CMON, a major board games publisher known for its miniatures-heavy crowdfunded games, has announced that “effective immediately, we will be pausing all future game development and new crowdfunding campaigns”, as well as laying off a number of staff from its creative teams. A CMON press release from April 24 claims that “global conditions, and most notably the situation with tariffs” are the driving force behind these decisions.
The board games publisher first warned of financial trouble in mid-March. CMON’s board issued a warning to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that forecasted losses between $1.4 million and $2.1 million.
By April 1, CMON’s shares were frozen on that same Stock Exchange due to the company failing to publish its financial report for the year ending December 2024. CMON’s non-executive director also resigned on April 14, saying “other commitments” were the cause.
CMON remains tight-lipped about the exact details of its financial concerns. However, its statement assures customers that CMON will “prioritize the timely delivery of existing projects”.
CMON currently has 10 crowdfunding projects in progress, toward which backers have pledged a combined total of $26.1 million. The publisher is also in the process of delivering eight pre-order projects. According to CMON’s own status page, all but two of these are still projected to arrive by the end of 2025.
“We did not make this choice lightly, and our thoughts are with everyone impacted”, CMON’s statement continues. “The industry continues to rapidly evolve, and unpredictable situations like the recent tariffs, or COVID just a few years ago, present challenges for everyone in board games.”
“With that said, it is our responsibility to take these difficult measures to ensure that we can keep current projects on track and deliver them in a timely manner”, CMON adds. “We will of course resume new development as soon as possible. Please rest assured that these decisions will help ensure that we keep our commitments to our backers, partners, and community.”
For more on the best board games, check out our dedicated guide. Or, if you’d like to discuss these developments, head to the Wargamer Discord. We’re keeping our eyes on all companies affected by the US’ new tariffs, including the ones that plan to sue the president.
