Latest news with #cardgame
Geek Wire
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Wire
‘Such a fun ride': Seattle family sells popular card game ‘Taco vs. Burrito' after more than 1M sales
Alex Butler — when he was a little kid — after developing the card game 'Taco vs. Burrito' in Seattle with his mom Leslie Pierson and dad Mark Butler. (Hot Taco Inc. Photo) The creators of the popular card game 'Taco vs. Burrito' — dreamed up by a Seattle 7-year-old in 2018 — are exiting with a significant win. Hot Taco Inc., the company behind the game, sold the 'Taco vs. Burrito' assets to Wisconsin-based toy and game company PlayMonster, ending a run that started with a little boy and his mom talking about how to make a game during their walks to a coffee shop. 'It's been such a fun ride. It's kind of crazy to think back to it being an idea for my son, and then all of a sudden we've sold a million copies of the game,' Leslie Pierson told GeekWire this week as she recounted the journey she had with her son Alex, now a 15-year-old high schooler. 'Taco vs. Burrito.' (Hot Taco Photo) Pierson said she, her husband Mark Butler, and Alex have always been a big game family. From a young age, Alex liked to learn new games and talk about what he liked and what he didn't. According to Pierson, her son knew he wanted to create a new game called 'Taco vs. Burrito,' and he knew he wanted to launch it with a Kickstarter campaign. How to make and play it was determined over several months of conversations on their walks. 'I really did think it was just gonna be a chat about how a product gets made,' Pierson said. But after six months they were still playing paper iterations of the game, improving on it, and falling in love with it. An inventor and serial entrepreneur, Pierson had experience in product development. She created GoodHangups and launched the magnetic poster-hanging product via Kickstarter before landing on 'Shark Tank' and making a deal with Lori Greiner on that hit show. But Pierson was not a game developer. She credits Alex with the inspiration and creation of the 'Taco vs. Burrito' gameplay — and for coming up with something that quickly made $25,000 on Kickstarter. Pierson was already a big believer in Amazon, where she was selling GoodHangups. 'The thing I love about Amazon is the fact that you don't have to have a warehouse, you don't have anything,' she said. 'You can just get your product there and then sell it. You don't have a big team, you don't have to support a big retailer or anything like that.' Alex's game sold out on the e-commerce site in a week and Pierson knew, 'there's something here.' The game and the fact that it was made by a kid resonated with families and others who enjoyed the strategic play. 'We've sold over a million and a half games in the past six years, and it just became amazing to do,' Pierson said, noting that it was regularly a top-ranked offering in Amazon's games category. The goal of 'Taco vs. Burrito' was to assemble a meal worth the most points. (Hot Taco Inc. Photo) But the time to sell became apparent. Pierson said the sweet spot for any business she runs is the first five years, where she could still handle the surge in popularity and demand with the help of one other employee. Pierson wasn't interested in hiring a big team or developing new versions of the game to sell more products to existing customers. She was tired of getting ready for the holiday rush, or another Prime Day. The uncertainty around President Trump's shifting tariff policies didn't help either. 'Every day, Trump wakes up and has a new idea of tariffs — it's gonna be this, it's gonna be this, it's gonna be this,' Pierson said. 'And I was just like, 'I'm done.' This isn't the phase I love. I surely don't love not knowing what the cost of something is.' And Alex's passion as a teen had pivoted from card games to video games. Pierson fielded pitches from a number of different companies, and called PlayMonster's the best, saying they really got the brand and had concepts for future versions of the game. Rather than hold onto a stake in 'Taco vs. Burrito' with a royalty in perpetuity, they opted for more cash now. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. As they fold their cards on 'Taco vs. Burrito,' Pierson takes pleasure in knowing they provided quality entertainment for families, away from phones and modern digital distractions. Board and card games always brought her family together, and she's glad it worked for others. 'It's been a really good experience,' Pierson said. 'And I love that Alex had that experience of creating something, so that if he has an idea in the future, anything's possible.'
