamesHaddon Township, New Jersey, USA (2015 (per NJ Pen))See guide18-card wallet games; Sprawlopolis, Tussie Mussie
Bézier GamesSan Jose, California, by Ted Alspach (2006)See guideUltimate Werewolf and One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Capstone GamesSee guideSee guideArk Nova
CatanSee guideSee guideThe hex island
Catch Up GamesLyon, France (2014)See guideSobek 2 joueurs, Cubirds, The Loop, Faraway
Cephalofair GamesSee guideSee guideGloomhaven
Chip Theory GamesSee guideSee guideToo Many Bones
CMON2001 (Singapore / US)See guideZombicide
CMYKSee guideSee guideMonikers, Wavelength, Daybreak, Quacks
Czech Games Edition2007 (Prague)See guideCodenames
Days of Wonder2002 (US / France)See guideTicket to Ride
Deep Water GamesUnited States (Midwest) (December 2017)See guideWelcome To… (English edition), Floor Plan, MonsDRAWsity
DevirSão Paulo, Brazil (1987)See guideSpanish editions of Catan and Carcassonne; The Red Cathedral
Dire WolfSee guideSee guideClank!, Dune: Imperium, Eternal
Eagle-Gryphon GamesSee guideSee guideLacerda heavy Euros
Fantasy Flight Games1995 (Minnesota)See guideArkham / Twilight Imperium
Feuerland Spiele2012 (Germany)See guideTerra Mystica
Flatout GamesSeattle area, Washington, US (2017)See guideCascadia, Calico, Point Salad, Verdant
Floodgate GamesSee guideSee guideSagrada
Fowers GamesSee guideCenterville, Utah, United States (contact address)Self-published via Kickstarter and its own store
FunforgeParis, France (2008)See guideTokaido, Quantum, Samurai Spirit, Monumental
GamewrightNewton, Massachusetts (1994)See guideRat-a-Tat Cat, Sleeping Queens, Forbidden Island, Sushi Go!
Garphill Games2009 (New Zealand)See guideRaiders / West Kingdom
Grail GamesSydney, Australia (2014)See guideFjords, Boomerang, Elevenses, Medici
HABA1938 (Bad Rodach)See guideWooden children’s games
Hachette BoardgamesSee guideSee guideSee guide
Hans im Glück1983 (Munich)See guideCarcassonne
Horrible GuildItaly, as Horrible Games (2014)See guidePotion Explosion, Railroad Ink, Similo, The King’s Dilemma
IelloSee guideSee guideKing of Tokyo
Indie Boards & CardsSee guideSee guideThe Resistance, Avalon, Coup, Aeon’s End
Keymaster GamesSee guideSee guideParks, Control, Campy Creatures, Caper
Kolossal GamesSee guideSee guideWestern Legends, Ruination, All Manor of Evil
KosmosSee guideSee guideCatan’s German home
Leder GamesSee guideSee guideRoot
Libellud2008 (France)See guideDixit
Lookout GamesSchwabenheim an der Selz, Germany (2000)See guideAgricola, Le Havre, Isle of Skye, Mischwald
Lucky Duck Games2016Kraków, PolandSee guide
LudonauteIstres, France (2009 (press release) / 2010 (website))See guideColt Express, Lewis & Clark, Living Forest
Matagot2005 (Bordeaux)See guideKemet / Inis
Mindclash GamesSee guideSee guideSee guide
Next Move GamesQuebec, Canada (as Plan B Games) (2016)See guideAzul, Reef, Century
North Star GamesMaryland, US (2003)See guideWits & Wagers, Say Anything, Evolution, Oceans
Osprey Games2015 (UK)See guideUndaunted
Pandasaurus Games2012 (Austin, TX)See guideThe Mind
Pegasus Spiele1993 (Germany)See guidePort Royal
Plaid Hat Games2009 (USA)See guideDead of Winter
Portal GamesSee guideSee guideRobinson Crusoe
Queen Games1992 (Germany)See guideAlhambra
Ravensburger1883 (Ravensburg)See guideThe blue triangle
RebelGdańsk, Poland (2003)See guideRebel.pl shop, Rebel Times, K2, Chronicles of Avel
Red Raven GamesBy Ryan Laukat (2011)See guideSee guide
Renegade Game Studios2014 (California)See guideClank!
Repos Production2004 (Belgium)See guide7 Wonders
Restoration GamesSee guideSee guideReturn to Dark Tower
Rio Grande Games1998 (New Mexico)See guideDominion
Roxley GamesSee guideSee guideBrass (deluxe)
Sit Down!Longchamps, Wallonia, Belgium (2011)See guideMagic Maze, Tiwanaku, Redwood
Space CowboysSee guideSee guideSplendor
Steamforged Games2014 (Manchester)See guideDark Souls: The Board Game
Stonemaier Games2012 (St. Louis)See guideScythe / Wingspan
Stronghold GamesUnited States (first meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey) (2009)See guideTerraforming Mars (English edition), Survive: Escape from Atlantis!
Tasty Minstrel GamesUnited States (March 2009)Utah (home office, 2017)Eminent Domain, Belfort, Dungeon Roll, Orléans (US)
Thunderworks GamesMadison, Wisconsin, US (2013)See guideRoll Player, Cartographers, Tenpenny Parks
Ultra PROCompany says it has made products since (1952)See guideCard sleeves, TOPLOADER, ONE-TOUCH, binders
Wizards of the Coast1990 (Renton, WA)See guideMagic: The Gathering
WizKids2000 (USA)See guideHeroClix
Z-Man Games1999 (USA)See guidePandemic

Frequently asked questions

Who publishes Ticket to Ride?

Days of Wonder, an Asmodee-owned publisher, according to our guide.

Who makes Magic: The Gathering?

Wizards of the Coast, part of Hasbro, according to our guide.

See also our games and hobby brand guidelines.

Part of our Toys & Games brand guidelines. See also all collections.