I think it’s somewhat deceptive to the consumer when the contents of a box take up about 10% of the space. That isn’t to say that publishing a big empty box or putting the next expansion in a huge box is feasible or responsible. Do people really think I would publish a big empty box? Is it reasonable to ask me to put an 12x4x4-inch expansion in an 18x12x8-inch box?īut as I’ve learned over time, if I get the same request over and over, clearly I’m the one who’s missing something. The best I can do is design a box that works for the current game–that’s the only certainty.Ĭan You Publish a Big Empty Box or Put the Next Expansion in a Huge Box?Īt first I was surprised when I started getting these questions. The future is uncertain. I usually have no idea how big future expansions will be or how many we’ll make.
The more extra space in a box, the more potential for damaged components. Sometimes a cardboard insert can be used to prevent some of this damage, but usually it only helps with side to side movement, not top to bottom.To put that in perspective, if we print 30,000 copies of a game, that’s a $52,200 loss (unless we proportionally increase the MSRP). If those cartons can hold 6 games each instead of 4 games each, that’s a difference in freight shipping costs of $3.47 per game (6 per carton) to $5.21 per game (4 per carton). Say, hypothetically, that you’re paying $1000 to ship that pallet from China to the US. A standard pallet holds 48 cartons worth of content. Bigger boxes cost more to ship. Freight shipping is where the costs can really increase.This may not seem like a big deal–it’s just cardboard and ink–but it adds up. More cardboard and more ink result in a higher manufacturing cost. I can’t speak for other publishers, but for Stonemaier Games, there are a number of factors in play: Why Don’t Publishers Make the Original Box Big Enough for All Expansions? So there are two very different audiences to whom to cater. The results (see image) indicate that 50% of people throw away the expansion box and 50% of people keep the expansion box. It seems that most gamers want everything to fit into a single box, which makes sense–we all have limits on shelf space and bag space (when we travel with games).Ī few months ago I posted a poll on this subject: When you buy an expansion, if the contents fit into the original game box, how often do you throw away the expansion box? Whenever I announce a new expansion, this is the most commonly asked question. Will the Expansion Fit into the Original Game Box? But this is the life of a game publisher! Here are some of the questions I’m asked most frequently, along with the factors I consider when deciding box size and a proposed solution for a frequent request about Scythe. Never did I think box sizes would be the focus of my career.
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