Is it profitable to open a board game club? Business: board games for children. What about money? Is it possible to make money on the creation of a board game

Board games are a favorite pastime for children. Their main advantages: mobility, practicality, diversity and accessibility. AT recent times increased sales in this area. Therefore, aspiring entrepreneurs should think about opening a company specializing in the manufacture and sale of board games.

Project idea: production of educational children's puzzles and quests.

Complexity: home business of medium complexity.

Main costs: design development, purchase of game elements and typography.

Equipment: phone and computer.

Initial capital: 100-200 thousand rubles

Payback period: 3-12 months.

Approximate profit: 30-50 thousand rubles per month.

Marketing research in this direction indicates a decline in sales computer games for $150 million. This is due to the economic crisis. At the same time, the demand for such entertainment is growing. The board game industry is attracting the attention of developers and investors. This is due to the fact that it takes dozens of times to create less money than to create a similar computer entertainment. The profitability of many projects reaches 300-350%.

In Russia, entertainment of the low price category (200-500 rubles) is in the greatest demand. Expensive options are bought up with less activity. Marketers assure that in 2015-2017 demand will grow.

If you wish to attract third-party funding sources, a business plan is required. The document is considered by banks, the investor and the commission when issuing subsidies.

If you want the decision to be made in your favor, stick to a certain structure.

The main stages of making a board game

Classical directions are backgammon, checkers and chess. Modern entertainment has a focus, for example, Monopoly is popular. Today, themes of sports, fashion, politics, travel, adventure and space are becoming more popular.

The prospects for the development of the project are huge. Consider how to start a business for the manufacture of educational desktop entertainment.

Main steps:

• designing game driving principles;
• development of the plot, goals, semantic load;
• the design of the box and all the elements used;
• purchase of components;
• production of the first copy;
• testing;
• circulation production.

Despite the popular belief that board games have given way to computer and online games, their popularity is still great. Checkers and chess, lotto and backgammon, dominoes and cards, Monopoly and Twister - who does not know and has not played these games?

How to make money producing and selling board games

And there are thousands, even tens of thousands of lesser known, but no less exciting board games that help to have fun and interesting time, as in big company, as well as in a narrow circle. In the West, there has even been a wave of revival of this type of leisure, accompanied by the massive creation of fan clubs and movements to support and popularize board games. We have also recently seen a trend of growing interest in this type of entertainment. An additional impetus was given by the government decision to close the casino and deprive poker of the status of a sports game.

The main advantage of board games is their availability, compactness and relatively low prices (about 0.5-1.5 thousand rubles - one game). The colorfully designed design, in the development of which recognized professionals participate, gives board games a special flavor, makes them attract the attention of not only children, but also adults. There is a desire to become the owner of such a tempting thing, and the hand involuntarily reaches for the wallet ...

And here the enterprising businessman immediately has a question: “Why not turn someone’s desire into their own source of income?” Indeed, the business of selling board games is a profitable business and, as experience shows, quickly pays off.

The most important thing is to arouse the interest of a potential buyer in certain game. There are several ways that, in the end, will come down to the main goal - the acquisition of the product of interest. The least risky and cheapest way to start is by creating an online store. Make a website where you place a selected assortment of board games in a colorful and accessible form. You don't have to chase quantity. Choose to start with games that have passed the test of time, and popular new items, the rating of which is easy to track on the Internet. 30-40 positions for the first time "enough with the head." Take care of detailed description games with high-quality photo accompaniment of the content (playing field, chips, cards, etc.). Focus on the nuances: the age category, the time and place of the game, the number of players. The fewer questions a potential customer has, the more likely they are to buy the product. The timely announcement of new products, website advertising and a well-thought-out system of discounts (for example, free shipping or a cumulative system) will add buyers. For the efficiency of the turnover, it is desirable that at least 2-3 copies of the products presented on the site be available. Over time, product rotation is optimized. The most popular product, which should be purchased in larger quantities, and the unclaimed one, which should be abandoned, will be determined.

But an online store may not be enough to successfully promote a business. It's one thing to see a game, but quite another to play it. And it doesn't matter how old you are - 3 or 73. Marketers have verified that a person who has played the game and enjoyed it becomes a buyer 1.4 times more often than a person who has become familiar with the game theoretically. Therefore, there is a need for places to get acquainted with the games live and even for regular gaming battles. Renting sites in shopping centers, cinemas and other crowded places will help solve this problem. And in a cafe, you can book a number of tables for a certain day, for example, with the stipulated condition of a minimum order for each visitor in a reasonable amount. There are many ways to gather a “quorum” for such a meeting. These are announcements on Internet resources and in the local press, calls to friends and acquaintances, distribution of business cards and invitations. The result of the meeting may be a prize in the form of a game set, certain bonuses upon its purchase, etc. A well-spent leisure time, “recorded” by a photo report on the site, will become the subject of conversation among friends of acquaintances and acquaintances of friends. Perhaps the most effective advertising enters the "battle" - "word of mouth", which will lead to the next meeting of new customers.

