It’s a tumultuous time for the board game industry, and while that’s naturally leading some companies like CMON to struggle and sell off their properties in a bid to stay afloat, it’s also creating opportunities for others.
Asmodee has recently been in the news due to its partnership with Middle-Earth Enterprises causing it to promise a swathe of Lord of the Rings-related games, but it’s now buying up some of what CMON is looking to sell.
The first instance of this was back in June when Zombicide was sold to Asmodee (which had previously raised over $40 million on Kickstarter), and now it’s sold Cthulhu: Death May Die to the same company – which had received $10 million from Kickstarter supporters.
Asmodee’s current slate
On top of those latest two purchases from CMON, as well as the aforementioned partnership with Middle-Earth Enterprises, Asmodee is looking as though it’s in a good position to appeal to a wide range of board game fans across genres.
This is especially true seeing as how Asmodee is home to some of the most well-known board games around – such as Catan, Azul and Codenames. On top of this, Asmodee also has many licensed games under banners like A Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel.
What does CMON have left?
It’s not only Asmodee who have been buying up CMON’s properties, but for a company that was once such a firm presence in the board game scene, it does beg the question of what they even have left. After all, with these sales being conducted in an effort to stay afloat and offset their losses, it’s unclear what might ultimately be left for CMON to produce when all is said and done.
While it can seem as though CMON is selling more than it can afford to, looking back through its library still hosts a wide variety of properties – many of which are recognisable from other mediums like gaming, including Cyberpunk 2077 and Bloodborne. However, with losses of $7 million in the first half of 2025, it remains to be seen if these sales will have a marked impact on CMON’s ability to operate.
The struggling state of the board game industry is something that organisations like GAMA are looking to remedy by establishing a more global influence, which is another factor that might have a hand in reversing CMON’s fortunes down the line, if all goes according to plan.
