by Justin Bell

Welcome to my second edition of “Behind the Hype”; if you missed the first, I spoke with Eveline Foubert at Mighty Boards a few months ago.

This week, I’m sharing a conversation I had with my friend and colleague Rawan Anbar at Gigamic, the massive French publisher and distributor of quick, family-friendly abstracts, party, and strategy titles such as Quarto, Looot, Akropolis and the team’s upcoming SPIEL Essen release, Odysseus. Between a video call and some back-and-forth via e-mail, our condensed conversation is highlighted below. Enjoy!

Justin Bell (JB): Hey hey, Rawan! Hope life in France is treating you well today. Let’s start with your time at Gigamic; how did you find this role, and were you always interested in doing marketing work in tabletop?

Rawan Anbar (RA): Hey Justin! The weather isn’t great in France today, but I’m doing very well. I found the role through LinkedIn. I had just graduated when I came across the job posting, so I decided to apply. The process moved very quickly: I had a video interview two days later, then they invited me for an in-person interview the following day. About a week later, I received the good news that I had been offered the position. I have now been at Gigamic for more than four years. To be honest, the board game industry was not originally part of my career plan, but I am really grateful that I had the opportunity to enter this world. It is such a fun and welcoming industry, full of passionate people. I have had the chance to meet wonderful people—publishers, content creators, retailers, and of course my own colleagues. It has been a really rewarding experience, and I’m very happy to be part of it.

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JB: Gigamic has been in business for almost 30 years, correct? As an established brand, I’m curious to understand Gigamic’s definition of its market as well as the ways that it markets products to that core market. Many of the Gigamic games I have reviewed over at Meeple Mountain have generally been quick, but outside of that, the broad themes vary quite a bit. How do you and the team define your core audience?

RA: Gigamic has actually been creating games for more than 35 years. At our core, we are a family-oriented publisher: we aim to create games that bring people together, whatever their age or level of experience. Our catalogue is diverse. We do have some titles for more experienced players, but our main focus is on accessible family and party games. Akropolis, one of our flagship titles, is a good example: it offers meaningful strategic choices while remaining easy to learn and enjoyable for a wide range of players. We want to move away from the idea that board games are only for dedicated gamers. For us, games should be welcoming, social, and fun for everyone, from children and families to occasional players and more experienced board gamers.

JB: Being a French company, it makes sense that Gigamic is pretty big in France, and I know your team’s presence at shows like Festival International des Jeux in Cannes is always going to be sizable. But outside of France, how does Gigamic market its catalog? I’m curious about Gigamic on the global stage.

RA: Internationally, we have a dedicated export team made up of three people: Thibaut, Pierre, and Benoît. They work closely with our distribution partners around the world, including in markets such as South Korea, Mexico, Japan, Germany, and many others. Their role is to build strong relationships with our distributors, introduce them to our new releases, and support them in bringing Gigamic games to local audiences. They regularly travel to meet partners in person and attend trade shows and more local events. Maintaining that human connection is particularly important to us. Every market has its own culture, players, and retail landscape, so working closely with local distributors helps us present the right games in the right way.

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JB: When you are not at shows, where are you based? So many of my tabletop connections work out of offices, but just as many work from home. What is your situation, and what do you prefer in terms of work environment?

RA: We are based in northern France, more specifically in Wimereux. One of Gigamic’s core values is maintaining a close, human, and family-like working environment. We are mainly office-based, although employees can work from home one day a week. This balance works well for us. Remote work provides flexibility, but being together in the office most of the time helps us maintain strong internal relationships, collaborate more easily, and work as a real team. In a creative industry like ours, informal conversations and a shared enthusiasm for games are also an important part of how we work.

JB: In my “Behind the Hype” interview with Eveline, we talked a bit about crowdfunding…but it seems like Gigamic does not use the crowdfunding model for release, with all of your “homegrown” games going straight to retail. What is Gigamic’s stance on crowdfunding new titles?