And now let's estimate the starting capital. Registration of an individual entrepreneur will cost 2-3 thousand rubles, website development - 10-15 thousand, advertising and business cards - from 3 thousand, the initial batch of games - from 30 to 50 thousand. Total 50-70 thousand rubles. Not so much. With a skillful policy, it is possible to recoup the costs in 3-4 months. The markup range for games can range from 30% to 200% depending on demand. After studying the assortment and prices of competitors, at the first stage, try to meet a lower margin on the product.

Live communication, the opportunity to spend time with loved ones and dear people- this is what we so lack in the modern world. And trust me, board games haven't had their last word yet. Demand for them will definitely grow - marketing experts are sure of it.

Prepared by the editors: "Business GiD"
www.bisgid.ru

Club "RichClub", Novosibirsk

25.04.2010 12:18

The RichClub was created with the aim of giving everyone the opportunity to develop their financial thinking by playing Cash flow. We welcome new people who are not indifferent to their future and who do not want to stop there.

Create and produce board games at home

Quotes by Robert Kiyosaki

23.07.2009 08:02

A selection of quotes and thoughts Roberta Kiyosaki for those who have read his books, as well as for those who want to read but cannot find free time. Repeat and be successful.

Club of board intellectual games Unicorn (Moscow)

12.02.2009 08:25

Replenishment of the section of board games clubs. The Moscow Unicorn Club invites everyone to play popular board games daily and completely free of charge.

Club of Business Game Fans in Minsk

29.01.2009 10:02

Minsk club of fans of business games and financial simulators Cashflow.by — « Cash flow”is the most dynamically developing Cashflow organization in Belarus. Participants in the organization of business seminars, trainings and trainings in state educational institutions.

Every Saturday and Sunday, educational games are held using business simulators: "Cash Flow", "Pyramid of Success", "Key to Wealth", "Financial Carousel", etc.

First All-Russian Conference: "Improving the financial literacy of the population in Russia: challenges and prospects"

17.11.2008 11:14

The conference will take place on December 9, 2008 in Moscow. The main goal of the conference is to develop a dialogue between the state, financial institutions, the media and civil society on the issues of educating the population in the field of personal finance, getting acquainted with Russian and international experience in improving financial literacy, as well as developing a joint strategy for the activities of all stakeholders.

Screen version of the board game Monopoly.

12.11.2008 16:32

Ridley Scott has been confirmed as the director of the film adaptation of Hasbro's acclaimed board game Monopoly, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Pages: 1 | 2

Popular board games and books

Cash flow

The mechanics of the game and the rules are quite simple - you need to become a monopolist by purchasing real estate, hotels and railways. Naturally, only one player can be a monopolist, so the struggle for monopoly has been making the board game so exciting and exciting for 70 years.

Read more about "Monopoly board game"

Manufacture and sale of board games

There have always been enough paradoxes in our lives. Despite the rapid development computer technology board games remain popular today. This is evidenced by statistics, the annual growth of the market for these products is an average of 17%. For entrepreneurs in Europe and the United States, the question is how to open a small business, ideas for it are also always relevant. Those who staked on the production and sale of such goods have already won today. On the territory of the CIS, this market is only developing.

Experts estimate that last year board games worth $70 million were sold in Russia, and $15 million worth in Ukraine. Of the total global sales of entertainment goods, 60% come from the United States and Germany. A few years ago, on the shelves of domestic stores, one could find either simple and boring walkers, or expensive imported desktop sets that were not translated into Russian, and therefore were not popular.

Today the situation has changed, and companies have appeared on the Russian market that produce board games based on their own developments or under license from foreign partners. Despite this, there is no competition between manufacturers of this product, and the market is far from being saturated with this product.

Production technology

The production process of a board game, which is the basis of the idea for developing a small business, can be divided into several stages.

The first stage is the most responsible, since the success of the future product depends on its results. First, they develop the concept of a board game. To do this, determine the audience to which it will be focused: children, adults, boys or girls.

How to start a board game business

Developed story line, myself game process, the goal that players need to reach.

The initial stage includes the testing procedure. The game will be tested on acquaintances, friends, in kindergartens, schools. The process is carefully monitored to identify any inconvenience and embarrassment to users.

The second stage is the final external design of the product. It is carried out on the basis of a pilot copy. Approved appearance fields, chips, cards, packaging and other attributes.

This step also includes product costing. Usually its value is inversely proportional to the number of products in circulation. A novice entrepreneur can start by releasing a batch of 2-2.5 thousand copies. For a developed production, the circulation of 5-6 thousand pieces is considered optimal.

The third stage is the search for a contractor to print game elements. The modern printing market in the country is quite developed, and there is someone to choose from. The performer must be a professional in his field, have wide-profile printing and cutting machines. It is important that the entrepreneur has the opportunity to control the technological process, to demand the correction of defects, if such occur through the fault of the contractor. Many enterprises today order printing services, for example, in China. Their cost, even taking into account transportation, is cheaper, but there is no way to control the quality of order fulfillment. At the initial stage of formation of production, it is still better to cooperate with domestic contractors. The same situation with the manufacture of all other elements for the game.

"Berserk"

production cost

The cost of one set depends on a number of factors, and it is difficult to calculate exact numbers without any specifics. On the example of well-known manufacturers, some figures can be stated. Bonko Games for the release of the first two thousand copies new game a budget of $22,000 was needed, Arial spent $50,000 for 19,000 copies, and World of Fantasy spent $30,000 on the release of Berserk. Moreover, a third of this money was spent on intellectual property registration. Retail prices for the products of the companies listed above ranged from $2.7 to $15.

