Tariffs claim their first board game victims
Plus the Switch 2 has a U.S. pre-order date
The tough times for board game companies have begun. We look at how tariffs are affecting multiple publishers in the U.S. and beyond. Also, the Switch 2 has a pre-order date! All this and more. Let’s go!
Board game manufacturers continue to struggle with tariffs
We have previously discussed how tariffs would negatively impact board games, with most being produced in China and manufacturers facing 145% (or more) tariffs. One survey says these taxes could reduce the amount of publishers by 25%. For some, this new reality has arrived.
Greater Than Games, most well known for their Sentinels of the Multiverse games, laid off most of their staff and suspended operations indefinitely last week. From their website:
Currently, all new projects are suspended as the global tariff situation remains volatile. However, the Greater Than Games website will remain operational, with in-stock products available to order. Goods in the current catalog will still be produced as needed.
Meanwhile, the second edition of the game Gloomhaven was put on hold, with game creator Isaac Childres saying “our products are no longer retail viable.” Childres, who is also the founder of Cephalofair Games, talked to Polygon, saying “these tariffs are a doomsday scenario for the US board game industry.”
Now the revised version of that game, Gloomhaven: Second Edition, is effectively trapped overseas due to the Trump administration’s new tariffs on China. As of Wednesday morning, those tariffs increased from a historically high 145% to an astronomical 245%, nearly doubling publisher Cephalofair Games’ tax burden. It’s simply not a bill that the company can afford to pay.
For now, Cephalofair Games will attempt to sell the 60,000 copies of the Gloomhaven Second Edition they manufactured overseas instead of importing them to the U.S. Cephalofair Games Chief Operating Officer Price Johnson also appeared on CNN to discuss the tariffs, calling it “taxation without representation.” The video is worth a watch, even if it is only available on Facebook.
Canadian game companies are also feeling the strain. Many manufacture their games in China, import them to the U.S., then transport them north to save money. This is no longer viable, as Canadian designer/publisher Jay Cormier told the Daily Hive:
In March [2025], we had two containers full of games land in the U.S. Normally, I would pay US$1,000 or so in customs fees, but this time my bill was US$26,000 because of the 20 per cent tariffs that were in place at the time.
Since then, the U.S. tariffs on goods made in China have increased to 54 per cent, 104 per cent, and now to 125 per cent. So I guess I was 'lucky.
Switch 2 has a U.S. pre-order date
The Switch 2 finally has a pre-order date in the United States: April 24.
Nintendo confirmed that for now the price of the Switch 2 will remain $450, with the console releasing June 5. However, many of the console’s peripherals are seeing a price hike before they even are available. Game Informer broke down the updated prices:
- Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller - $84.99 (originally $79.99)
- Joy-Con 2 Pair - $94.99 (originally $89.99)
- Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip - $39.99 (originally $34.99)
- Joy-Con 2 Strap - $13.99 (originally $12.99)
- Joy-Con 2 Wheel Set - $24.99 (originally $19.99)
- Nintendo Switch 2 Camera - $54.99 (originally $49.99)
- Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set - $119.99 (originally $109.99)
- Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case & Screen Protector - $39.99 (originally $34.99)
- Nintendo Switch 2 All-In-One Carrying Case - $84.99 (originally $79.99)
- Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter - $34.99 (originally $29.99)
- Samsung microSD Express Card – 256GB for Nintendo Switch 2 - $59.99
We asked our readers (aka all of you) in our first-ever poll: do you plan to purchase a Switch 2 at launch if the price stays at $450? Well, one-third of you will happily plunk down your $450 this week to purchase the new Nintendo system. The rest of you plan to wait or just skip this console completely. Thanks to all those who participated.
Nintendo also released more details on Mario Kart World. You can watch their extended trailer above, or read Polygon’s article on everything you need to know about the game. Nintendo also confirmed that the Mario Kart World Switch 2 bundle will only be available until this fall.
Finally, Nintendo brought back Paul Rudd as a pitchman for the Switch 2. Rudd also appeared in a commercial for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. Check out both commercials below.
Side Quests (more stories worth reading)
😎 Reuters created a fun piece on how video games can be an antidote for stress and anxiety.
🐑 PETA wants Catan players to trade in their sheep for hemp.
🌠 Fortnite is getting a Star Wars Battle Royale featuring Darth Jar Jar Binks.
😶 Discord has started using facial scans to verify the age of some users in Australia and the United Kingdom.
🐉 Dragon Age: The Veilguard leads the nominations for the 2025 Gayming Awards.
🌠 Star Wars Zero Company was revealed. The turn-based tactical game is slated for a 2026 release.
🐍 Microsoft’s Phil Spencer hinted at an Indiana Jones sequel following the positive release of The Great Circle. Eurogamer looks at how the team that made the game has been around for decades, first making a Chronicles of Riddick game.
🏠 Almost 20% of Japanese people in their 20s have prioritized in-game purchases over rent and other living expenses.
🐎 Images from a remastered version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion were leaked on the developers website.
📊 Devolver Digital’s financials show Cult of the Lamb is the publisher’s best seller, earning more than $90 million.
🕹️ Death Stranding 2 will have an easy mode that will allow players to skip boss battles and let them read about them instead.
🤦♂️ House Speaker Mike Johnson said Medicaid leads to "able-bodied young men" playing video games instead of working.
🎨 Ubisoft open-sourced their internal color blindness simulation tool Chroma to allow developers to meet the accessibility needs of people with the condition.
👋🏼 Meredith Placko resigned after two years as the CEO of Steve Jackson Games.
🎵 The creator of a viral dance to Charli XCX's song Apple is suing Roblox, saying they used it in the game and profited off her work without her permission.
🌡️ Trevor Noah’s production company Day Zero Productions is launching a climate-themed indie video game competition.
📈 Round numbers: Dwarf Fortress sold over 1 million copies on Steam.
New Releases this week:
Check out our article on 10 New Games to Play in April.
4/22: Post Trauma (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
4/23: Once Upon A Puppet (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
4/24: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
4/24: Tempest Rising (PC)
Thanks for reading. If you enjoy our newsletter, tell a friend to subscribe!
