{"id":2543,"date":"2025-06-10T15:20:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T13:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/?p=2543"},"modified":"2025-07-29T15:23:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T13:23:09","slug":"blackrock-games-makes-its-debut-at-tokyo-games-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/2025\/06\/10\/blackrock-games-makes-its-debut-at-tokyo-games-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackrock Games makes its debut at Tokyo Games Market"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Blackrock Games makes its debut at Tokyo Games Market : a cultural and creative expedition\u00a0<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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On May 17th and 18th, Blackrock Games proudly marked its first appearance at the Tokyo Games Market. More than a simple business trip, this visit was a double mission : to strengthen ties with international partners and immerse in the playful spirit of Japan \u2014 an emerging source of inspiration in the board game world.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan : a rising star in game design<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Over the past 15 years, the Japanese board game scene has emerged from the shadows, attracting European publishers in search of original concepts. From Welcome to the Dungeon<\/strong> (2015) to Trio<\/strong> (2024), pioneers like Matthieu D\u2019Epenoux and Emmanuel Beltrando paved the way. Since then, several publishers have discovered treasures in Tokyo\u2019s vibrant scene, including :\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2728 Catch Up Games with Paper Tales<\/em> (2017) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udfb4 Spiral \u00c9dition with District Noir<\/em> (2023) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83e\uddd9\u200d\u2642\ufe0f La Bo\u00eete de Jeu with Wizards Cup<\/em> (2024) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc19 Bankiiiz \u00c9ditions with Cachamot<\/em> (2025) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Convinced of the market’s potential, Blackrock\u2019s team _Yoann (product strategy), Herv\u00e9 (export), and Matthieu (localization)_ set off with excitement and returned with clarity : working in Japan requires understanding two key cultural nuances.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breaking the language barrier<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The biggest challenge ? Communication. \u00ab We quickly realized we needed someone local to help us truly connect, explains Herv\u00e9. We asked one of our publishing partners, Yannick Deplaedt<\/strong>, who\u2019s lived in Japan for over 20 years, to accompany us.\u00a0Japanese business culture is built on trust\u2014and nuances often get lost in translation.\u00a0 We struggled to express passion and emotions about our catalog in English. But with Yannick interpreting in Japanese, conversations suddenly became warm and enthusiastic \u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reverse was true too. Testing Japanese games often involved awkwardly translated rules that misrepresented the experience. Being on-site allowed real-time questions and insights directly from the designers\u2014with Yannick as their bridge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spotlight on game creators<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Japan, game designers are front and center. The traditional role of a publisher is rare; designers self-produce limited runs (500 to 1,000 copies) and sell directly to distributors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab You have to spot potential early \u00bb, Yoann emphasizes. \u00ab Most Japanese games require major editorial work-mechanics, visuals, and themes must be reshaped for Western audiences. What may be seen as \u00ab\u00a0kawaii\u00a0\u00bb in Japan might be niche elsewhere. But the market is open, and Japanese designers welcome collaboration. Blackrock was fortunate to have Beno\u00eet Bannier<\/strong> (La Bo\u00eete de Jeu) on hand to help identify promising leads \u00bb.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Card games that bend the rules<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So what\u2019s trending in Japan now ? Much like France, minimalist card games are taking center stage. At Tokyo Games Market, small boxes with clever mechanics dominated\u2014mostly trick-taking and discard-style gameplay, priced around \u20ac12\u2013\u20ac15.\u00a0 \u00ab The differences were subtle and smart, says Yoann. Great for experienced players, but harder to market to the general public. Accessibility affects commercial potential \u00bb.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidden gems unearthed<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Was the trip worth it ? Absolutely. Thanks to local partners like Arclight<\/strong>, Hobby Japan<\/strong>, and CMON Japan<\/strong>, as well as inspiring meetups with designers like Kaya Miyano<\/strong> (Trio<\/em>), Hisashi Hayashi<\/strong> (Bomb Busters<\/em>), and Geon Il<\/strong> (Jekyll vs Hyde<\/em>), the Blackrock team narrowed its search to a curated selection\u2014and discovered exciting new gems.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay tuned for what\u2019s next because sometimes, the best way to innovate globally\u2026 is to start by listening locally.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Blackrock Games makes its debut at Tokyo Games Market : a cultural and creative expedition\u00a0 On May 17th and 18th, Blackrock Games proudly marked its first appearance at the Tokyo Games Market. More than a simple business trip, this visit was a double mission : to strengthen ties with international partners and immerse in theContinue reading \u00ab\u00a0Blackrock Games makes its debut at Tokyo Games Market\u00a0\u00bb<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2328,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-2543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-export","category-non-classe","tag-export","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2543"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2544,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2543\/revisions\/2544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.blackrockgames.fr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}