February 16, 2017 Carlsbad, CA – USAopoly Inc. announced today an exclusive global licensing agreement for the Codenames franchise with European-based Czech Games Edition. USAopoly will design and publish licensed versions of the highly acclaimed tabletop game as the exclusive global licensing partner for the Codenames brand.
The announcement is made by USAopoly’s President and CEO, John M. Davis, and Czech Games Edition’s CEO and Founder, Petr Murmak.
“We have one of the strongest licensing departments in gaming, and we recognized that Codenames was perfect for pairing with some of our great licenses. We are confident the licensing possibilities for Codenames will be exciting, and will complement our extraordinary portfolio of game brands,” noted USAopoly President and CEO John M. Davis. “It will be great to work with Petr and the Czech Games Edition team, as Codenames is wildly popular and well-regarded in the market.”
In 2016, Codenames was the winner of the board game industry’s most prestigious award— the Spiel des Jahres— in addition to numerous other accolades.
Two licensed editions of Codenames will be available in Fall 2017 and will retail for $24.95. Both games are targeted for players ages 8 and up and will be sold exclusively in North America.
USAopoly, Inc. will be at Toy Fair in New York City, February 18-21. For more information and details on some of the industry’s best games, visit USAopoly.com.
About Czech Games Edition (the Maker of Codenames)
Czech Games is a group of people who love board games and enjoy creating entertainment for genuine players.
Back in 2006, a small team worked with Vlaada Chvátil to create the first edition of Through the Ages. After its huge success at the Spiel in Essen—the biggest European Game Fair—Czech Games Edition was founded.
Since then, CGE has published more than 30 games (many well-known, award-winning games such as Through the Ages, Space Alert, and Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar, Galaxy Trucker, Codenames, and more.
CGE is focused on publishing games by Czech and Slovak designers, such as Vlaada Chvátil, Vladimír Suchý and Matúš Kotry, but they have also cooperated with designers from Croatia (Filip Neduk) and Italy (Daniele Tascini, Simone Luciani).
Fans can find walkthroughs of many CGE games on Paul Grogan's Gaming Rules! YouTube channel. A demoing machine, Paul has represented CGE at conventions for many years.
CGE’s American translator, Jason A. Holt, also writes fantasy novels. He has worked on all our games, including Alchemists, which won the 2015 Essener Feder prize for best rulebook.
Most of Czech Games’ high quality components are manufactured and printed in Europe and, in particular, the Czech Republic.
Czech Games Edition has its own in house digital department. Galaxy Trucker was the first digital implementation of a CGE game. Vlaada Chvatil works closely with the developers to bring unparalleled board gaming to digital platforms with upcoming adaptations of Through the Ages and award winning Codenames. Petr Murmak, CEO of Czech Games Edition, said the company chose to develop the implementation of CGE games in house in order to ensure they are of the highest quality.
About USAopoly, Inc.
USAopoly Inc. is a leading developer and manufacturer of board games, collectibles and puzzles. We’ve been producing the world’s most beloved games “with a twist,” under license from Hasbro, since 1994. Our partners include marquee brands and licensors such as Disney, Nintendo, Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, HBO, FOX and CBS. With the 2009 release of Telestrations®, named the #1 Party Game by Board Game Geek, we launched our original game business. Our portfolio of signature games is constantly growing and now includes the award-winning games: Telestrations After Dark®, Lift it! Deluxe®, Tapple®, Rollers®, Nefarious™ The Mad Scientist Game, and many more.
USAopoly is serious about fun and games! Our goal is to show our passion through each and every game we make. Our games are created to bring people together to share an emotional connection and make memorable, fun experiences for families, friends, game enthusiasts, fans, and collectors alike.
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