One of the biggest board game developers just shut down development on new projects and let staff go in response to tariffs

Major board game publisher CMON has announced that it will be temporarily ceasing game development and crowdfunding campaigns with immediate effect due to the US-China tariff situation.

CMON (which is known for some of the best board games, like Zombicide) revealed earlier today that it would focus on existing commitments to customers and partners rather than develop new projects "until trade conditions have stabilized." The board game company says that it has also let an undisclosed number of staff members go. More specifically, the situation "involves extremely difficult staffing decisions, affecting all of our creative teams with reductions."

These changes have come about as a result of "global conditions, and most notably the situation with tariffs". In the blog post, CMON states that "it is our responsibility to take these difficult measures to ensure that we can keep current projects on track and deliver them in a timely manner. We will of course resume new development as soon as possible."

The decision follows a bruising few months for the publisher. Earlier this year, CMON announced that "rising cost of living" has contributed to an estimated $2m loss. It then failed to publish its annual returns on time due to understaffing.

This is the latest in a long line of blows to the tabletop landscape thanks to increasingly high trade tariffs between the US and China, with much of the turmoil hinging on new, prohibitively high expenses. Because the majority of board game publishers produce their products in China due to low cost and the manufacturing expertise present there, such enormous hikes on trade between the two countries will make it impossible for studios to operate effectively – if at all. The current increase of 145% would cripple many, and transferring manufacturing to the United States is equally difficult. That's because the necessary infrastructure doesn't exist Stateside at the time of writing.

A number of industry giants like Stonemaier and Cephalofair (those behind Wingspan and Gloomhaven, respectively) have already spoken out about the crisis, with Cephalofair chief operating officer Price Johnson telling GamesRadar+ that "the board game industry cannot absorb a 54% increase, let alone a [then] 104% increase." The president of Arcane Wonders had a similarly dire warning earlier this year, and the situation led to the publisher behind beloved board game Spirit Island shutting.

There may be hope, however; President Trump has recently stated (as reported by the BBC) that the tariffs may "come down substantially, but it won't be zero." We can only hope that these changes are implemented before any more damage is done.

If you want to take your mind off the situation, you can check out the best 2-player board games or the best cooperative board games here.