The work-from-home revolution is not only reshaping cities, it’s also changing how people spend their extra time freed up by the absence of daily commutes. Many are connecting with friends and family over tabletop games, so much so that the board games market, valued at $15.5 billion in 2021, is poised to grow from $17 billion last year to $34.4 billion by 2030.
Exploding Kittens has been on the forefront of the trend.
The Hollywood-based game maker has nearly 30 titles available and has sold more than 25 million of its creations. In June, the company launched its latest card game, Anarchy Pancakes, and has recently expanded into mobile games.
During the pandemic, people 15 and older spent 32 minutes more per day in leisure and sports activities than they did in 2019 — 5.5 hours compared with 5 hours, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The increase partially reflected a decline in average work time as employment fell during the pandemic.
But the increase in leisure and sports activities also reflects a decrease in the average time people spent traveling and commuting. In the aggregate, Americans currently spend 60 million fewer hours commuting to work than prior to 2020, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Games to connect
In addition to using that “found” time to sleep, exercise and travel, Americans are also spending more leisure time connecting with friends and family with tabletop games. In-person games surged in popularity in 2020. The NPD Group reported that game sales were up 48% during that year alone.
“In this post-pandemic world, we’ve witnessed a newfound appetite for tabletop games tied to a greater desire for social connection,” said Carly McGinnis, president of Exploding Kittens. “From day one, Exploding Kittens games have always been designed to maximize player interaction, and we’re continuing to explore new methods of gameplay rooted in multiplayer engagement as we expand our catalog.”
Elan Lee, chief executive at Exploding Kittens, Matthew Inman, the company’s chief creative officer, and Shane Small, the game’s co-creator, launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2015 to raise $10,000 for the Exploding Kittens card game. The campaign took off and raised $8.7 million in 30 days from 219,000 backers. To date, the company’s debut game is the “number-one most-backed project in Kickstarter history,” according to the company, and it has sold more than 25 million games.
The company’s latest release, Anarchy Pancakes, was developed in collaboration with U.K.-based publisher Zygomatic Games, which approached Exploding Kittens to reimagine a card-matching game called Spot It. Exploding Kittens was tasked with re-imagining the game to appeal to an American audience, and the company updated the gameplay rules with that in mind.
“With travel back in full force this year, we’re seeing our players prioritizing portability in their games, so that they can play anywhere,” said Carol Mertz, senior game designer at Exploding Kittens. “Anarchy Pancakes is not only a convenient size to toss in your bag, but also provides … entertainment for the whole family. It’s rare to find a game that can do both.”
The game retails for a similar price to the company’s other titles, most of which sell for less than $20 on the company’s website and at brick-and-mortar stores.
“So far, our customers have responded with the same enthusiasm they’ve shown for our previous titles,” said McGinnis.
Major toy companies such as Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc. (which owns Parker Bros.) used to immediately come to mind with games like Monopoly, Risk, Uno and Pictionary. Now, Kickstarter has become a major player in the space, empowering many independent game designers to launch their own creations, with more than 3,000 new games hitting the market each year, according to BoardGameGeek, an online forum that tracks notable game releases.
Small portion
The board game market is still only a fraction of the gaming market, with the global video game market valued at roughly $196 billion in 2021. The video game market is expected to grow by almost 13% by 2030.
Last year, Insider Intelligence estimated that more than half (54%) of the U.S. population engaged with digital games. Mobile games make up the largest segment, with 48% of the population playing on their phones.
While video games often skew toward a male audience (men make up about 65% of desktop and laptop gaming players), about 75% of mobile-only gamers are female, according to a Comcore study in June 2021.
Going digital
In addition to its card games, Exploding Kittens has recently introduced digital games for mobile platforms, partnering with Facebook Gaming and Netflix Games to bring its brand to new audiences. The company also has an animated series in production at Netflix.
The Netflix mobile game is based on the original Exploding Kittens and is free for Netflix subscribers. Per the Hollywood Reporter, the animated series will be executive produced by “King of the Hill” showrunners Mike Judge and Greg Daniels.
“We definitely see overlap between players of tabletop and digital games, though many skew more heavily towards one category or the other,” said McGinnis. “Our goal as we continue to grow is to meet our customers wherever they’re spending their time, and that means evolving alongside new consumption habits.”
But Exploding Kittens plans to remain true to its core business — tabletop games. It has already released two tabletop games this year, and has additional offerings scheduled for the next six months.
“Tabletop games will always remain at our core, but this holistic mix of traditional and digital offerings will offer new ways for fans to engage with the brand,” said McGinnis. “We anticipate steady growth in the coming years due in part to a consistent rollout of new games and IP expansions.”