RA: Gigamic’s main approach is to bring our games directly to retail through our established distribution network. We value the relationships we have built with retailers and distributors, and we want our games to be accessible to players through those channels. Crowdfunding can be a very useful model for certain types of projects, especially larger productions or games with a strong collector-focused audience. However, for Gigamic’s core catalogue, our focus is on developing games that can have a long life in retail and be easily available to a wide audience. We are always open to following changes in the market, but our priority remains creating accessible games and supporting our retail partners.

JB: When you sent me a review copy of your upcoming SPIEL release Odysseus, I had to laugh, and everyone in my circles said the same thing when they saw the box: “it was pretty smart to release a game called Odysseus around the same time that The Odyssey hit theaters worldwide.”

So, there’s obviously a big marketing tie-in to the movie. As a marketing leader, that seems like an easy win. Was the game’s theme always tied to Odysseus, or was that just a lucky moment?

RA: The Odysseus theme was part of the game from the very beginning—it comes from the game’s own creative identity and mechanics. The timing with The Odyssey film is a very fortunate coincidence rather than an official tie-in. The film has created a broader cultural interest in the story and in Greek mythology, which makes this an exciting moment to introduce the game to players. It has also helped us from an SEO perspective: more people are currently searching for Odysseus, The Odyssey, and Greek mythology, which increases the game’s visibility online ahead of its release and helps new audiences discover it.

JB: How are you marketing Odysseus to the strategy gamer channels and markets? What are you doing to help the title stand out?

RA: For Odysseus, we are building a multi-channel campaign designed to reach strategy gamers while also making the game visible to a wider board game audience. At the beginning of October, we are planning a contest and giveaway here on BoardGameGeek, which is an important platform for players looking for new strategy titles. We are also producing a trailer in both French and English to present the game’s universe, gameplay, and strategic depth to international audiences. We will support the launch with digital advertising across social media and relevant websites, as well as targeted communication through our press contacts and board game influencers. They will help introduce the game to their communities through previews, content, and coverage around the release. At SPIEL Essen, Odysseus will also have dedicated banners to make it more visible on-site. Our goal is to create visibility before the show, give players a clear idea of the experience the game offers, and make sure it stands out both online and on the convention floor.

JB: What do you wish more players understood when it comes to the ways games are marketed and sold?

RA: I think I would like more players to understand that marketing a game is not just about making it visible—it is about helping the right people discover it and understand why it might be right for them. There are so many games released every year, so even a very good game needs a clear message. We have to explain the experience behind it: who it is for, how easy it is to learn, how it feels to play, and what makes it special. It is also a long-term process. A game does not become successful overnight just because of one post or one review. It takes communication, relationships with retailers and distributors, events, content creators, and, most importantly, positive experiences shared by players themselves. At Gigamic, we try to be honest and clear about what each game offers, so that players can find the games that genuinely match what they are looking for.

JB: Although you seem to be pretty good at the abstract games you show me every year at conventions, I always wonder about how much time you spend playing games outside of your “day job.” So…do you play a lot of games? What are some of your favorites?

RA: Actually, I’m not a hardcore board gamer, and I think that gives me a valuable perspective in my role. It helps me look at our games with fresh eyes and better understand the experience of people who are not already deeply involved in the hobby. I play mainly to discover our games, prepare for events, practice explaining the rules, and develop communication plans. But outside of work, I don’t play board games very often at home. That said, two of my favourite games are Slide and Qawale. I really like games that are simple to understand but still offer meaningful choices and strategy.

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JB: Because you are Egyptian, I have to ask: do you still believe that Egypt was robbed during the match against Argentina in this summer’s World Cup?

RA: I’m not the biggest football fan, but yes, unfortunately, I still think we were robbed! I remember you messaging me during the game, saying how well they were playing. In the end, it’s only a game, but I’m still very proud of the Egyptian team.

A big thanks to Rawan and the team at Gigamic for a peek behind the curtain. To learn more about Gigamic and the current catalog, you can visit the team’s website at https://en.gigamic.com/.

Do you own or support the marketing function for a tabletop publisher? Let’s chat! I’m going to do interviews like this on marketing and other areas of the tabletop business from time to time, and I’m always interested in meeting more people. Just message me here on BGG and we’ll get to work. Thanks for reading!

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