CGE acquires their own factory, leveling up their gaming production
We at CGE (Czech Games Edition) proudly announce the acquisition of Oriens Karton, a facility producing & assembling board games and jigsaw puzzles based in the Czech Republic. This starts a new chapter for the company and brings a lot of exciting opportunities—not only for us at CGE, but also for other publishers whom we invite to produce in our factory as well.
Significance of the factory
The factory has played an important role in our history, as we’ve been producing games there practically since our inception. It was co-founded back in 2004 by Ludofact (who still remains the facility’s co-owner) and a local publisher focused primarily on the Czech market.
Located mere 30 minutes away from our Prague office, the proximity of Oriens Karton always made for more flexible collaborations and a much faster turnaround time. Manufacturing locally also allows to have better quality control and easier trouble-shooting—and it reduces transportation emissions associated with our games. Additionally, since the facility is located in Europe, we can be sure that our games are produced with EU labor laws and standards in mind, avoiding poor working conditions and child labor.
Another advantage (which is quite special!) is that the factory’s location also lets us get a close look at the production lines and take numerous photos and videos of what our games look like when they’re still a WIP. Through these shots, we’re giving board gamers a unique sneak peek behind the curtain of board game production—you can see the factory’s interiors and machinery, including a detailed commentary, for example in our “How board games are made” or “Producing Board Games in 2024” YouTube videos.
Moreover, the factory has not only been producing our games (including also their numerous language variants), but they’ve also been storing them in their warehouse, and shipping them to our US warehouse and our partners all over the world.
Looking into the future
The decision to acquire our own production facility feels like a natural next step for CGE as we've grown with each passing year. With CGE games comprising up to 70% of the facility's total production capacities during pre-COVID times, this acquisition allows us to further optimize the facility’s manufacturing processes. Now, we can adjust the production pipeline to better suit our needs and the needs of our games—which will allow us to try new things when it comes to how our games are manufactured.
Innovation and a desire to experiment with new ideas are key concepts that we use when designing our games, and we want to apply the same mindset to their production as well. We’ve already tried using new material, ReWood, for the first time in Kutná Hora: The City of Silver last year, and we’re looking forward to continuing exploring and bringing new possibilities and materials to board games manufacturing.
However, it is important to note that this acquisition does not mean production will be exclusive to CGE—the manufacturing lines are open also to other board gaming publishers. Our long-term German partner, HeidelBÄR Games, has already been producing their games in the factory (while CGE recently started helping HeidelBÄR Games distribute their titles in the US market).
With this, we would like to extend an invitation to game publishers worldwide, offering them an opportunity to utilize our factory for production (of both board games and jigsaw puzzles) and associated logistical needs. If you’re interested in producing in the Czech Republic, or would just like to hear more, please, contact us at production@czechgames.com.
Over the years, the factory and its employees were often going above and beyond to accommodate our unique production requirements and requests—and we are happy that we can now participate in facility’s further development and improve it even more, keeping in mind both our games and all the people who help bring them to your tables.