Czech Games Edition

First of all, we hope you are reading this report in the safety of your home, and if you must go out, that you are still in good health. We do not have to remind you of the situation we all are in.

We are with you during these difficult days and are prepared to overcome this together. Our update today is longer than usual, but... you have time, don't you?

CGE blog – why now and what to expect?

Let's start with the probably the most interesting news, we have reached a revolutionary point of CGE history: There is now an official CGE blog. Petr Murmak, our CEO, has decided to start writing about the COVID-19 situation from the perspective of the board gaming industry through the experiences of our business partners.

Thanks to the success of Codenames we cooperate with over 40 partners to distribute non-English versions world-wide. They have been keeping us informed about the situations in each of their countries, and we appreciate all of them. They are not complaining or panicking, and every message has hope. That is why we thought that our fans, and the public, might welcome an unfiltered overview of the virus situation from the point of view of representatives of the board game industry around the world.

Petr will post a fresh post every time we've received something new – due to the turbulent situation this could be once every week, or multiple times on the same day.

Codenames Online

One thing we love in the board gaming community is how creative, keen and resourceful you can be with finding ways to play games, even at a distance, with your friends and family. In these long weeks, we've received many messages with pictures from your own quarantine gaming sessions via Skype, Zoom, and various streaming channels. Thank you for reaching out and for staying positive and playful!

We have spent this time preparing simple yet efficient ways you can continue to play with your gaming group (even at a distance). We’ve come up with two results: Codenames Online, and our “Remote-Play” Video Series.

The Codenames online web platform will provide you and your friends the ability to play Codenames online with each other. It will be available at https://codenamesgame.com (you can sign up to be notified now).

This is a separate resource from the iOS and Android Codenames app that is in development –we specifically started work on Codenames Online in response to the COVID-19 situation.

CGE "Remote-Play” Video Series

If you need help NOW figuring out how to play our games with your friends a few states (or countries away), this video series might help you. Our charismatic colleague Tony walks through how to play CGE games, explaining camera angles, tips on how to easily share and broadcasting software. Starting with Codenames, since it has been popular and is very easily set-up for remote-play, and accessible with new players.

Charity App Sale

As many companies try to do their best to help a bit, we've taken action in our own way – providing something special for our fans while helping those who need it the most!

We launched a sale of our Through the Ages and Galaxy Trucker digital apps.

The deal was 50% off the price of those apps with ALL proceeds going to charity to combat the coronavirus.

Thanks to you, we’ve raised $106,000!!! We set the sale for the maximum length of time that each digital platform allowed, and it just ended last week. Now we are arranging the final details so we can donate the money as soon as possible. Win-Win to beat the monster virus!

How are we?

We are touched by your solidarity and interest. Many thoughtful messages ask the same: how people in CGE company actually do?

Well, a lot of our work can be done online from home, and most of our team already worked from home. Open communication on a daily basis is done via Slack, Zoom, and Basecamp. Keeping everyone informed of what's going on in the board game industry, the world, and humor are key to keeping morale up these days.

In general, we have avoided using public transport for commute in not-necessary cases. Lena, the queen of customer support, has been driving to the office to pack and send dozens of replacement parts (along with prizes for our contest winners) a couple of times a week. Other than that, we have been working on new titles and we will be announcing new games shortly!

Last, but not least, we are healthy. Please take care, stay home, and game on! We will miss you due to canceled conventions, so watch our videos and social media, and post comments to keep us updated on how you are doing. We will do the same.