Forbes
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Alistair Petrie Talks The Joy Of Games And Playing Star Wars Unlimited
Alistair Petrie attends an event celebrating the latest Star Wars Unlimited card set Legends of the ... More Force. Many people get into games they love to play. But few people get to be a card in the game they are playing. When I asked Alistair Petrie, who played Imperial General Draven in Star Wars: Rogue One and Andor about his favorite card in Star Wars: Unlimited, he gave me, perhaps, the most obvious answer. 'When the team sort of said, oh, you're a card in the game,' said Petrie, 'that was well, obviously, I need to play that as fast as possible. Thankfully, they had several in front of me, which they were very sweet to allow me to sign for people, which was great,' Petrie got a chance to learn and play Star Wars Unlimited as part of the game's rollout of its latest expansion, Legends of the Force. This expansion introduces several Jedi, Sith and other masters of the mystical power in the Star Wars universe. Several cards have the Force trait which expands into the new mechanic for the set. Certain cards within the set, such as bases, give the player a Force token when they are played or used. The player can spend the Force token to activate powerful special abilities on Jedi Masters and Sith Lord. It's very challenging to resist saying 'use the Force' in the tone of Obi-Wan Kenobi whenever it happens during a game. The General Draven card appeared in the Jump to Lightspeed set. Appearing in the game is just another fascinating aspect of being a part of the Star Wars franchise. It also takes the actor back to when he was young and how playing games brought his family together. 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 'My father was in the military,' said Petrie, '[So my] formative years were spent in the Middle East in Saudi Arabia, where my father was a pilot. Access to television was pretty minimal. If there were movies to be watched. It was sort of old school VHS or Betamax, which was sort of fairly hard to get hold of. You know, the great sort of global world of streaming in which we now live wasn't really accessible. It was just my mother and father and me. Evenings were spent effectively playing all the traditional simple board games, which was sort of all I knew in a sense. I didn't feel I was sort of missing out on some great world of a screen life that other people had. As a result, there [were] a lot of board games that we played and friends would come over and we would play.' That early exposure to games stayed with Petrie throughout his life. It helped him make friends and build his community as an actor. Then, in the early 90s, he got a chance to play the forefather of collectable card games, Magic: The Gathering. 'When I was first in Los Angeles in about 1992 and my closest friend who I was living with had his brother-in-law and he had a friend and basically these people used to gather at the house and they would play Magic,' said Petrie. 'I knew nothing about Magic. I'd heard of it, but it felt incredible. Sid, my great mate, played it as well as Dungeons and Dragons in his school days. I was sort of always intimidated by them because I thought I didn't know where to start. I didn't know how to kind of join a game. I didn't know where to access almost a beginner's group, really. But the appeal was always there. Due to the gorgeous generosity of my closest friend, when this gathering arrived on Thursday evening at this house in Los Angeles I went along. They were so brilliantly patient with me and no question was too stupid. So I started to play, started to play magic and it felt very complicated, but equally they made it very accessible. And the thing that really struck me, like all board games, you have two, four, however many six people gathering around the table and playing and talking. Being part of something sort of collective that felt sort of inclusive, competitively, inclusive, if that makes sense. There was something, forgive the pun, inherently magic about that. It's so beautifully focused and people gather together for this one specific purpose. It's not about winning or losing, it's about, it's about the process of playing. I think there's something rather wonderful in that.' The cinematic nature of the game appealed to me most when I first started playing it. Like most of the sets, Legends of the Force draws across the many time periods and different media of Star Wars, from the films to the shows to the books and everything in between. It allows for all sorts of unexpected combinations, like Darth Maul facing off against Kylo Ren. 'What sort of pulls you,' said Petrie, '[is] you're playing Star Wars Unlimited and there it is in front of you. But every other kind of legacy is sort of surrounding you like some kind of other visual effect. Your head is in that cloud while you play it. So it kind of comes to life. If you break it down to its constituent parts, it's a map on a table anyway that you can play it pretty much anywhere because it's so portable. That's the other glorious thing about it. You roll it up. Couple of boxes in your bag, you're done. You can take it. You can go anywhere with it. The epicness suddenly just unfolds before you as you literally just pop it on a crate.' Later this month, the first ever Star Wars Unlimited Galactic Championship will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Venetian Resort. In addition to a tournament drawing the best players from around the world the event will feature experiences for players and Star Wars fans alike. They'll be opportunities for trading, trying out new games and even photo ops with some of the most famous ships in the galaxy. Star Wars Unlimited: Legends of the Force is available from Fantasy Flight Games, through online retailers and Friendly Local Gaming Stores. This interview has been edited for clarity.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Is Uno really coming to Las Vegas casinos this weekend? Here's what to know.
