SMOOSH JUICE
Hachette Buys 999 Games, and Magic: The Gathering Makes Mucho Moolah | BoardGameGeek News
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▪️ On April 24, 2025, Dutch game publisher 999 Games, which has been a family-owned business since its founding in 1990, announced that it has been acquired by Hachette Livre, the third largest book publisher in the world, which publishes and distributes board games in Europe through its Hachette Boardgames subsidiary. From the press release announcing the deal:
Isabelle Jeuge-Maynart, CEO of Hachette Boardgames, commented: “We are delighted to announce the acquisition of 999 Games, the leading Dutch distributor of board games. This strategic addition will enable Hachette Boardgames to continue its international growth and expand its distribution footprint. Thanks to the recognised expertise of 999 Games, we will be able to offer fun experiences to wider audiences while also strengthening our leadership in the world of board games.”
Marileen Strengers, keyshareholder of 999 Games, states: “We are handing over 999 Games to Hachette Livre today with confidence. We share strong values and a common strategic vision, which gives us full reassurance for the next chapter. Deeply committed to our company and brand, we are pleased to see 999 Games continue its development within the Hachette group, while remaining true to the identity and the legacy of our founding father Michael Bruinsma.”
Presently, 999 Games sells approximately 2.5 million games annually across more than one thousand physical retail locations. In a note accompanying the announcement, 999 Games’s Bert Calis writes, “Our team will keep the freedom to select the best games to service our customers the best way we can. 999 Games will continue to do business under our own name, brand, [and] vision and with the same devotion to the beautiful games.”
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▪️ Hasbro has reported its Q1 2025 earnings, with the bottom line being that “first quarter revenue increased 17%, driven by 46% growth in the Wizards and Digital Gaming segment. Consumer Products declined 4%, outperforming expectations.”
In Q1 2025, Hasbro had US$887 million in net revenues, which after costs and expenses works out to an operating profit of US$170.7 million, which further boils down to net earnings of US$ 99.5 million.
To further highlight how much Magic: The Gathering is carrying Hasbro, the company states that MTG‘s net revenues in Q1 2025 of US$346.3 million were 46% higher than the previous year, whereas Hasbro Total Gaming (which includes MTG, Dungeons & Dragons, and Hasbro Gaming) had US$550.1 million in net revenues, only 35% higher than in 2024.
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▪️ In a separate press release, Hasbro announced a multi-year extension in its relationship with Disney Consumer Products, “allowing Hasbro to continue developing and manufacturing toys, collectibles, and board games based on new and classic Marvel and Star Wars entertainment”.
An excerpt from that press release: “In addition to continuing its toy and games development with Disney, Hasbro also maintains its separate licensing arrangement with Disney that brings iconic Marvel characters into the Magic: The Gathering trading card game, further underscoring the depth and continued growth of their strategic relationship.”
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▪️ To give a taste of the boring business stuff that can be essential to growth, I’ll mention that Asmodee has extended its partnership with Icecat “to provide high-quality product information to its partners in the Nordics”.
Icecat is a product content syndication company that provides e-commerce integration and product information management systems, and to show why this is meaningful, here’s an excerpt from a Toy World article in mid-April 2025 on the deal:
Salling Group will be the first retailer to onboard the Asmodee portfolio. As one of the largest retail groups in Scandinavia, Salling Group leverages Icecat’s product information. This helps optimise its online product assortment. By accessing structured and rich product data, Salling can offer its customers an enhanced product experience. This is crucial in the competitive ecommerce market.
The successful partnership with Salling highlights the value of standardised product information. It also serves as a strong example for other retailers and brands looking to improve their digital performance. With this collaboration, Asmodee and Icecat are taking a significant step in further digitalising the board game industry in the Nordics, and by making product information freely available, increasing efficiency and growing the entire category.
So boring, so critical!