Sales and advertising

The first batches of goods are usually offered to toy stores, bookstores and large department stores. It is there that most often fans of board games get them. Further, the distribution network must be developed depending on the age and gender of users. This direction can also represent a small business. Ideas – The board game trade is quite competitive.

Entrepreneurs working in the board game market claim that the first dozen copies are bought up by users who are engaged by competitors. Negative reviews that appear after the release of new items are not always objective. Real criticism can only be taken after a few weeks after the start of sales. You can't leave her unattended. Given the positive and negative reviews, the product needs to be improved, thereby creating a good reputation for your company.

For stable sales, the distribution network must have at least 200 outlets. On the day of entering the retail network, you can arrange a presentation of a new product, tell in an artistic form about the fascinating world into which the game process will transfer players.

It is worth paying attention to the idea, which consists in the free presentation of new items in cafes, game libraries, and child development centers. There, people can try to play, and then, if they like it, buy it. In the same place, in the future, it is possible to hold tournaments, the benefits from which will be mutual for the product manufacturer and the owner of the institution.

An entrepreneur should not forget about such an indispensable tool today as Internet commerce. Creating your own website and online store should be, if not the first step in promoting a product, then it must be present in the plans.

In April 2017, the marketing agency DISCOVERY Research Group completed a study of the board games market in Russia.

The board game market is experiencing an extraordinary boom today. Over the past four years, sales of board games have increased by 25-40% annually, thousands of new titles are released every year, top games sold in millions of copies. According to DISCOVERY Research Group, the size of the board games market in Russia in 2015 amounted to about 7.6 billion rubles. All leading players show an average sales growth of 20%. In 2016, the volume of the board games market in Russia amounted to about 9.1 billion rubles.

In 2016, the first place in the main nomination of the Spiel des Jahres 2016 (“Game of the Year”) award went to the game CodeNames (“Code Names”) by the Czech developer Vlady Chvatil. Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King won the Expert Game of the Year (Kennerspiel des Jahres) nomination. The Kinderspiel des Jahres ("Children's Game of the Year") award winner was My First Stone Age.

Topics traditionally associated with "eurogames" are gaining momentum, and topics traditionally associated with "ameritrash" (a hobby of our world, but not ours) are achieving particularly significant results.

The board game industry in Russia is attracting more and more attention from developers and investors. 2008 is considered to be the starting year for the network retail market of board games. Between 2008 and 2011 The market showed almost tenfold growth. Today in Russia one can see a fully developed infrastructure: from the largest giants - such as Hobby World and Mosigra - to the recently created Association of the League of Partisan Solutions, which brought together independent creators.

According to DISCOVERY Research Group, the size of the board games market in Russia in 2015 amounted to about 7.6 billion rubles. All leading players show an average sales growth of 20%. In 2016, the volume of the board games market in Russia amounted to about 9.1 billion rubles.

Over the past 3-4 years, Russian companies have followed the American example of raising funds for board games - crowdfunding (Kickstarter, Boomstarter). Representatives of Hobby World were the first to look towards crowdfunding, they raised funds for the production of games Berserk, Hollywood. The company is actively developing its own Crowd Republic platform. In collaboration with Hobby World, another player on the market, Igrokon, launched the Septikon game project.

Business Idea - Board Games Store

Publishing house " Correct Games» began its crowdfunding history with two projects on the domestic Boomstarter site. It was Evolution. Random mutations” and “For Scotland!”, then added to them updated version game "I'm Yours Understand 2".

In December 2016, CrowdRepublic raised funds for the release of the Russian edition of the main rulebook of the role-playing game. Pathfinder games. Crowd Games entered the Boomstarter public funding platform with the Russian edition of the game Scythe (“Sickle”), and Game Shop with Terraforming Mars (“Conquest of Mars”). At the end of the year, Pathfinder had already attracted 635 sponsors and raised more than 1.4 million rubles, Scythe - 378 sponsors and almost 2.7 million rubles, Terraforming Mars - 534 sponsors and more than 1 million rubles. The total contribution is almost 6 million rubles!

During the crisis, the consumer's desire to "tear the child away from the computer" was supplemented by the desire to save on leisure. Market players unanimously predict further growth in demand for board games.

What you need to know about the publisher before choosing?

As a rule, the publisher is closely associated with one of the networks or several. For example, all our games receive priority placement in Mosigra (the largest domestic retail chain) and other partner networks. Specify exactly how the marketing of the game will be done - publishing is easy, but selling the game for several thousand a month is very difficult. Note that in the domestic top sales at the beginning of 2013, 12 out of 20 games were released by us.

How careful is the selection?

For starters, the games are tested.

Actual business: creation of board games

Considering that we are going to invest our funds and team time in the project, only best games from those offered. We usually review 150-300 games a year, and release less than a dozen of them.

If my game does not fit, can I apply to another publisher?

Yes, we usually even recommend a suitable option if the project is good, but it seems to us not quite suitable for our market. Each has its own specificity. We love, for example, to work with games that will be sold from 500 pieces a month, or with really wonderful smart and complex projects.

