Licences have been a feature of offline games for decades. In the earliest days of licensing, familiar comic characters were used to add value to classics such as Ludo and Monopoly. Today, designers develop games for specific licences. This fosters a strong emotional connection. Licenses are now very popular in the toy industry and a real driver of sales there.

Horror and intrigue

Horror and intrigue are popular movie and book themes. The properties that really resonate there usually end up being incorporated into board games at some stage. Licensing ensures that the target audience easily makes the necessary connections through illustrations and game materials.

The first movie in the Scream franchise was released in 1996. The seventh instalment is set to hit theatres next year. Ghostface, the antagonist with a black robe and white Scream mask, is an iconic figure. Of course, he also comes as a 3D play figure in Scream The Game from  Funko . When this dark menace steps onto the game board, players nearby are in great peril – they will have to combine their wits to overcome the evil in their midst. 

Design: Aaron Donogh. 

Cult hit Beetlejuice is a comedy-horror movie originally released in 1988. It then received a sequel last year. The plot revolves around a couple who die in an accident but then aren’t ushered into the afterlife – instead, they are doomed to haunt their home and scare away visitors for decades. That same scenario is played out in the dice game Watch out Beetlejuice from Mixlore Dog. The radioactive-green dice with spiders, ghosts and headless contemporaries frighten the living souls from the haunted house.

Design: Catherine Mollica & Jean-François Rochas. Illustration: Mathieu Lidon & Studio Slingshot Suzy. 

The third series of “The Traitors” is currently a major TV success in Germany. A group of visitors to an ancient fortress have to work together to complete missions. But there’s always a turncoat, who then “murders” at night – so, trust no-one. The same applies in the official The Traitors board game from Goliath . Blindfolds are included in the box for the enigmatic game phases so that an opponent can strike when all are “blind”. With clever decoys and focused suspicions, the players emulate the social deduction in the TV version.

Developed by Identity Games International BV.

The German author Sebastian Fitzek has been writing psychological thrillers for 20 years and has earned great critical acclaim. His books are narratively dense, dramatically thrilling and logically coherent – just like the board games that carry his name. The latest – Fitzek Underground from  moses – is packed with suspense. The players are in a subway system, and a kidnapper wants to prevent any member of the group from escaping. All tunnels are being flooded with water, and the level is rising and rising. The players have to work together to find their way out. Transparent blue tiles realistically simulate a water level indicator.

Design: Marco Teubner. Illustration: Jörn Stollmann.

Adventure and youth culture

Iconic brands have been popular with children and teens for decades. They are a fundamental part of the childhood and adolescence of both boys and girls.

Lego bricks have been fostering creativity through free play for generations. Given their pedagogical value, it’s no surprise that there are board games that make use of this material. Monkey Palace from Dotted Games requires players to build while applying a lot of strategic thinking. They work together to rebuild a ruined palace deep in the jungle. But each can gain an advantage for themselves through clever tactics by placing new staircase elements and capturing banana points. 

Design: David Gordon & TAM. Illustration: AMEET & Matthieu Martin.

Fantasy role-playing games have been hits with young people worldwide for decades. In Germany, “Das Schwarze Auge” (English: The Dark Eye) is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary. To mark this,  Amigo has released a crossover with its also successful “Wizard” card game. Both play worlds are infused with a mystical magic. The unique trick-taking card game with predictive bidding is the only one of its kind in this genre on the German market. Metal coins add the crowning touch to this edition. It doesn’t get better than this. 

Design: Ken Fisher. Illustration: Steffen Brand, Holger Schulz, Axel Sauerwald & Jennifer Lange.

The imaginative idea behind Jumanji is that a board game is brought to life in an adventure-filled jungle setting. Rhinos and other wild animals populate the scenery. This cult franchise was already a hit 30 years ago and a number of sequels have been released in the meantime. It’s no surprise, then, that the current Jumanji – Stampede board game from Spin Master Games takes up this idea. Heroes both young and young-at-heart have to battle together against rampaging elephants, raging rhinos and much more. They face many surprises along the way – such as leopards leaping from hiding. 

Design: Erica Bouyouris & Kyle Hussa-Lietz. Illustration: ABC. 

