Any one know of any top notch game manufacturers? Short or large runs. I know of Grand Prix Int, but do any of you experienced designers have any suggestions?
Much appreciated
Know any really good game manufacturers?
Mon, 06/14/2010 - 00:36
Mon, 06/14/2010 - 05:08
#1
Yo!
Depends on where do you expect your manufacturer to be based...
I know of one pretty good one here in Europe. They have a site in Czech Republic, which suits me just perfect as I'm from Slovakia, but they are not cheap :) The company is called LudoFact and the even have their own transport subsidiary, so they are a nice package :) Just google em up.
But still I'm very interested in what's the production cost difference between Europe, China, US and maybe India/Indonesia? :P
If anyone has some nice insights, I'd love to read more :)
Peace Ya'll ..\|.
Mon, 06/14/2010 - 13:08
#2
Panda Games Manufacturing
We are on the verge of signing with Panda Games Manufacturing to print our Alien Frontiers game.
I was very close to choosing Xinghui in China but at the last moment I got cold feet and wanted to deal with a company who is located here in North America. I know they will manufacture the game at their plant in China, but I felt more comfortable working with a company based closer to home and with whom there would not be any language barrier.
Xinghui is my second choice however, and I'd recommend them for anyone who isn't afraid of jumping into the Chinese realm. They've been very attentive during the quote process...much quicker to reply to my emails than Panda...and for the most part they were able to work in English fairly well. However, I'm a novice to game publishing and afraid that some innocent looking issue, that might be misunderstood by me or by them, could lead to some unforeseen and undesirable result in the end product.
David MacKenzie
Clever Mojo Games
Sat, 07/03/2010 - 23:12
#4
Do not use Xinghui - Mayday
Do not use Xinghui - Mayday Games and Minion Games both had bad experiences with the quality. They talk nice and they have great prices. But I would never recomend them and would put them on the black list.
Ludu Fact in Germany actually has pretty good prices and great quality. A rep that works with AEG handles their USA orders.
James
Sun, 07/04/2010 - 15:12
#5
So AEG produces there games
So AEG produces there games at Ludo Facts?
Sun, 07/04/2010 - 20:33
#6
Yes they do. Along with some
Yes they do. Along with some odd deal to help rep them in the states. But I just got a quote for a cardgame and it was pretty sweet. Granted board games that take more human packing labor are not going to be as competitive, but Ludo is well known for quality products.
The contact is: sean.lashgari@gmail.com
James
Mon, 07/05/2010 - 14:08
#7
Price?
Can you tell us the price for the quantity?
Tue, 07/06/2010 - 18:41
#8
boardgameguru wrote:Can you
Can you tell us the price for the quantity?
Not sure how you'd make any use of that as it's very specific to our print run/needs. I'll give you a general number though - it's a card game of 154 cards in a telescope box and 3000 units was about $2 per unit to print. That's not including shipping and customs and all that. It also is using some standard sizes they have so that I don't have to pay for a die (setup) to be made.
Normally though, I wouldn't recommend that anyone prints more then 1500-2000 copies of any game till they have had some experience in the industry.
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 13:23
#9
Work
Sounds pretty cheap. what about storage?
I could work for Ludo Fact packing or something.
I would be in my element as there are not many jobs in Uk where I am.
Sun, 07/18/2010 - 13:27
#10
I use a consolidator and as
I use a consolidator and as well as getting us into 12 distributors around the world, they store the stuff in a warehouse free of charge for a reasonable amount of time. They are http://www.impressionsadv.net
Mon, 07/19/2010 - 08:15
#11
rpghost wrote:Do not use
Do not use Xinghui - Mayday Games and Minion Games both had bad experiences with the quality. They talk nice and they have great prices. But I would never recomend them and would put them on the black list.
Just for another data point, Homesteaders and Terra Prime were produced by Xinghui for Tasty Minstrel. Check out the production values of those games before making any decisions about them.
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 04:19
#12
Ludo
Is it not best if in Europe to use LudoFact for distribution and cost efficiency?
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 15:03
#13
Hi James.
About $1500 for sea
Hi James.
About $1500 for sea freight, customs and stateside freight to reach Indiana for your 3000 games?
Been a while since I have seen recent freighting costs for runs of that size.
Thanks,
Ryan S. Johnson
Guild of Blades Retail Group - http://www.gobretail.com
Guild of Blades Publishing Group - http://www.guildofblades.com
1483 Online - http://www.1483online.com
Fri, 07/23/2010 - 06:42
#14
Parts
Do you possibly know if they can change a part in a game?
I actually have to get a card holder changed to a better shape.
Wil they charge for die ou think?
I suppose I should contact them.
Fri, 07/23/2010 - 10:44
#15
Just a suggestion
I am from Hong Kong, China.
Hong Kong is different, we dont like low quality things.
I have time to find some better manufactors here, you can contact me and tell me your requirements. Also, board game is a bit hot in here, so I am looking for partners to start producing games for our market
Tue, 01/25/2011 - 12:30
#16
Ningbo Lijia Industry Co., Ltd.
try this company:
www.cnlijia.cn
one of their contact is Melinda, project manager for board game project.
