BoardGameGeek announces their initial Hall of Fame inductees

Plus updates on some anticipated titles from Microsoft

BoardGameGeek announces their initial Hall of Fame inductees

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, BoardGameGeek announced their initial inductees to their Hall of Fame. Which games made the cut? Find out below. Also, Microsoft provides an update on some of their most anticipated 2025 titles. All this and more. Let’s go! 

BoardGameGeek’s initial Hall of Fame class

As part of BoardGameGeek’s 25th anniversary celebration, the website created the BGG Hall of Fame to honor “games that have made meaningful contributions to the board game hobby in the areas of innovation, artistry, and impact.” More about how the games were chosen from their initial post:

The selection process was guided by a jury composed of dedicated and experienced players who have been deeply involved in the board game community for years and who have brought their knowledge and expertise to the discussions. The process began by evaluating games that were at least ten years old in order to ensure widespread engagement and recognition. Additionally, the jury identified and included games that, while perhaps less widely played, have had a profound and lasting impact on the hobby.

The site broke the top 25 down by years over five articles. Starting with 1959-1986, 1993-1999, 2000-2005, 2006-2008 and 2008-2013

We recommend checking out all five of the articles above for details on the initial inductees, but here are three of our favorites from the selections:

Catan - 1995

The game that introduced a generation of players to what board games could be, and has sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.

Dominion - 2008

A deck builder card game that didn’t cost a fortune like Magic: The Gathering (which also made the list), and provided everything you need to play in one box.

Pandemic - 2008

The first big cooperative board game that forces players to work together to prevent a global pandemic.

Here are all 25 of the initial inductees:

  1. Diplomacy - 1959
  2. Acquire - 1964
  3. Cosmic Encounter - 1977
  4. Civilization - 1980
  5. 1830: The Game of Railroads and Robber Barons - 1986
  6. Magic: The Gathering - 1993
  7. CATAN - 1995
  8. El Grande - 1996
  9. Tigris & Euphrates - 1997
  10. Ra - 1999
  11. Carcassonne - 2000
  12. Power Grid - 2004
  13. Ticket to Ride - 2004
  14. Caylus - 2005
  15. Twilight Struggle - 2005
  16. Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization - 2006
  17. Agricola - 2007
  18. Brass - 2007
  19. Race for the Galaxy - 2007
  20. Dominion - 2008
  21. Pandemic - 2008
  22. 7 Wonders - 2010
  23. The Castles of Burgundy - 2011
  24. Terra Mystica - 2012
  25. Concordia - 2013

Which game from the list is your favorite? What games do you feel are missing? Let us know in the comments.

Microsoft’s January Xbox Developer Direct

Microsoft held an Xbox Developer Direct last week, providing updates on some of their current in-development games. You can view the presentation in its entirety above, but here are the highlights:

South of Midnight gets a new trailer and a release date: April 8.

Sandfall Interactive announced Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which releases April 24.

Xbox released a new trailer for Doom: The Dark Ages, which releases May 15.

A surprise reveal: Ninja Gaiden 4, which is set to launch in fall of 2025. Microsoft also announced Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a remake of Ninja Gaiden II that is available now.

Pokemon Happy Meals via McDonalds

🫰 Marvel Snap’s developer is seeking a new publisher to avoid another U.S. ban.

🎭 The Royal Shakespeare Company is making its first foray into video games with a reimagination of Macbeth. 

🏆 The New York Game Awards took place, with Astro Bot claiming their Game of the Year

🖥️ A recent survey found that 80% of developers are now making games for PC, more than double the number working on PS5 or Xbox games.

👋🏻 Insomniac Games' CEO and founder Ted Price is stepping down after 30 years

📊 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was the best selling game in the U.S. in 2024, but games spending fell 9% year-over-year while hardware spending fell 29%

🍟 Pokémon physical and digital trading cards are coming to McDonald’s Happy Meals

📅 The creator of Stardew Valley isn’t ruling out future updates to the game, saying “maybe even 50 years from now, I might add something.”

♟️ Space exploration board game SETI won the Diamant d’Or award, created to celebrate complex eurogames. 

📚 The Video Game History Foundation will make its digital library available to the public this week, providing access to over 1,500 video game magazines and “never-before-seen game development materials.”

🤝 Palworld developer Pocketpair is launching its own publishing arm, and partnering with Surgent Studios for its first title.

📉 Physical game sales have declined by half in the U.S. since 2021. This decline could continue, as Mexico tariffs could lead to “fewer physical game releases and increased software prices.”

🐉 The patch notes for Dragon Age: The Veilguard indicate it might be the last update to the game, just three months after it launched. This following news of the underperformance of the game and FC 25

💻 Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 won’t be a PlayStation exclusive

💰 The makers of Genshin Impact were fined $20 million by the Federal Trade Commission for “deceptive” loot boxes and child privacy violation.

👋🏾 The head of Warner Bros. Games is stepping down following disappointing launches of Multiversus and Suicide Squad. 

🏒 In the NHL, boozing is out. Edible cannabis and video games are in (subscription required).

🎤 NHL players aren’t the only ones who know how to have fun. Singer Chappell Roan enjoys Fortnite and says “if I want to have like a really good night I just eat an edible and play videogames.”

🚫 Elon Musk’s Nazi salute led a number of Reddit gaming communities to ban links to X (formally Twitter). 

New Releases this week:

Eternal Strands

1/28: Eternal Strands (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
1/28: Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
1/28: The Stone of Madness (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
1/30: Sniper Elite: Resistance (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
1/31: Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)

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