Trump tariffs force U.S. board and card game publishers to cut production

Tariffs imposed by President Trump have forced many independent board and card game publishers in the United States to curb production, cut staff and delay imports, threatening the future of a small but vibrant industry. Publishers including Greater Than Games and CMON Games have curtailed production and reduced head counts since April, and several others are struggling to bring orders in time for the holiday season.

Cephalofair Games left $1.2 million worth of product at a Chinese port for about two months when tariffs first hit, received those delayed shipments in June and still needs to import two more games. Japanime Games halted new board game manufacturing after tariff rates swung from 34 percent to as high as 145 percent before being scaled back to 30 percent, a change that the company said would force the price of some $50 games to around $80.

Small publishers say shifting production to U.S. factories has proven costly and often yields lower-quality components; many U.S. manufacturers lack materials and scale for bespoke pieces such as the acrylic gems used in Fire Tower. Most independent publishers employ fewer than 10 people and produce under 10,000 copies of each title, making the industry sensitive to volatile import costs.

Key Topics

Business, Board Game Publishers, Tariffs, China, Cephalofair Games, Greater Than Games