Pandasaurus Games recently stepped up in a candid blog post that brings to life just how widespread the issue of the Coronavirus reaches. As a consumer, sometimes it is far too easy to pick up an item and not second-guess what the origins of the item were. As long as it is packaged in pretty paper and won’t break our wallet, that seems to be enough. Similarly, the full weight of an issue doesn’t seem to hit us until it touches close to home.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Coronavirus, just do a quick google search. Though the media tends to blow it a bit out of proportion (why aren’t we this concerned about the flu?), if left untreated the Coronavirus can cause serious respiratory problems and can even be lethal. Currently, China is grappling with the epidemic and has declared a state of emergency.
If you’re unfamiliar with Pandasaurus, you can find a list of their tabletop games in the shop on their website. I’m particularly fond of The Mind and play it with coworkers over lunch at least once a month.
So how does all this affect consumers and the tabletop gaming industry? I’ll let Pandasaurus give us a brief glimpse into the harsh reality they are starting to face in the wake of the virus at this time of the year.
So far this year Pandasaurus’ have directly seen 3 “major” impacts: One of our partners has been unable to travel to Nuremberg. The port of Hong Kong is severely limited in operations. Factories may open later than anticipated coming back from Chinese New Year.
Many business partners and vendors for Pandasaurus have been quarantined and held back by limitations from their government. They couldn’t even get get the samples of their newest game Sonora they needed to produce at three of the top toy fairs in the world. These fairs are extremely important for tabletop gaming companies, as it helps to get their product exposure and show potential buyers a finished product. Now Sonora will have to be pushed back due to the Chinese New Year and issues collaborating with partners around the quarantine.
Pandasaurus’ blog post definitely deserves a read. It is fascinating to learn about the ins and outs of what it really takes to produce a successful tabletop game, and how businesses that cooperate globally are all affected by the Coronavirus epidemic.
