Major board game publisher snaps up the Zombicide franchise, saving it from an uncertain future

Major board game publisher Asmodee has acquired the rights to Zombicide, picking up the co-op series from struggling rival CMON.

It's unclear how much the franchise was purchased for, but Zombicide will apparently be run under the Guillotine Games label as part of Asmodee's lifestyle vertical going forward. Although no concrete plans have been laid out for the series (which is often held up as one of the best board games) as of yet, Asmodee indicates that its next steps are top-of-mind.

"We are proud the iconic Zombicide IP [intellectual property] further strengthens our tabletop games portfolio and allows us to reinforce our presence in key geographies," Asmodee CEO Thomas Kœgler says in a press release announcing the development. "I can’t wait for the team to get to work at what’s coming next for this fantastic IP."

This is Asmodee's first purchase since the board game publisher became an independent company earlier in 2025, and this is a stark contrast to competitor CMON. It's been a rough few months so far as the latter's concerned; to start with, the cost-of-living crisis is estimated to have lost CMON $2m. The company then failed to publish its annual returns on time due to understaffing. As a cherry atop those setbacks, CMON soon shut down active development on new projects and let staff go as a result of the US-China tariff situation. (Because a tremendous number of board games are published in China, increased costs could be catastrophic.)

Zombicide, which was first published in 2012 following an industry-defining crowdfunding campaign, isn't the first IP CMON has sold. In a blog post from last month, it was revealed that Tabletop Tycoon had acquired Arcadia Quest, Blood Rage, Ankh: Gods of Egypt, Rising Sun, and more from CMON.

Although it's miserable to see an industry titan slowly being chipped away into pieces, at least the Zombicide franchise won't be left to rot. As mentioned in our Zombicide 2nd Edition review, this is one of the best team games around thanks to compelling and amusingly goofy action, 25 missions to complete, and a wealth of unique enemies to overcome.

For recommendations on what to play next, why not check out the best cooperative board games or the best adult board games?