Mayfair Settles Into Success

Move over Monopoly! The Settlers of Catan is slowly but surely moving up the ranks of top board games fanatically favored by smart kids and adults alike—and 2008, hopefully, will be no exception. Catan's U.S. distributor, Skokie, Ill.-based Mayfair Games, hopes to reach out to even more toy and book retailers than ever before this year, and raise awareness of its varied titles through print and web advertising, community outreach, consumer marketing and PR events, according to Nick Johnson, managing director for the Catan brand.

These efforts will include more game days at retail, new promotions at game conventions, continued support for local gaming clubs and donations of games to schools, and, best of all, the Catan World Championship, which is headed to the U.S. for the first time ever this year. “It should be a championship to remember and we are proud to bring it to the U.S.,” Johnson tells Playthings.

Designer/developer Klaus Teuber first introduced Catan to German audiences in 1995 and to the U.S. a year later; since then more than 11 million games in the series have been sold and it has been translated into 25 languages.

“It is regarded by many in the U.S. as being the catalyst for the emerging Euro gaming subculture,” Johnson says.

Numerous expansion packs—such as Catan Seafarers and Cities & Knights—and new editions to the original strategy board game, plus a card game version with its own expansion packs and several related stand-alone board games have also been introduced, garnering multiple awards and hitting bestseller lists at game and specialty toy stores.

And there's more to come in 2008 from Teuber and the Catan line, Johnson says. “Mayfair will also be releasing new titles with our partner brands Amigo, Phalanx, and Da Vinci [and] expanding and building a line of Zoo games, collectively called “The Zoo.” We are very excited for 2008 and all of the opportunities to build stronger ties with our loyal core gaming audience and expose a new group to our exceptional games.”

Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Borders already stock stock titles in the series, a partnership which is expected to grow. Placement in those channels has fueled interest among young and casual gamers, Johnson says. “The exposure is especially good for Settlers because it is a great gateway game to our niche Euro-style games, more accessible to the masses,” Johnson says, noting that supporting social gaming is a key Mayfair goal. “We look forward to attracting new people to the culture of gaming. It will help support [its] longevity.”