Asmodee Announces New Game Studio

Asmodee has announced a new games studio dedicated some of its most popular games more accessible. Earlier this month, Asmodee announced Access+, which will adapt existing Asmodee titles to be more accessible for players with cognitive disabilities. The studio will bring in expert cart professionals to work with game designers, with an emphasis on stimulating cognitive functions, promoting positive emotions and social relations, and providing the joy in discovering the pleasure of playing together. The first three games set to be published by Access+ are Spot It! Access+, Cortex Access+, and Timeline Access+. The games will be released in Canada, France and Belgium later this year, followed by a worldwide release in 2023. 

The target audience for Access+ include medical practitioners, schools, and caregivers who have people with special needs. Accessibility features of games produced by Access+ include bigger, thicker and easy-to-hold cards, adapted rules, different difficulty options and a “single-player” version to promote patient autonomy. Each game comes with a booklet presenting the benefits of playing this game, according to scientific experts.

“Access+ is launched because, at Asmodee, we believe board games are universal. By starting to adapt some of our most popular titles to fit the needs of all, we can strive to make board gaming as inclusive and accessible as possible,” said Stephane Carville, CEO of Asmodee, in a press release. “As an industry leader, we want to create products that can truly make a difference in people’s lives. Board gaming is social by nature, and Access+ titles allow families and friends to re-introduce the fun of board gaming to their loved ones with special needs, creating moments of happiness that can only come from shared experiences.”

Asmodee has over a dozen separate game studios and is the largest tabletop game publisher in the world. Games published by Asmodee include CATAN, 7 Wonders, Pandemic, and Ticket to Ride. The board game publisher also publishes games with popular licenses such as Marvel and Star Wars.