Her email is sales4@cnlijia.cn
Tue, 01/25/2011 - 13:00
#17
There are a number of
There are a number of problems publishers I know have had when printing in Asia
1. Quality of materials is not the same as quoted.
2. Inks not allowed to dry properly before materials are boxed leading to mold.
3. Quality control, or more like the lack of it.
4. When problems do arise you have no legal recourse. What are you going to do fly to china and sue them?
5. Language barrier leading to misunderstanding with job resulting in loss of time.
There are two other issues to consider.
Even though some printer swear they comply with US toy and game regulation. Improper inks, paint, led in minitures, etc.. can make you game dangerous to play and of course illegal to sell. We know there has been quite a bit of problems with this in recient years.
Then there is bootlegging where the printer makes extra copies and sells them on the side. No one I know has had this happen but there are bootleg copies of popular games being sold at a price so low that the publisher could not have sold them to a Chinese retailer without losing money.
My advice is don't work with anyone in Asia unless they have been recommended by someone you know & trust.
Thu, 02/24/2011 - 18:19
#18
Non-Trivial Quest Manufacturing Experience
I'm also new in the game business and decided to produce and sell my own game. I wanted to be "made in USA" couldn't find any manufacturers and was told the costs are up to 10 times more than China. I was also worried about dealing directly with Chinese companies and wanted a company experienced with games to help me. I got quotes and some good information from Grand Prix International (GPI) in Maine with manufacturing in China. But then a got much better quote from BoardGameManufacturing,com on Nevada with manufacturing in China, and used them for my first order of 5,000 games. So far I got a prototype and an early shipment of 12 to make sure we had some in time for the trade shows next month. So far I have been very happy so far with them as they are very helpful, professional, and with good quality results. They also do warehousing and order fulfillment that I think I will use.
Doug Arduini
darduini@yahoo.com
-Non game related link removed-
Thu, 02/24/2011 - 18:28
#19
Non-Trivial Quest Manufacturing Experience
Sorry, I didn't think it posted earlier. My first time using this blog.
Thu, 02/24/2011 - 18:35
#20
Welcome
No problem. At least your recommendation for manufacturing is based upon your experience with the manufacturer rather than your employment by them.
Can I ask you about the numbers? What did you end up paying per unit for manufacturing per unit? For shipping everything? And, what your MSRP is? I haven't gone looking for quotes in a while, so it would be nice to have a rough idea of what current estimates look like. If that's ok with you, of course.
Thu, 02/24/2011 - 19:39
#21
My Costs and Expected Sell Price
Well I bought 5,000 pieces because I needed a low enough manufacturing price so I could make a profit without charging myself out of the market. My game has 300 Q&A cards, 2 dice, 8 pawns, 2-sides color instruction sheet, card tray, and a game board, so is not cheap to make. I paid $6.51 each plus $400 tooling and $5750 shipping. But they included the set up fees and did a lot of extra work for me. I don’t know if the prices are going to increase since they were quoted over a year ago and I had a lot of delays to finish the design. But they stood behind the pricing.
Doug Arduini
darduini@yahoo.com
-Non game related link removed-
Thu, 02/24/2011 - 21:47
#22
Thanks
Your component list actually looks a lot like one of the games I am currently developing. Completely different genre, but from a component standpoint, very similar. So... definitely good to know. Thanks.
Mon, 02/28/2011 - 10:30
#23
Checking
Hey Guys,
Does anybody have any experience working with this company please?
Ningbo Lijia Industry Co., Ltd.
Thanks for you insights :)
Mon, 02/28/2011 - 15:33
#24
R1773R wrote:Hey Guys,
Hey Guys,
Does anybody have any experience working with this company please?
Ningbo Lijia Industry Co., Ltd.
Thanks for you insights :)
This company is the same as Xinghui. Absolutely do not use them.
FYI, I can tell because they have the same contact person (obtained from alibaba.com) and they happen to sell the wooden pieces that are used in Homesteaders. To whomever wants to buy them apparently.
Wed, 03/02/2011 - 09:17
#25
THX M8!
Thank You =)
Tue, 07/05/2011 - 03:49
#26
Lijia
I'm on the verge of signing a deal with Lijia regarding the manufacture of my newest board game - until now they have sent me samples of very good quality and are very low priced compared to other US and European suppliers, they also assmeble the game and shrink wrap it before they ship it...
Do you have any solid evidence that they are just another "Xinghui" ?
Regards,
Chris
Tue, 07/05/2011 - 04:25
#27
CARTA MUNDI is the best maker
CARTA MUNDI is the best maker of cards for card games.
Here is the website:
http://www.cartamundi.com/en
Sat, 10/22/2011 - 11:54
#28
Ningbo Lijia industry
They did Razzle for Anjar Co., Monopoly series for Hasbro,
Especially for their game cards, perfect.
They say, "we can do whole game, custom playing cards, cards game,board games,metal, plastic and wooden game pieces and we will do quantities as small as 500. For quotations please email both Andy and Melinda: sales1@cnlijia.cn or sales4@cnlijia.cn. or call them at 0086-574-88255396."
If don't mind to work with China, they are one of options.
www.cnlijia.cn
Thanks, I will look those up.
I am located in the states as well so I do feel a little more comfortable dealing with someone here. This is my first one as well and I do want it to be high quality and, yes, you definitely have to pay for that.
Thanks for the replies!!