Mysterium Kids Wins the Kinderspiel des Jahres and Challengers! Wins the Kennerspiel des Jahres 2023! 

Two of the Most Coveted Awards in Tabletop Games

Guyancourt, France—July 17, 2023— Space Cow, Libellud, Z-MAN Games and Asmodee are thrilled to announce that Mysterium Kids: Captain Echo’s Treasure has received the Kinderspiel des Jahres 2023 awarding the best kids’ game and that Challengers! has received the Kennerspiel des Jahres 2023 awarding the advanced games category.

Mysterium Kids Wins the Kinderspiel des Jahres 2023!

Mysterium Kids: Captain Echo’s Treasure is a cooperative game designed specifically for children, helping to develop concentration and imagination. During the game, players take turns taking on the role of the ghost, or as treasure seekers looking to find which illustrated card corresponds to the location of the treasure, all while guided only by the sound of a tambourine! 

“I never thought I would be nominated, even less receiving receive an award.”  said Yves Hirshfield, Mysterium Kids designer “I’ve been working in the industry since I was 20, but I never thought I’d officially be a game designer! I never allowed myself to imagine that I might receive an award of any kind, so this is a big surprise. I would have never imagined it when Antonin and I invented the game by tapping on cardboard box lids!” 

Challengers! Wins the Kennerspiel des Jahres 2023!

During a game of Challengers!, up to four duels are played simultaneously, with players facing a different opponent each round. The game offers a choice of over 70 different characters, each with unique abilities. From aliens and vacuum cleaners to deep-sea creatures, the game has a bit of everything. Players assemble a versatile team, surprise their opponents with epic combos, while trying to get the most trophies and win the most fans. After being awarded the As d’Or earlier this year, winning the Kennerspiel is a true achievement for Challengers! and Z-Man Games. 

“It is a real honor to receive what is considered the ultimate award in the board gaming industry.” said Johannes Krenner, one of the Challengers! designers. “The passion that surrounded our game from day one has been great to see, and we are grateful to all players who’ve enjoyed playing Challengers!” 

“I’m grateful to be surrounded by such talented and passionate teams of boardgame professionals who brought back home the Kinderspiel and Kennerspiel des Jahres. Asmodee is a catalyst for creativity, our teams work with the best talents and know how to maximize the artistic and commercial success of every game we develop. I’m sure the teams are already hard at work developing our next successes.” said Stéphane Carville, CEO Asmodee.

The Sonderpreis Granted to the Designers of Unlock! and Unlock! Kids 

It was also during the Spiel des Jahres ceremony that Unlock! and Unlock! Kids received the Sonderpreis 2023, Special Jury prize, acknowledging the games’ innovation and impact on the board gaming industry.  

Unlock! designed by Cyril Demaegd and published by Space Cowboys and Unlock! Kids, designed by Marie Fort, Wilfried Fort and Space Cow and published by Space Cow are widely successful titles, featuring a series of card-based escape games. Each game offers a unique storyline, intricate puzzles, and immersive environments, all while challenging players’ problem-solving skills and teamwork. Its blend of traditional card game mechanics with a modern escape room concept has paved the way for a new genre of board games. 

“To receive this award 17 years after Caylus has been a great surprise. I accept it with such joy and pride because it is a great recognition for all the work done by the team who’s been hard at work for the past 6 years to make sure Unlock! remains a great and innovative experience for gamers every time. Thanks to the Jury, it’s a great source of motivation to keep on working on this game line!”  said Cyril Demaegd after the ceremony.   

“With 2 games under our belt and a third on the way, this award gives us even more confidence to keep exploring and finding new ways to entertain younger audiences. You can expect even zanier scenarios and gameplay in the coming Unlock! Kids” said Benoit Forget from Space Cow.  We thank our players from all around the world. Receiving these awards strengthens the determination that Asmodee and its studio have to continue to push boundaries, and to relive these moments as soon as possible. Asmodee and its studios extend their heartfelt gratitude to the Spiel des Jahres jury for recognizing the passion and dedication our teams have put into developing these games.  

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For more information on Mysterium Kids: Captain Echo’s Treasure, please visit https://www.libellud.com/en/our-games/mysterium-kids/

For more information on Challengers! please visit https://www.zmangames.com/en/products/challengers/. Challengers! is now available on Board Game Arena, the number one online board game community, with 9 million players. 

For more information on Unlock! and Unlock! Kids, please visit https://www.spacecowboys.fr/unlock and https://www.spacecow.fr/unlock-kids. 

More assets can be found here. 

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About Asmodee  

Asmodee is an entertainment leader specialized in board games, committed to bringing people together through great games and amazing stories.   

Thanks to its global and passionate workforce of over 2,500 people, players around the world enjoy one of the largest board game IP catalogs with CATAN, Ticket to Ride, Dobble/Spot it!, Exploding Kittens and 365 more across a variety of digital and physical platforms.   

Headquartered in France (Guyancourt), Asmodee operates across Europe, North America, South America and Asia.   

Asmodee is a part of the Embracer Group AB, which is publicly listed on Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker EMBRAC B. (EMBRAC B).   

For more information: https://corporate.asmodee.com/    

About Space Cow  

Space Cow, a French Asmodee studio created in 2018, has a mission to publish high-quality board games for kids, set in varied unique and immersive universes. Our goal is to entertain earthlings of all ages through games, while supporting the development of their imagination and motor skills. That’s why all our games are tested in kindergartens and primary schools. Our main titles are Dream Catcher (As d’Or—French game of the year—2020 children’s category winner) and Unlock! Kids (Spiel des Jahres Sonderpreis—2023 special jury award—winner). For more information, visit https://www.spacecow.fr/our-games or find the studio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@spacecowkids).  

About Libellud 

French board game publisher founded in 2008 and part of Asmodee, Libellud hit it big with its first game, Dixit, wining the Spiel des Jahres 2010. In over a decade, the studio has established itself as the leader in image interpretation and eerie games. With an array of tabletop games such as Dixit, Mysterium, Dice Forge or Seasons, the studio explores new playful horizons to offer family or expert games memorable times. Follow us on on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@Libellud) or visit us on www.libellud.com. 

About Z-Man Games 

Z-MAN Games is a North American game publishing studio created in 1999. Part of the Asmodee Group, the studio is known for developing innovative, critically acclaimed games that appeal to seasoned and new players alike. With a portfolio ranging from casual to complex, cooperative to competitive, small bag to big box—and everything in between, Z-MAN games boasts several must-have, bestselling titles, including Pandemic, Love Letter, Citadels, Carcassonne and its latest hit, Challengers! For more information, visit zmangames.com, or find the studio on Facebook and Instagram.

About Space Cowboys 
SPACE Cowboys is a game publishing studio created in 2014 by industry old-timers. Driven by its first success, Splendor, finalist of the famous Spiel des Jahres, the studio has since accumulated many successful titles: Unlock! (French Game of the year 2017, sold at 2.5 million copies and awarded in 2023 with the Sonderpreis—special jury awards—from the Spiel des Jahres), T.I.M.E Stories, Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective (Spiel des Jahres in 1985). The studio offers games to the entire family (ages 10 and up) and to expert players as well. Its goal is to entertain and surprise its customers with high-quality games. For more information, visit www.spacecowboys.fr or find the studio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@SpaceCowboys).