Latest news with #Asmodee
Forbes
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Every Game Of Star Wars Unlimited Is A Climactic Cinematic Battle
The month of May is a big one for fans of Star Wars. At the beginning is May the Fourth, which went from a silly pun holiday to an important pop culture day for new releases and announcements of upcoming movies and shows. The original film was released on May 25th, 1977 and has changed the world ever since. I spent a lot of my fan time this month playing Star Wars Unlimited from Fantasy Flight Games. It's a trading card game in the modern style featuring characters, locations, ships, droids and more from all across the Star Wars universe. Asmodee North America sent along some Star Wars Unlimited materials for this review. Star Wars Unlimited is a fast paced card game where players build decks around specific people and places from the various films, TV shows and books about Star Wars. Players face off with a simple goal to reduce their opponent's hit points to zero first. The game takes place on two arenas of land and space and players must balance their attacks and defenses on both sides of the board. Cards are also used as resources in the game. Generally this means the card is out of play, though there are some cards that can be brought back at the right time. This setup keeps the bad start of many games like this to a minimum. Each release comes with a pair of decks built around specific Star Wars personalities. Additional leader and base cards are available in booster packs for fans who want to construct their own deck. The booster packs also have cards geared for collectors such as foils, full bleed art and alternate art options. The leaders offer specific bonuses but they are also part of the game clock. At a certain point, each leader can come out onto the field and start doing massive damage to their opponents. Deploying a leader at just the right time can swing the momentum of a game or drive a victory home. The first set of Star Wars Unlimited cards focuses on the classic era in and around Star Wars: A New Hope. There are a lot of iconic characters in the set. The starter features a classic clash between the father and son duo of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader as the pre-built decks. One of the things that's helped Star Wars stand out as a franchise is that it's not afraid to explore the seedier side of the galaxy. That's the focus of this expansion which allows players to bring in criminals, syndicates and other morally ambiguous characters from the franchise. The pre-built decks here feature The Mandalorian (and Grogu, of course) facing off against Moff Gideon. The Clone Wars get their time in the sun with this expansion. There are a lot of great ground side cards in this expansion plus plenty of Jedi and Sith at the height of their power. Ahsoka Tano and General Grievous lead the pre-built decks in this expansion. This period and the prequels remain controversial to many Star Wars fans. The good news here is that this expansion is one of the easiest and most inexpensive to find online because of those feelings. Fans that want to get into this game without a big investment should look for these boxes. This expansion focuses on pilots and starships. Cool rides from several different eras get their own cards here. Han Solo and Boba Fett face off in the spotlight decks which are sold individually rather than a combined starter. Jump to Lightspeed marks the first series that sells Carbonite Boosters. These premium booster packs feature more of the collector style cards per pack. Fans who want to find the perfect centerpiece for their deck or a high value card they can flip to other players should check these out. The upcoming expansion expected in July draws from the massive history of the Jedi. Characters come from the High Republic era all the way down to the sequel trilogy. Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul are at the head of this release's spotlight decks. The dual battlefields capture the feeling of the final act of the best Star Wars movies where the action cut back and forth between a massive space battle and individual heroes slugging it out on the ground. Developing the skill of knowing when to strike an opponent's cards versus when to hit the base is the key to winning the game. Every expansion adds a new keyword mechanic but the cards are very good at explaining what it does on the card rather than forcing players to pause while they look up a rule. Gamegenic continues to do excellent work with its premium game accessories. The Xtra Wide Game Mat helped me keep my cards straight on the table while featuring my favorite ship in the Star Wars fleet. The Premium Tokens made it easier to read the game state from across the table. Everybody has a favorite Star Wars character. With every expansion, more and more leader cards come out, which makes it very easy to build decks around nearly any named character. While it's not an effective deck for me yet, I really enjoyed building one around the dual leader of Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious which really mirrors the future Emperor's two-faced ways during the Clone Wars. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder One of my favorite things to do with a box of boosters is sit with family and friends and open them together. It lets everyone show off their Star Wars knowledge by identifying where a specific card is from. It also leans into the trading aspect of the trading card game when foils and other special cards come out of a pack. The first ever Galactic Champion of Star Wars Unlimited will be determined in Las Vegas on July 25-27th, 2025. Check your local game store for more information as well as Organized Play opportunities.
Geek Tyrant
6 days ago
- Business
- Geek Tyrant
Embracer Transforms Into Fellowship Entertainment, Goes All-In on THE LORD OF THE RINGS — GeekTyrant
After years of buying up everything in sight, Embracer Group finally hit its breaking point last year. The once-expanding megacorp had grown too fast, too wide, and inevitably had to reassess its priorities before things completely fell apart. Now, in an interesting pivot, the company is rebranding itself as Fellowship Entertainment, with the future of Middle-earth at the center of its business strategy. Fellowship Entertainment is throwing its full weight behind The Lord of the Rings and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. The company says its new focus will be on "creating and stewarding the works of J.R.R. Tolkien into different commercial and transmedia endeavors." That means everything from video games and merchandise to comics, movies, and who knows what else. The rebrand comes after a year of drastic restructuring. Embracer already spun off tabletop giant Asmodee in February 2025, and now it's making more cuts. The popular Coffee Stain Group (home to Deep Rock Galactic, Goat Simulator, and Satisfactory) will be spun off as a completely separate company by the end of the year. That division will also take Ghost Ship, Tuxedo Labs, and a few Amplifier Game Invest studios with it. But Fellowship Entertainment isn't just about hobbits and orcs. The company still retains the rights to major gaming IPs including Kingdom Come: Deliverance , Metro , Dead Island , Darksiders , Tomb Raider , and more. Studios like 4A Games, Aspyr Media, Crystal Dynamics, Dambuster Studios, Dark Horse, Gunfire Games, Limited Run Games, Middle-earth Enterprises, THQ Nordic, Tripwire Interactive, and Warhorse Studios all fall under this new umbrella. That said, the spotlight is clearly shifting toward Tolkien's legendarium and that comes with big expectations. The legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien has always been handled with extreme care by his son, Christopher Tolkien, and the Tolkien Estate. There's hope that this new commercial direction won't lose sight of that literary foundation. Fellowship Entertainment says: "The journey doesn't end here. Renaming the brand is just another path, one that different labels may take." The next age of Middle-earth has begun, and it's corporate. Let's just hope the new stewards of the One IP to Rule Them All wield it wisely.
