Oni Press has provided ComicBook with an exclusive first look at a new licensing deal they’ve set up with leading board game publisher Maestro Media. Today, the companies will announce a new collaboration for board games inspired by some of Oni’s most beloved comic book hits. This partnership will bring to life three new board games based on the acclaimed comic book series The Sixth Gun by creators Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt, Dwellings by cartoonist Jay Stephens, and Jill and the Killers by creators Olivia Cuartero-Briggs and Roberta Ingranata.
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The announcement comes ahead of Comic Con International in San Diego, where both companies will preview upcoming plans for the new gaming partnership. The games are being developed “in close coordination” with the respective creators of each title, and the first games produced under the partnership are slated for release in 2025.
“It’s a huge thrill to bring Oni’s creators together to collaborate with Maestro Media, who have distinguished themselves with an incredible slate of tabletop games in recent years,” said Hunter Gorinson, President and Publisher at Oni Press. “Like us, they’re passionate about comics and storytelling, and we’re eager to share these games with longtime readers and brand-new players alike.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Oni Press to bring these incredible stories to the world of board games,” added Javon Frazier, Founder and CEO of Maestro Media. “Our team is dedicated to capturing the essence of each comic series and creating games that will delight both fans and newcomers alike.”
Per the announcement, each board game will “capture the essence of its respective comic book series,” offering fans an immersive adventure in the worlds they love with word-class game design from the tabletop game publisher behind recent blockbuster releases, including The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls, Hello Kitty: Day at the Park, and the upcoming Smurfs Hidden Village.
The new Oni-Maestro partnership will include:
The Sixth Gun: From the world of the iconic, Eisner Award-nominated series from master storytellers Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt! In 1866, the Confederacy has fallen, but evil still pervades a scarred nation. A rebel general warped by impossibly dark magic searches the frontier for The Sixth Gun – an ancient weapon of unspeakable occult power…now held by an ordinary young woman who must learn to master her pistol’s arcane secrets before it can unleash Armageddon.
Dwellings: Based on the charmingly terrifying, sold-out horror hit from Emmy Award-winning cartoonist Jay Stephens that The Comics Journal calls “quite possibly the best horror comic of the last 20 years”! Welcome to Elwich – an oasis of small-town perfection, where the schools overflow with cheery-eyed children, lovingly adorned homes line the historic boulevards … and only the crows can see the deep, festering rot of murder, demonology and psychosis that lurks beneath the pristine surface. Elwich has them all on offer – and behind every dwelling awaits a horrifying new story to be told.
Jill and the Killers: Inspired by the nerve-rattling murder mystery-within-a-mystery by writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs and artist Roberta Ingranata! Teenager Jill Estrada’s once-quiet life in a secluded Arizona town has been turned upside-down by the unsolved disappearance of her mother … only for the puzzle to deepen when she discovers a true-crime subscription game that seems to reveal clues that only a killer close to home could know…
More details on the game are likely to come out soon. If you’re in Comic Con International in San Diego, it might be worth a trip to the Oni booth to see if they have more information.