Minecraft – one of the most successful video games ever – began its rise to success 15 years ago. Players explore a very open-ended virtual universal, building worlds from cubes. The distinctive visual presentation is reflected not only in the structures but also the animals, monsters and beings. Following various board games, Ravensburger has now added Minecraft – Junior to the offering. The pixel-style artwork may look like a relic of the past, but contributes to the cult status. The aim is to add animals to a farm before the monsters have blocked all of the access routes.

Design: Ulrich Blum. Cover illustration: Fiore GmbH.

Adventures in Middle-earth

The book trilogy was already a classic, and the unique films helped cement its popularity 25 years ago: “The Lord of the Rings”, a masterful series of novels, is considered a pioneering work in the fantasy genre. There have since been various board game adaptations, with new ones still being added. In addition to the original game ideas, the illustrations are also impressive.

The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth from  Repos is based on “7 Wonders Duel”, which is considered perhaps the best two-player game. The clever card-taking mechanism is reflected in Frodo’s journey to Mount Doom. The three victory conditions ensure there is uncertainty over who will win and in which way, so the suspense is maintained to the end. With his distinctive, vibrant style, the illustrator has succeeded in breathing new perspectives into the cards and board. Friends and foes as well as the superb landscapes and mighty buildings bring new visual impact in this satisfying game. 

Design: Antoine Bauza & Bruno Cathala. Illustration: Vincent Dutrait.

The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship from Z-Man Games is also based on a successful game mechanism: “Pandemic”. In this cooperative game, the heroes gather to overcome new challenges with luck and tactics. They have to defend the havens of Middle-earth and accompany Frodo on his way to the fires of Mount Doom. Here, too, the game mechanics are layered in a way that makes each round more demanding than the last. With a large board and sophisticated materials (the Nazgûl, for example, are mounted on an acrylic stand so that they appear to hover over the playing area), this game is truly an immersive experience.

Design: Matt Leacock. Illustration: Cory Godbey.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Trick-Taking Game from (von Office Dog )) tries a different approach. Here, the players tackle the task to hand in a cooperative trick-taking game. Roles with different character traits are assigned for the completion of a mission. Across 18 chapters, the players have to overcome new and increasingly demanding tasks in a battle for tricks. The Ring-bearer always has a tempting advantage. The illustrations resemble stained glass windows, giving the game its unique character and lending it a distinctive charm compared to other representations of Middle-earth.

Design: Bryan Bornmüller. Illustration: Elaine Ryan & Samuel R. Shimota.

Trading Card Systems

Trading card systems (TCS) have been a staple offering of game providers for over 30 years. The triumphal march began with Magic: The Gathering. Then followed Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! – another two ever-popular favourites. The trading cards can be used to form individual decks that players hope will bring them victory in duels. Other systems have also been launched recently and are off to a very promising start – due in no small part to the licences interwoven with them.

Ravensburger launched  Disney Lorcana. worldwide in autumn 2023. The trading card game (TCG) has quickly become an extremely successful product. More than one billion (!) cards have been sold in under two years. It’s therefore no surprise that seven themed sets have been brought out within a very short space of time. The Lorcana universe is enriched with new motifs, each with a different Disney focus. Archazia’s Island is the name of the latest expansion, which features animal pals such as Lady and the Tramp, who are on the trail of an ancient secret. Further sets have been announced for the year ahead, building to a suspenseful high point in autumn with the release of “Fabled”, with more delights to come after. 

Design: David Iezzi, Ryan Miller & Steve Warner. Illustration: Disney licence.

Equally successful is Star Wars Unlimited, a licence that has been appealing to a broad sci-fi audience since last year through Fantasy Flight Games (www.starwarsunlimited.com). The iconic star warriors battle against droid armies. Themed expansions are also frequently released. Jump to Lightspeed is the fourth and newest set, which focuses on the iconic starfighters, transports and capital ships. The clone wars have begun in the TCS genre and are set to continue.

Design: undisclosed. Illustration: Lucasfilm Ltd.

About the author

Peter Neugebauer is still a “big kid” through and through. In early childhood, his parents introduced him to board games. And games were obligatory and always welcome as presents for Christmas and on his birthday.He didn’t stop playing, not even during his years of study or working life. Early on, he reviewed new products, initially in trade journals, then also in daily newspapers and, for almost 40 years, in industry magazines. He can’t live without playing.