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Kick Off A Marvel Blockbuster Summer With These Tabletop Accessories
The summer blockbuster movie season is here and the Marvel Cinematic Universe has two entries this year. Thunderbolts* arrives this weekend with a team full of unlikely heroes. The Fantastic Four: First Steps brings Marvel's first family into the MCU on July 25th, 2025. Fans of Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game have a lot to be excited about this summer. There's an expansion that covers everyone's friendly neighborhood superhero in all his forms plus some accessories to make playing the game even easier. Thanks to Marvel and Asmodee for sending review copies for this article. The Spider-Verse Expansion details everything Game Masters might need to know about Spider-Man to use him in their stories. The book goes through the character's history and highlights all sorts of heroes, villains and other moments that can be used to spin off new stories. There are nearly one hundred full character profiles in this book from throughout Spidey's history, including ones that find him at a specific time in history or during a particular storyline. It also leans into the popularity of Into The Spider-Verse and Across The Spider-Verse by detailing the worlds of Ghost-Spider, Spider-Man 2099 and several other characters that were featured in those films. Given the multiversal nature of the RPG, it seems like a group could run an all Spider-Folks game with this book. Or, given the popularity of Venom and the symbiotes, one where everyone bonded with some alien goo. There's also a meaty section of new rules for all things Spider-Man adjacent. There's a discussion of how to make meeting a multiversal variant of a character intriguing and unique as well as new origins, traits and power to expand options for original characters. For players who want personal drama in their stories, there's systems for heroic reputation and wrestling with secret identities included as well. Getting into a new role playing game can be intimidating. Some folks want to try before they buy. Starter sets are a great way for players to have an adventure over a few nights to see if they want to get the full experience. Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game Escape From Planet Hulk is a boxed set full of everything needed to play a comic book tale full of action and intrigue. Players choose to play one of the six included characters who find themselves yanked across space by The Grandmaster to compete in some intergalactic gladiatorial games. An encounter with The Hulk gives them an opportunity to escape but that's easier said than done. The boxed set includes maps, character folios, tokens and a set of unique d-616 for play. The adventure also features a lot of familiar faces like Ultron and Korg. It's a great choice for comic fans or for people who are more familiar with the MCU. Fans who want to add a new dimension to their role playing battles can pick up a pack of Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game 2D Minis. Each set comes with 10 iconic Marvel characters perfect for the location map or the battle grid. They also come with a compact stat card featuring the strengths of each character. These pieces are cheap alternatives to fully painted miniatures. They work great for games run at conventions or game stores. They also let Gme Masters have ready characters to play for friends that want to drop in for a cameo appearance in a campaign. All of these Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game accessories can be found through online retailers or at Friendly Local Gaming Stores across the multiverse.
Scotsman
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Asmodee's ‘The Power of Play' campaign with Imagination Gaming hits 1 million milestone
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now Asmodee, the UK's leading distributor of board, tabletop, and trading card games, is delighted to be celebrating alongside long standing partner Imagination Gaming in reaching 1 million children and families to have received the benefits of playing board games. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This milestone celebrates the growing impact of board games in classrooms, libraries, care homes and community centres nationwide, where students, children and families are developing vital skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, critical thinking, and creativity in a fun, collaborative environment. Imagination Gaming was the brain child of Nigel Scarfe and everyone at Asmodee believe in bringing the power of play into variety of community spaces, including schools, libraries, care homes, and dementia cafés across the country, across Manchester, Halifax, Pontefract, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, London and more. Reinforcing the transformative role of games in education, rehabilitation, and mental well-being. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nigel Scarfe, Founder of Imagination Gaming, added: 'At Imagination Gaming, we believe in the ability of games to educate, inspire, and bring people together. Working with Asmodee over the last 15 years has given us a fantastic opportunity to create meaningful learning and social experiences in a fun, engaging way. Hitting this landmark figure is a very special moment for us. When we started 17 years ago the aim was to try and make a difference to children and to have a job I could be passionate about and love. The Power of Play in Edinburgh! "I regularly see people with whom I've worked with previously and their comments and feedback makes me feel nothing but pride in what we have accomplished. "Some of these we started working with as children or young adults and now they have young families of their own, telling me they can't wait to play games with their own children. "This is what we set out to do but this is still the tip of the iceberg. We want to work with many more schools across the uk and help inspire staff and children alike to make learning the fun and rewarding experience of should be. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "Thanks to everyone that has been involved in the journey so far….there are busy and exciting times ahead!' Phil Crawford, Brand Manager at Asmodee, shared his enthusiasm: 'Games are more than just entertainment—they are powerful tools for learning, rehabilitation, and connection. Through our partnership with Imagination Gaming and Bezzerwizzer, we're excited to bring more board games to communities where it can truly make a difference and are delighted to celebrate this incredible milestone with Nigel and the team.' Asmodee and Imagination Gaming are really paving the way for a more inclusive and impactful approach to gaming—where play becomes a catalyst for positive change.