Why are only less than a dozen domestic board games released per year?

Because any author competes with localizations. If you can take a ready-made and proven game from the West, where it has already shown its effectiveness, it is more logical to work with it than with something new. Nevertheless, we do our best to support the domestic market and regularly hold events for game authors.

What will Magellan do with my prototype, how will the development of the board game go?

• 1. You can not send a prototype as the first step, but simply send the rules and materials of the game. After reviewing them (if we like the game), we request a prototype.
• 2. After the tests, recommendations will probably be given to change a number of things in the mechanics, setting and rules. We give the vector to you or change it ourselves (by agreement).
• 3. The contract is signed.
• 4. Then the work of illustrators will begin. Good illustrators, the success of the game largely depends on the quality of the images.
• 5. Layout of cards, rules and other components.
• 6. In parallel, a “cover” is made - an illustration for the box and text on it. The name of the game is specified.
• 7. Then components are manufactured for each individual specification.
• 8. When everything is ready, your game is going to production in circulation.

Here are some examples of stories with the publication of our board games:

See license section.

What is the best way to send a prototype?

Preferably in the most finished, that is, in the form of a box with components and rules. The cards must be cards (not pieces of paper that cannot be shuffled); if you write by hand, write in capital letters. The box must be strong and clearly labeled. Everything inside should be as close to reality as possible - for example, it's good to use chips from other games or nuts instead of chips, it's bad - paper markers. The field can be drawn by hand - it's better than attaching a file. And so on.

If it is not possible to send in the form of a box, then you need a description of the concept (2-3 paragraphs) and the rules of the game, as well as files for creating a prototype. Remember that the idea itself does not make sense to discuss. It is necessary that the test team at least once be able to sit down and play.

The most important thing is what is the name of the game, who is it for, how many players, what age, what is the duration of the game, what mechanics are used, what are the maximum similar games already there, than your product is better.

If I only have an idea for a board game, what should I do?

Assemble the prototype. Better take your time: if you assemble it in a hurry, it is quite possible that the game will be rated worse than if you think through the details and write down the rules clearly and clearly. But don't linger either - the perfectionists are the last to arrive. It is better to stop at a certain stage of readiness and listen to the opinion of the publisher than to work in the wrong direction for a year.

Are there any non-disclosure documents signed?

At the prototype stage, no. Authors often fear that the publisher may use the files without their input. Note that due to the lack of at least some clear protection of game mechanics in Russian legislation, any agreements and documents at this stage can, of course, leave a sense of security, but in practice they will be legally null and void. Therefore, you can only trust or not trust the publisher. Again, no one will risk their reputation, just as it is simply not economically feasible to release a game without an author.

What games definitely do not need to be sent?

• 1. Copies of already known games. “But I came up with Monopoly, only instead of cells there will be names of rock bands” - this is a bad idea.
• 2. Games your 14 year old sister can't figure out. If the rules take up 40 pages in small print, and it takes several days to learn how to play, it might be worth simplifying. Selling this will be quite difficult.
• 3. Games without implementation - that is, something that cannot be prototyped.
• 4. Several versions of the same game with minor changes - one prototype is enough.

I already have illustrations. What then?

If they are good, we will publish with them. But practice shows that it is better to bring a couple of samples of concept art - and then it will be clear before the start of work whether the illustrator is suitable.

What about money? Can you make money making a board game?

The author receives from 5 to 10% of deductions from each circulation that has gone out of production. If a game costs 1,000 rubles on a shelf in a store, then it costs 500 rubles in circulation and about 300 rubles in cost. You receive deductions from the wholesale price, that is, in our example - from 500 rubles.

What is the average circulation?

The minimum circulation is 1000 pieces, the usual one is 3-5 thousand. We try to work with games that can sell more than 10,000 pieces a year. Given that once a published game brings you income for at least another 3-4 years, you can calculate the profit yourself. As a rule, the publication becomes a permanent job for very, very few who are ready to do several projects in a year, but as an addition to the main income, it is quite worthy.

What risks does the publisher bear?

• – If the game does not enter the market, the publisher will lose funds for development and the first print run. You can only make money on the game - and at least receive deductions from the first game.
• - If somewhere there is a marriage that causes a reworking of the party (a common occurrence for any publisher), everything will be decided at the expense of the publisher.
• - If the game is not put on the shelves in time and there is a penalty from the networks for the delay - this is the publisher's problem, not yours.

And so on. Thus, traditional publication risks and any other things do not concern you in any way. You simply receive deductions from each box - no matter what happened to it financially and how. These deductions remain unchanged, even if incredible adventures happened to the circulation.

What documents will need to be collected?

The main document is the author's agreement, in which you guarantee that you are the author of the game and have all the rights to it, and the publisher describes in detail his obligations. In most cases, signing is sufficient. The author's agreement can be signed both with a resident of the Russian Federation and with a non-resident of our country.

If you use third-party content in the game, such as illustrations, you must have transfer documents from the illustrator or an agreement with him. If we do the illustrations, you don't need to think about it.

We take care of everything else. Including game certification, for example.

What tests are being done?

