Plaid Hat Games Goes Independent, Leaves Asmodee

Plaid Hat Games has created some amazing tabletop experiences since it launched in 2009 including Mice and Mystics, Aftermath, and more, and in 2015 the studio was acquired along with Z-Man games by Asmodee. Since then the studio has continued to released new games, and that won't be stopping anytime soon, but going forward the studio itself is changing a bit. Today Plaid Hat Games announced that on February 19th Head of Studio and Founder Colby Dauch has reached an agreement with Asmodee Group to reacquire the independent rights to the Studio and its brand, as well as publication rights to some of their games. Dauch had nothing but kind words to say about the studio's time as part of Asmodee but is also excited for the future.

"These past years within the Asmodee Group have been amazing and I am excited to continue to lead Plaid Hat Games into the future. I am thankful to the many kind and creative people I've had the opportunity to work with at Asmodee and look forward to continuing our relationships with Asmodee's distribution units throughout the world."

So, here's how the games break down. Asmodee will retain the rights to publish Mice and Mystics, Stuffed Fables, Dead of Winter, Raxxon, Aftermath, and Battlelands, and also has the rights to the Adventure Book Games brand, which includes Aftermath and Stuffed Fables.

Dead of Winter and Raxxon will now be published and supported by Fantasy Flight Games, while Mice and Mystics, Stuffed Fables, Aftermath, and Battlelands will be published and supported by Z-Man Games.

"I am thrilled that this opportunity has worked out for Colby and am excited to see what they do next," Head of Publishing at Asmodee North America Steve Horvath said. "We'll remain at their side as a strong long-term partner for distribution."

Plaid Hat's new game is also part of the Adventure Book Games brand, so odds are it will also remain under Asmodee, but we're still not sure. As for why Plaid Hat decided to go independent once more, we're not sure, though designer Jerry Hawthorne shared some thoughts on the deal and how it affects some of the games he's designed over the years on a BGG blog.

"As part of the deal, Asmodee has kept several of my games," Hawthorne wrote. "Mice & Mystics, Stuffed Fables, Aftermath, and Battlelands are all going to Zman Games. This means that the stories and characters I created fo those games, and the future of those product lines, are all out of my control. I will no longer have the pleasure of writing for those characters, many of which are based on people I love, and some who have even passed away.

On the bright side, I have good faith in Zman games. Steve Kimball and his team are top notch. In fact, I can't think of a studio I would rather have working on my creations. My melancholy has solely to do with my selfish enjoyment of crafting stories for those characters that reflect my values and honor the people and ideas I care about."

What do you think of Plaid Hat Games leaving Asmodee? Let us know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things tabletop!