Summary
- New US tariffs are hurting the gaming industry, with stock prices dropping & import taxes increasing tabletop game costs.
- Gloomhaven, a popular tabletop game, is facing a 104% manufacturing cost increase due to the tariffs.
- Cephalofair’s CEO addresses the devastating impact of tariffs on the gaming industry, raising concerns for future projects.
The United States’ new, controversial tariff policy is already wreaking havoc on the gaming industry. Stock prices of some of the biggest companies have plummeted, Nintendo has delayed North American pre-orders for the Switch 2, with fears it might get a pre-launch price bump, and tabletop game creators have seen their costs skyrocket as they’re hit with import taxes.
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The problems for tabletop manufacturers have gotten so bad, even though the tariffs have only just been introduced, that the creators of one of the best games of all time, Gloomhaven, are fearing for their future.
Gloomhaven Creator Cephalofair’s CEO Addresses Tariffs Amidst 104 Percent Increase In Manufacturing Costs
Gloomhaven is widely considered one of the greatest tabletop games of all time. It sits fourth in Board Game Geek’s best games of all-time list and has been lauded by critics and players the world over. But it turns out that nobody is safe from Trump’s tariffs, no matter how good the product you create is.
In a new post for backers of Cephalofair’s latest project, Gloomhaven: Grand Festival, company CEO Price Jordan addressed the new tariffs and the impact they would have on things going forward. “Speaking bluntly, our industry, our jobs, and our projects are under attack by volatile, and self-inflicted, U.S. trade policy. Our manufacturing costs in the last two months have seen an increase of 104% due to U.S. tariffs,” he starts.
“The impact that 104% tariffs will have on our industry, and our company, are nothing short of devastating and are already having immediate consequences that will be felt knowingly and unknowingly by everyone who enjoys this industry – from the hobbyist, the retail store owner, the publisher, and ultimately our communities.”
Speaking bluntly, our industry, our jobs, and our projects are under attack by volatile, and self-inflicted, U.S. trade policy.
Jordan then goes into further detail on how the tariffs work, specifically related to tabletop games, before looking at the future of Gloomhaven: Grand Festival and his company. “We’re still analyzing this, and it will take us some more time to solve it fully,” he says. “We do know this is already meaning some really hard decisions for Cephalofair in terms of release schedules, fulfillment timelines, project costs, staffing considerations, conventions, contracts, budgets, and more.
“2025 has yet to provide us with a stable and known playing field for what lies ahead. It is hard to “plan a journey” when the “price of travel” keeps going up monthly, weekly, daily, without warning and without much perceived rationale. Ultimately, we take our obligation of delivering on crowdfunding projects very seriously and have a track record of delivering (development delays aside) 100% of our projects to date. Currently, our top priority is to uphold that promise and track record by protecting your backer investment to the best of our abilities – fighting as hard as we can against obstacles, interference, and sometimes the occasional global pandemic or trade war.”
It’s clearly a terrifying time for the company, where the bulk of their products are manufactured in China, and it’s hard to see an easy route out, short of the tariffs being pulled.
Gloomhaven
- Player Count
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1-4 players
- Age Recommendation
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14+
- Length per Game
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60-120 minutes per session
- Franchise Name
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Gloomhaven
- Publishing Co
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Cephalofair Games