It is assumed that you send a finished game (by the way, if you have a protocol of at least 20 games, that's good). The game is tested not for balance, for example, but for playability. Tests pass in three stages: first the developers look, then experienced players, then, under supervision, random people "from the street". All three stages must be completed. The most important is the third one.

What happens if the game doesn't fit?

Typically, 10% of games are good enough to publish. But less than 2% of the board games sent to the publisher are released. The rest are simply set aside in case they are needed. We let you know if your game is good but out of print yet - and recommend other publishers. In this case, the game is queued for publication. In practice, over the past year, we have bought two games from such a “queue” of the reserve. The usual queue length is about 30 projects.

How long will the prototype be evaluated?

Usually about a month.

How long will the board game be released?

Cycle - 8-12 months from circulation to appearance on the shelf.

Please pay attention again

Providing information or a prototype for consideration does not constitute a non-disclosure agreement. But, again, we promise that we will work with your game very carefully.

We don't consider ideas - only prototypes. Magellan's consideration and evaluation of your ideas is not an admission of novelty, primacy, or originality, and does not prejudice the company's rights to challenge or pursue any existing or future ideas of a similar nature. However, if we consider the mechanics to be promising (but the game in the form of a specific implementation is unsuitable for publication), we will tell you about it and offer improvements.

You represent and warrant that you (or the team you represent) are the sole owner of the disclosed information, or that you have unrestricted rights to disclose it. You further represent that all third parties who may have an interest in the disclosed information have been informed of the terms of the agreement and agree to its terms.

The prototype is not returned.

We consider it undesirable to consider the project at the same time as another publisher - in this case, we will wait for a response from another publisher. Please let us know before submitting a project if your project is already under consideration by another publisher. When we request a prototype game from you, we assume that we are the only publisher considering your project, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise with us in advance.

We may make significant changes to the game, which may result in changes to the game's mechanics, theme, or any other aspect to better adapt the game to the product line. And the best sales.

The project may not be suitable for many reasons: we may consider that the game is not profitable enough; that we will not be able to present the game in at its best; the game may be too similar to something we already have in development; We didn't like the mechanics of the game and its execution, or for any other reason. We will provide details if something goes wrong.

We do not give feedback on submitted games.

Today we will talk about how to sell games on the Internet. Since we will work on the Internet, we will sell digital copies of games, and these are mainly versions of games for PC. So, let's begin!

Where to get goods?

The first question that arises for an entrepreneur is where to get digital keys from? There are two ways: publishers and Steam.

The first way is to find publishers and distributors in your country. If you're into video games, you can probably name a few publishers yourself. For example, SoftKlab, 1C and others.

The first thing you should do is go to the official website of the publisher and find the contact or feedback buttons there. Then write to them and find out the terms of cooperation and the price list.

Terms of cooperation can be very different. Some work only with legal entities and you will have to register as entity, and some sell games only in packages, then you will have to rent a warehouse to unpack the games and take a picture of the key. You can, of course, use your apartment instead of a warehouse, but be prepared for a bunch of boxes that you will constantly stumble over.

The second getting games is Steam. The second method may violate the rules of Steam. The bottom line is, we buy the game as a gift at a sale, send it to our mail, we don’t follow the link in the mail, but simply sell this link to activate the gift.

We do not vouch for this method, as Steam policy is constantly changing and this method can simply be covered up. But, at the time of this writing, you can still buy games this way.

Only fresh range

Try to buy only fresh stock. This is due to the following.

Developers spend tons of money on their PR campaigns. Commercials for the new Call of Duty and Battlefield are often played even on TV, so there is a demand for these products. Especially if a game from the series makes a lot of noise, gains high ratings and comes out every few years (like GTA), then the demand will be simply huge. Therefore, the greater the demand, the more likely it is to grab a tidbit of the sales pie.

The second point why you need to buy only fresh assortment is less obvious. Old games lose a lot in price and it will be more difficult for you to compete with other sellers.

Board game production

Often publishers or some other distributors arrange discounts on old products, entrepreneurs buy up these games and sell them at a reduced price. At a price that is much lower than on Steam or Origin. To start competing with such sellers, you will also have to look for cheap purchases, and this is not so easy to do.

Where to sell?

So how do you make money selling games? We already have the goods and now we have to sell the products somehow. We have two ways: trading platforms, our own online store.

The following marketplaces are available for our small business: g2a.com and plati.ru. There is nothing special to explain here, just follow the links and you will understand how these sites work. There are a lot of sellers, they sell games at different prices, and you have to wedge into this market and grab your piece of the pie. You do not have to create a website and freeze your head a lot, draw up a product card, set a price tag and you are already a seller.

The second way is your own online store. A very, very difficult path that is definitely not suitable for beginners. In addition to the costs of purchasing goods, there will be huge costs for creating and advertising your store.

If you decide to go down a difficult path, we recommend that you first do not purchase goods at all. Create an online store, advertise it, and see if customers add something to their cart. If they try to buy something, we display a message that this product is out of stock. Thus, you will understand whether they will buy at least something from you.

How much can you earn?

You can earn a lot. Consider the example of a new game resident evil 7. At the time of this writing, this game is a novelty and bestseller.

