Making of Kingdomino
From Prototype to Spiel des Jahres
Kingdomino - a game that changed the trajectory of Blue Orange Games
Hey there, gamers! Brandan here, back to share more stories from my time in the board game industry. Today, I want to dive into the journey of Kingdomino - a game that in 2017 would go on to win the prestigious Spiel des Jahres award, often referred to as the "Oscars" of the board game world.
Beginning with Ski Dominoes
While my personal involvement with Kingdomino began later in its development, the game's roots trace back to 2012. That year, Bruno Cathala, the renowned game designer, started creating small games for Grand Massif Domaine Skiable, a French ski resort. These games were designed as promotional items for customers buying family week passes. The fourth game in this series was K-Domino'z, a domino-style game that had to fit within strict constraints - no larger than a pack of cigarettes and simple enough for anyone to pick up and play.
The ski resort game that started it all: K-Domino'z, the precursor to Kingdomino
K-Domino'z was surprisingly complete for a promotional game. Bruno enjoyed it so much that he decided to develop it further for the traditional board game market. He kept the core mechanics but expanded the concept, replacing the snowy ski resort theme with medieval kingdoms.
Evolution of Blue Orange
My journey with Kingdomino began around 2015, but to set the stage, let me take you back to 2013, when I joined Blue Orange Games, as an employee on their marketing team. The company was undergoing significant changes at the time. The sales team had a new director in Martin Marechal, and marketing had acquired Corrine Marcot-Jones to head up development and promotions efforts.
Meanwhile, Thierry Denoual, the creative founder of Blue Orange and author of almost every game they'd ever published to that point, had made a pivotal decision. After the success of Spot It!, Thierry decided to partner with a small French board game publisher named Jactalea, started by two friends Timothee Leroy and Jalal Amraouza. As part of the new union, Jactalea changed its name to Blue Orange (Europe), marking a crucial step in establishing Blue Orange internationally and deepening their game catalog to appeal to a more diverse range of tastes.
New York 1901: One of the strategy games that marked Blue Orange's shift towards more complex family games
My Role in the Process
As Kingdomino's development progressed, my role was focused on editing the English language version of the rules. Writing clear, concise rulebooks is an art form I've honed throughout my career. I believe it's all about distilling the game to its core experience, trying to use the minimum number of words to cover the maximum number of concepts.
Working on games initially presented in a foreign language, as Kingdomino was initially presented in Bruno's native French, there's an added challenge of bridging lexical and cultural barriers. Luckily, my background in French studies helped me navigate the nuances of translation and cultural context until we had a product everyone was proud of.
The art of rulebook writing - distilling ideas into clear, concise instructions
The Final Push
As we got closer to launch, my focus shifted to promotion. One of my proudest moments in that effort was arranging for Zee Garcia, an influential contributor to the Dice Tower network and a longtime fan of Cathala, to meet with Bruno at Gen Con 2016. They both got to play a final proof from the manufacturer of what would go on to be the retail version of Kingdomino.
Zee Garcia playing Kingdomino with Bruno Cathala at Gen Con 2016
This event turned out to be one of my last contributions to Kingdomino's journey at Blue Orange, at least for that time being. The following month, in September of 2016, I moved on to my next adventure, as an employee of Brain Games Publishing, to help launch ICECOOL in the US.
Legacy of Collaboration
Looking back on my involvement with Kingdomino, I'm struck by how collaborative the process was. From Bruno's brilliant design to the production and promotional efforts of the US and French teams, it truly was a group effort. People like Thierry, Timothee, Jalal, and Stephane Maurel, from the team in France, and Corinne and Martin, from the stateside team, all played crucial roles in guiding the game to its final form.
While I wasn't there for Kingdomino's Spiel des Jahres win in 2017, it felt like I was in spirit. I'm proud of the small part I played in the game's development and promotion. It's a testament to the power of international collaboration and the magic that can happen when great minds come together over a shared love of games.
Bruno Cathala and the Blue Orange team celebrating Kingdomino's Spiel des Jahres win in 2017
What about you? Have you played Kingdomino? What do you think makes a game successful? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Next time, we'll have an interview with Chénier La Salle about the development of New York 1901, another game that holds a special place in my heart. Until then, happy gaming!