Bomberman and Contra Board Games Are in the Works

Bomberman and Contra are about to get some new games, but maybe not in the way folks were expecting. It's been revealed that Konami Cross Media NY has inked licensing deals with Blacklist Games and IDW Games for board games and more based on both iconic franchises. What that looks like, exactly, remains to be seen.

According to License Global, the Contra board game from Blacklist Games and Kess Co. will be a co-op, card-driven game with miniatures of characters from the video games. It's set to launch in North America in 2020. This appears to mark the first Konami license agreement for Blaclist Games.

Bomberman, on the other hand, apparently has a variety of goods in the works at IDW Games, including board and card games, pins, and puzzles. A Bomberman board game seemingly based on Super Bomberman R is set for later this year, though there's no exact release date beyond that launch window. IDW Games is also producing a Metal Gear Solid board game that is set to release this year, which is another Konami property.

"Super Bomberman R's epic battling and colorful characters translate well into the multi-player board game we've envisioned," Jerry Bennington, IDW Games' vice president of new product development reportedly said. "We hope fans will embrace the opportunity to discover that when the game debuts."

What do you think about the news that there will be Bomberman and Contra board games and more down the line? Are you excited to play them, or do you have concerns about how closely they'll hew to the properties? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

Neither the Bomberman nor Contra board games currently have a release date, though at least one Bomberman board game under this agreenment is seemingly set to release this year. You can check out all of our previous coverage of tabletop gaming right here.