We wrote to one of the publishers in order to find out his price list. In the price list, we found RE7, it is sold in bulk for 1040r. We go to plati.ru and look at one of the sellers. He sold as many as 557 copies of the game for 1240r.

It turns out the following, 1240-1040=200r for one copy of the game, 557*200=111.400r net profit, excluding various commissions and taxes. And if you imagine that dozens come out in a year popular games that people buy, then we can earn a tidy sum on this.

Important point

Well, at the end of this article, I would like to draw your attention to a couple of points.

First, how much can you sell a game for to be bought? Try to keep prices as low as possible. Especially at the very beginning, when you do not yet have a reputation as a good seller.

Second, pay attention to what you are selling and to whom. Russian-language games are cheaper than English-language editions. But a person living in the USA will not be able to activate the Russian version of the game. Therefore, keep an eye on the regions for which the product is designed when you purchase goods.

The purpose of this project is to become a link between those who are fond of board games and those who are just starting to get acquainted with this hobby.

Game libraries of the project "Play with us!" - these are events where you can play various board games for free.

Ouse find details of the nearest game libraries .

This project is dedicated to everyone who:

• likes board games or wants to learn more about them;
• appreciates live communication;
• prefers to spend time not only fun, but also useful;
• wants to find new friends and like-minded people.

What is the peculiarity of the game library "Play with us"?

• Only the best board games are presented at the game libraries: current classics of games from all over the world and novelties that have recently appeared in Russia.
• Here you will be helped to choose games according to your taste and mood, as well as understand their rules.
• Most places will offer you a discount on your favorite board games.

Where and how often do these games take place?

Usually games libraries take place on weekends about once a month. With each new event, the Let's Play with Us project is becoming more and more popular. Over 30 have already joined us. largest cities Russia and neighboring countries.

See the addresses of the nearest toy libraries and the exact time of the event.

How to participate in the game library?

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Photos from already held game libraries

You can try yourself as an entrepreneur, found a startup or learn how to trade on the stock exchange, without risking your finances in reality. Numerous business games will help with this, from the classic "Monopoly" to the modern "Startup" in the field of IT.

Anniversary Edition of Monopoly

Price: 1 790 rub.
Buy: ozon.ru

Board game "Startup"

Price: 1 190 rub.

Board game "Business Life"

Price: 447 rub.
Buy: my-shop.com

"Level Up: human leveling system"

Price: 2 900 rub.
Buy: levelupnow.ru

Board game "LibertEx"

Price: 2 490 rub.
Buy: mosigra.ru

Board game "Market"

Price: 632 rub.
Buy: labyrinth.ru

Board game "Cash flow"

Price: 5 290 rub.
Buy: fingames.ru

Board game "Antimonopoly"

Price: 1 990 rub.
Buy:
For those who want to build a career from scratch, going from a simple manager to the CEO of a large corporation, you should try the game "Corporation. Think - and grow rich!". Here you will have to make deals, produce and promote the products of your company. Unlike other games, here the players have an image that, at a certain level, allows them to close deals automatically and can play a decisive role - just like in life.

Price: 317 rub.
Buy: multytoys.ru

The selection was prepared by Stella Pokrovskaya

Mikhail Akulov and Ivan Popov turned entertainment into a profitable business. The Hobby World publishing house, which grew out of their companies, releases more than 1 million games a year and in 2015 brought the founders more than 1 billion rubles. proceeds

HobbyWorld founders Mikhail Akulov and Ivan Popov (left to right) (Photo: Vladislav Shatilo / RBC)

hobby maze

Odessite Alexander Ushan came up with the board game "Find for a spy" based on his own experience. As a student in the early 2000s, he worked at a sugar factory, and once he had to come instead of the director to sign a major contract. In order not to betray his incompetence, Wushan tried to answer questions in a florid way, but at the same time sound confident. This is exactly how a player in the “spy” game invented by him should behave so that other players do not figure him out.

In the spring of 2013, Ushan presented the game at the Igrosfera exhibition in Lviv, where Nikolay Pegasov, development director of the Hobby World board game publishing house, noticed it. “He immediately said that he liked the game, and the next day we shook hands,” Ushan recalls. In September, "Find for a Spy" was published in a trial run of 2,000 copies in Russia, and in 2014 successful sales began abroad: only in the United States in 2015, 80,000 copies of "Find for a Spy" called Spyfall were sold. Now the game has been translated into 26 languages, and, according to the company, about 200,000 pre-orders were made for the game in 2016. Its author, according to RBC estimates, could earn at least $30,000 on royalties from foreign sales alone.

Ushan is one of several Russian authors whose games were discovered, adapted and released by the Hobby World publishing house, founded in 2010 on the basis of two companies - Smart by Mikhail Akulov and Ilya Karpinsky and Fantasy World by Ivan Popov and Maxim Istomin. The history of Hobby World goes back to the early 2000s, when Akulov and Karpinsky opened the Labyrinth board game club in Moscow on Polyanka, and with it the Smart publishing house to release board games. “At that time, practically nothing was produced on the market, except for Monopoly clones and “roll the die, move the chip” walkers,” recalls Akulov. The partners decided to occupy an empty niche.