Starting today, the 'UNO Social Club' is coming to the Palms Casino Resort. Uno fanatics may have seen rumors shuffling around social media this week that the family card game would soon be available at Las Vegas gaming tables, right alongside poker and blackjack. A statement from Uno quickly dismissed the rumor as just that in a post to its social media accounts on Monday. 'We hate to be the bearers of bad news but the casino floor isn't ready for us yet,' the statement read. 'We've been told that while they do have tight security, it's not robust enough for UNO at this time.' But that's not quite the end of the story. While Uno may not be becoming a permanent fixture in Sin City just yet, here's what is happening: This weekend, a suite at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas will transform into an 'UNO Social Club,' in collaboration with Mattel, the card game's owner, according to a joint announcement released in May. The club will feature Uno expansion packs and game variants, and the suite, which includes a private bowling alley, will be decked out in the game's iconic red, yellow, blue and green colors. The exclusive event is not open to the public. The temporary experience is available to only 'one lucky winner and a guest" who will have 'the chance to stay, play, and go wild in one of the most colorful suites in town from Friday, July 18th – Sunday, July 20th.' The winners have not been publicly announced as of Friday morning. While the game tables in the suite will be stocked with Uno games galore, there will be no gambling involved. For Uno enthusiasts feeling the equivalent of 'Draw 4' anxiety over missing the event, don't feel discarded; there will be more opportunities. 'UNO Social Clubs will pop up across the country later this year, with experiences in bars and venues in major U.S. cities,' according to the release. 'Each event will transform everyday hot spots into the ultimate game night destination with UNO-themed drink menus, tournament-style play, photo moments, and more.' According to an Uno social media post, the social club will start appearing in bars in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta and Austin, Texas, in August. Solve the daily Crossword
Times
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Uno heads to Las Vegas — but with a catch
The card game Uno is opening an 'experience' in Las Vegas, although fans hoping to make money off the rounds will be disappointed. Mattel, the toy company that owns the rights, has announced that Uno Social Clubs will be available at the Palms Casino Resort this weekend and that it has plans for more events around the US this year. The club will feature themed rooms, exclusive variants on the game and a personal Uno host to 'shuffle decks in style', according to Mattel. The experience is limited to winners of a TikTok competition that opened in May. Despite rumours online, fans will not be able to bet on Uno games. 'We created Uno Social Clubs to reimagine what game night can be — bringing people together for real-world fun, connection and a bit of friendly competition,' Ray Adler, the vice-president and global head of games at Mattel, said. 'The Uno Social Club in Las Vegas is just the beginning, and we're excited to see how these new experiences inspire players to show up, play hard and make unforgettable memories.' On Sunday an X account linked to DraftKings, an American sports betting company, said players would be able to gamble on the game in Vegas. The account later admitted its mistake. Uno apologised for the 'confusion' on Facebook, saying: 'We hate to be the bearers of bad news but the casino floor isn't ready for us yet. We've been told that while they do have tight security, it's not robust enough for Uno at this time.' The winners of the social media competition, who entered by submitting TikTok videos with a Uno reverse card filter, will enjoy a technicolour suite drenched in Uno's red, yellow, blue and green colours, Mattel said. The suite at the Palms also has a private bowling alley. Fans who missed out on the Vegas attraction can catch the series of Uno Social Clubs set to open around the country later this year. Mattel said clubs will open in bars and venues in big cities, bringing Uno-themed drink menus, tournaments and one-off photo opportunities. Inspired by the success of its live-action Barbie movie in 2023, Mattel is said to be developing a film based on the Uno franchise. The game was conceived in a barber shop in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1971 and has since become one of the most popular card games in the world. Seventeen decks sell every minute, Mattel said in 2021.
The Independent
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The family-favorite card game heading to Las Vegas casinos
Mattel is launching an UNO social club in Las Vegas, situated at the Palms Casino Resort, to provide adults with a sophisticated venue for playing the card game. The Las Vegas club will offer gaming tables, a private dealer, and a variety of UNO games and expansions, alongside a suite decorated in the game's signature colours. To mark the opening, Mattel is holding a TikTok contest, with the prize being a stay for the winner and a guest in the themed UNO suite from 18 to 20 July. In addition to the Las Vegas location, Mattel intends to open further pop-up UNO social clubs across the country, featuring themed drinks, photo opportunities, and tournaments. It appears that the UNO games in the Las Vegas room will not include gambling, just the usual rules of the game. Family favorite UNO heading to Las Vegas gaming tables
