Board game companies have been hit hard by the rising US-China tariffs. With many of the best board game publishers taking to the web to air their grievances over the sudden and extortionate nature of the levy changes, some have now decided to take things a step further. After an outpouring of perceived injustices against the board game industry last week, publishers are getting together to sue US President Trump over the tariff hikes currently obliterating the board game industry.
We've already seen Spirit Island publisher Greater Than Games shuttering after board game experts, like Jamey Stegmaier of Wingspan publisher Stonemaier Games, had only just begun to consider the devastating impact the changes would likely render if the tariffs were not corrected. In the most recent post on the Stonemaier Games website, Jamey has announced the company will be joining a lawsuit to "challenge the unchecked authority of the executive branch to impose tariffs".
Jamey's comments on the site help put the sheer scale of the numbers into perspective: "We face an unprecedented $14.50 tariff tax for every $10 we spent on manufacturing", he says. "For Stonemaier Games alone (a US based company in which all 8 employees are US citizens), that amounts to upcoming tariff payments of nearly $1.5 million."
In the wake of the announcement, I thought I'd bring you all an opportunity to support the companies either affected by, or trying their darndest to push back against the tariffs, which now sit at an effective 145% for board games. Below you can find deals on board games from a few of the more outspoken game publishers, in case you feel like doing your part for the industry. And if you're after more board game deals, I've just updated our board game deals page, too.
Speaking to Jamey on the subject, he tells me he's "heard directly from over 150 companies who have been or will be severely negatively impacted by the tariffs. The plaintiffs in the case will be more limited, but I've tried to give a voice to anyone who wants to share their story (people/companies impacted by the tariffs) by providing a form they can fill out."
If your company has been directly impacted by the tariff hikes, Jamey has set out a Google form to collect first hand evidence for the case.
Stonemaier Games
As the first to announce that a collective from the board game industry would be suing the US president, Stonemaier Games have been very outspoken about the tariffs. President and co-founder Jamey Stegmaier calls them "a huge slap in the face of globalization," stating that "there should have been a grace period for goods already in production".
Cephalofair
Gloomhaven publisher Cephalofair has also been outspoken about the tariffs, with COO Price Johnson expecting not only price increases, but also that "Fewer new, exciting, and innovative games will be published." His take on the suddenness of the changes is that "ANY level of notice would have been better and more helpful", and that "advance notice is nothing if the goal posts continue being moved".
Greater Than Games
Greater Than Games says it is suspending "all new projects," noting that it had undergone a "reduction in staff in response to ongoing economic pressures resulting from the international tariff crisis." While pre-orders are still up for some games, newer ideas will be left by the wayside.
For more info on what's hot, be sure to check out the best board games. Failing that, now might be a good time to load up on Lego deals as well.