In 2003, at the club, Akulov met Ivan Popov and Maxim Istomin, who came to demonstrate their Berserk game. A year later, the club had to close due to losses. Akulov continued to release board games, and Popov and Istomin's "Fantasy World" - collectible card games(KKI): in addition to their own "Berserk", they began to release the role-playing board game Wizards of the Coasts in Russia. Over time, the two companies began to compete. “It became crowded in our niches, we began to climb into the territory of the KKI, and they began to make board games. At some point, we got the idea that it’s better to combine our assets than to compete pointlessly: everyone was trying to increase that market share in which he didn’t really understand, ”recalls Akulov. “We had essentially different markets, and the more we started to overlap, the more obvious the idea of ​​a merger seemed,” recalls Ivan Popov.

It was Popov who initiated the merger of the two companies in 2010. In the combined company, the shareholders distributed their shares equally. It took almost three years to connect all business processes, but the effect appeared already in the first year: “The merger of assets gave us a very good boost - our revenue grew by 60-70% during the year,” says Akulov.

Now the company is registered on the Cypriot offshore Hobbyworld Limited, among the co-owners are Mikhail Akulov, Ivan Popov and other shareholders (their names Akulov and Popov are not disclosed). Small options are owned by employees of the publishing house.

Hobby World in numbers

More 1 million games published Hobby company World in 2015

From 290 rub. before 9 thousand rubles the price of Hobby World games varies, the average check for one box is 900-1300 rub.

More 1 billion rubles was the revenue of Hobby World in 2015

From 4% royalties are received by the author of the game from each box sold

$10-15 thousand worth developing a board game

Before 100% comes the profitability of the most successful games

Near 7 billion rubles amounted to the volume of the Russian market of board games in 2015

More 50 thousand board game titles released worldwide

Source: Company data, Discovery Research Group

To the west

Hobby World works in three directions: it buys licenses for Western games and adapts them for the Russian market; buys, develops and releases original games Russian authors; sells release licenses Russian games abroad.

Akulov began to develop the first direction back in 2002, when his company Smart bought a license from the German publishing house Franckh-Kosmos Verlags for Die game Siedler von Catan and began to produce it on the Russian market under the name "Colonialists". “It was a breakthrough for the industry: strangers came to the exhibition, got acquainted with one of the leading companies in gaming industry and received the right not just to buy boxes translated abroad, but a license to release this game in Russia themselves, ”recalls Akulov.

According to Akulov, Western companies were reluctant to give licenses to the Russian market: it was more profitable for them to produce everything in one place and sell ready-made boxes. Akulov and Popov, despite the difficulties with quality, were more profitable local production: it allowed to reduce the selling price by 25-50%. In addition, the sale of boxes is not so profitable for the seller, says Dmitry Kibkalo, founder of the Mosigra company. If we are talking about a foreign brand, the percentage of deductions in favor of its owner reaches 8-10%, and their total amount can exceed hundreds of thousands of dollars, says Akulov.

The criteria for selecting games are simple. “The game should be unique - not a mixture of existing engines, but a one-of-a-kind mechanism. And Mikhail and I should like it, ”says Ivan Popov. At the same time, the game should be wrapped in a beautiful shell and be adapted to the market. “For example, the very famous game Carcassonne was conceived at one time as a game about a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and now it is more like a puzzle about collecting a castle, which is sold in millions of copies around the world,” he gives an example. But, despite experience and numerous tests, the game can fail. “For example, one of the top 3 US sales games, King of Tokyo, sells very poorly in Russia,” Akulov cites the example. “And the game “Load and Carry”, on the contrary, has been withdrawn from sales around the world, but it is very different here in Brazil.”

The search for authors in Hobby World is carried out by the production department, which is then taken to finalize the games. If a Western game can be adapted and released in a month, then in the case of authored games, the process of finalization sometimes takes more than a year. Authors receive royalties in the amount of 4% from each box sold. When signing the contract, the publisher pays them an advance payment in the amount of royalties for half of the minimum circulation (about 2-3 thousand copies), and then the authors receive a percentage of sales every six months. Only professional authors who have several games published in thousands of copies can fully support themselves through royalties - for most developers, this is a hobby that brings additional income. According to Akulov, the company does not buy the entire rights to the game. “We are interested in the fact that the author also earns money with us. If the game will sell in large numbers, he will be interested in improving the game and releasing add-ons,” he says.

There is also a third way - the sale of Russian licenses to the West. So far, Hobby World has about ten games that are actively sold in Western markets, including Find for a Spy, Viceroy, World of Tanks: Rush licensed by Wargaming. In 2015, the company released about 150 thousand copies of its games in Western markets (in Russia - 1 million), in 2016 it expects to sell more than 300 thousand. If in Russia Hobby World supplies most of its partners with games at a discount of 35-40% from retail prices, then in the case of Western wholesale companies, the discount on the game can reach up to 60%.

Production

When buying a license for Western games, Akulov and Popov produce most of the components in Russia, except for plastic ones, which, as a rule, are purchased in the West. “The production of plastic is quite expensive, and it is more profitable to use it when Western companies collect global circulation for all territories. These are individual figures, and the production of each of them separately will cost quite a lot, ”says Akulov.

