Asmodee has a new label aimed squarely at your next game night with non-gamers. Moodbox Games is a fresh party-game studio under the Asmodee umbrella, built around one idea: getting people laughing together in the same room. The first wave of games is due this July, so there are some new social fillers to keep an eye on.
Got a regular group? Create a private community, poll for the best date, vote on games, and let your friends RSVP in one place.
Set up your group for freeThere is real party-game pedigree behind it, too. One of the four debut titles, Guess the Mess, comes from Ken Gruhl, co-designer of the lightning-fast favourite Happy Salmon, according to Asmodee's announcement. Guess the Mess is a deduction game where you scramble through "mess" cards for clues that point to your secret location. Photo Dump turns your own phone camera roll into the game, using your personal snaps as clues for prompts. Link Out Loud is a team game of firing off single-word clues to connect a spread of icons before the other side does. Rounding out the launch is Who Says?, a quotes-and-pop-culture knowledge game.
The studio's whole brief is in-person play. "We fill our games with good vibes so you can connect IRL," as its site puts it, which in practice means quick, accessible games built for big groups rather than strategy tables. Photo Dump in particular taps into something every group already has to hand, the kind of personal, unpredictable material that gets a table howling.
Run game nights? Backseat Gamer handles RSVPs, waitlists, date polling, and game voting so you can focus on playing.
Start organising for freeThe games land at general retail and online from July, with US prices running from around 14.99 to 19.99 dollars and UK stock to follow. If you are the one who usually organises the get-together, a batch of light party games is worth a slot in the rotation for nights when the group is big and the brainpower is low.
Planning a party night? Round up the crew and start a game night, or find your people first.
Sources: Moodbox Games | The Toy Book | The Pop Insider