The first elements of its own production appeared at Hobby World back in 2010: contractors did not provide the required quality of work, Akulov recalls. “At first we left the assembly of elements to ourselves, then we began to do more on our own. We print the entire million games on our own, only ordering individual elements from contractors, ”says Akulov. Over time, they began to produce more and more on their own, and now the company organizes a full cycle of production of board games, not counting the production of cardboard and printing pictures, at a factory in Tver.

From the idea of ​​a game to the moment when a box with a finished board game appears on the store shelf can take from several months to a year, and the cost of developing one game can cost $10-15 thousand, says Akulov. At the same time, the profitability of successful games can reach 100%, he says. For individual games, profitability can reach 300%, says Dmitry Kibkalo, founder of Mosigra. “If we take the direct cost of paperwork, including royalties to the author, then it is 26% of the price on the shelf. But you need to understand that the product has been produced - then it needs to be stored, delivered, distributed, etc. The store has an average markup of 100%, and a huge part of it is lost in logistics. The final cost of the product is much higher,” explains Kibkalo.

In addition to Hobby World, only two Russian board game publishers, Mosigra and Zvezda, run the full game production cycle, including post-print processing, card cutting, and so on, Kibkalo says. “This is a specific type of production that must be loaded. The business is quite seasonal, and if there is no load outside the season, smaller publishers cannot afford it,” he says. According to him, in 2015 Mosigra sold retail games for 525 million rubles. According to Mikhail Akulov, the turnover of Hobby World in 2015 amounted to 1 billion rubles, including foreign sales (he does not disclose the profit).

Spreading

At first, Akulov and partners sold their products through bookstores and small specialty board game stores and did not want to build their own network. “We developed as a publishing house and initially worked with small specialized stores that sold board games, because such stores develop the market the most,” recalls Akulov. As a result, Hobby World shareholders entered into a partnership agreement with the Hobby Games network (Lavka Miracles LLC), which will include 12 own stores (six in Moscow, two in St. Petersburg, the rest in the Russian regions, as well as in Kyiv and Minsk) and eight franchise . The network is engaged in retail sales of games of the publisher, and also serves other retail projects, such as a store merchandise for Wargaming and HobbyWorld.ru. According to SPARK, Hobby Games is 99.9% owned by"Hobbyworldlimited".

“Initially, Hobby World was the only publisher we collaborated with, but we expanded to three or four more foreign publishers almost immediately. Now more than 20 brands supply us with goods, ”Andrey Kuleshov, deputy director of Hobby Games, told RBC. At the same time, the share of Hobby World products in the sales of the Hobby Games network is about 40%, says Kuleshov.

According to Kuleshov, Hobby Games purchases goods from the Hobby World publishing house at a 35-50% discount (the discount varies by different types games) and sells at the publisher's recommended price. All Hobby Games stores, both own and franchised, work at the same rates. In addition to board games, they sell board game accessories, comics, fantasy literature related to the universes in which the games are developed. According to Kuleshov, one store brings an average of 1 million rubles. revenue per month, and it makes about 50 purchases per day with an average check of about 600 rubles. About 60% of sales are made online, however, most people come to pick up games on their own in order to have time to play them before buying, says Kuleshov. According to SPARK, the revenue of Lavka Miracles LLC in 2014 amounted to 76.5 million rubles, and net profit - 1.5 million rubles.

Now about 20% of all Russian Hobby World products are sold through the Hobby Games network. The rest is sent to customers directly, to bookstores in Moscow, as well as to other chains, including Metro, Media Markt, O'Key, Respublika, Seven Pyadey, Growth Games, IQ Toy Correct Toys and others. When working with small stores, Hobby World tries to meet halfway and ship small consignments of goods for a minimum amount of 15 thousand rubles, says Mikhail Akulov. “We form individual orders for stores. If a store wants two Munchkins, one Carcassonne and three Considerations, we place an order,” he says. According to Andrey Kuleshov, this is a valuable quality when working with a publishing house: “If we take too many games, then we will be limited in quantity, and the next game on our shelves may appear later than competitors in other stores. In addition, it is impossible to predict which of the purchased games will become a hit, and which one will lie on the shelves for a long time.

In 2011, Hobby World launched a franchise program for stores wishing to operate under the Hobby Games brand and opened the first franchise store in Kaliningrad. To expand the network, the founders of the company do not charge a lump-sum fee and royalties from the franchisee until the end of 2016 and expect to open two more own and 15 franchise stores during this time.

Future

According to the Discovery Research Group, the size of the board games market in Russia in 2015 amounted to about 7.5 billion rubles. - almost 30% more than in 2014. The crisis almost did not affect the demand for board games, largely because although they are comparable in cost to going to a cafe or cinema, they can be played repeatedly, Mikhail Akulov is sure. Prices for games from Hobby World range from 290 rubles. up to 9 thousand rubles for a box. True, sales of games in the upper price category still sank by almost 50%. “Games with a lot of plastic components have become harder to sell because they are made in the West and their price has risen in line with the exchange rate. It has become more difficult for the consumer to spend 9 thousand rubles. for a board game, despite the fact that it is repeatedly replayable,” says Akulov.

According to Akulov, the potential Russian market of board games after the crisis could amount to $100 million.