Board Games Market in Europe - Industry Outlook and Forecast 2018-2023

This market research report on Europe board games market offers analysis on market size & forecast, market share, industry trends, growth drivers, and vendor analysis. The market study also includes insights on segmentation by product type (tabletop games, card & dice games, collectible card games, miniature games, and RPG board games), by theme type (strategy & war games, educational games, fantasy games, sport games, and others), by distribution channel (online and retail), and by key country (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Turkey, and others).

Europe Board Games Market - Overview

The growing popularity of strategy and war games and educational games is primarily driving the growth of the Europe board games market. The lure of hands-on and heads-on skill and knowledge development for different age groups is attributing to the popularity of these table top games in the European market. The leading manufacturers in the market are focusing on designing and creating an engaging and competitive environment that requires players to focus reinforce and apply to learn. These games are expected to improve games elements, problem-solving skills, discussions, and communication among players in the European market. The complexity of several of these games will encourage the end-user to solve problems and handle situations that allow players to think through and apply what they have learned in an effective manner. The main advantage of playing these games help consumers to build on their communication and relationship skills. The economic development and increase consumer’s purchasing power are driving the demand for these products in the European market. Countries such as Germany and the UK are the largest consumers and highest revenue generators in the Europe board games market. Some games designed specifically for corporates will enhance the learning ability of professionals and helps to improve the working relationship with employees in the market.

Some of the award-winning games available in the European market include Monopoly, Settlers of Catan, and Pandemic. The games designed for this region focus on building resources and optimum management of resources, thus keeping all the players engaged until the end of the game. Development of such consumer specific games will help manufacturers gain a larger market share in the European market. The Europe board games market is projected to reach revenues of approximately $4 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of around 6% during 2017-2023.

Europe Board Games Market at a Glance

Europe Board Games Market - Dynamics

The proliferation of the internet and social media channels are shaping the end-users’ purchasing behavior and boosting sales in the Europe board games market. Top retail giants such as Sainsbury’s, Target, Carrefour, Lowe's, Metro, Costco, Groupe Auchan, and Walmart account for over 68% of the total sales volume in the European market. The market is also witnessing a shift to digital channels where consumers research about pricing and other related information of various games available in the market. Online platforms are used extensively by end-users to compare prices and features of games. This shift in consumer behavior is encouraging marketers and retailers to adopt omnichannel retailing to facilitate seamless shopping experience in the European market. The increasing penetration of wireless broadband internet, strong adoption of smartphones and tablets, and growth of social media users are some of the factors that will attribute to the growth of online retail channels in the Europe board games market.

Europe Board Games Market - Segmentation

This market research report includes a detailed segmentation of the market by product type, theme type, distributional channels, and geography.

Segmentation of Europe Board Games Market

Europe Board Games Market – By Product Type

Table top games to boost critical thinking among end-users in the Europe board games market

The Europe board games market by product type is categorized into tabletop games, card & dice games, collectible card games, miniature games, and RPG board games. Tabletop games dominated the majority of the market share in 2017, growing at a CAGR of around 7% during the forecast period. The growing demand among grade-schoolers, teenagers, and adults for strategy-based tabletop games is propelling the growth of this segment in the European market. The rise in the number of social gatherings amongst the millennial end-user group and the popularity of the game night concept will contribute to the growing revenues in this segment in the market. France, Germany, and the UK are the largest consumers of this type of games in the European market. Publishers of tabletop games target mass market due to their wide user base, which is driving the growth of this segment in the Europe board games market.

Europe Board Games Market – By Theme Type

Fantasy-based TV shows are driving the demand for games in the Europe board games market during the forecast period

The theme type segment in the Europe board games market is classified into strategy & war games, educational games, fantasy games, sports games, and others. Fantasy-based games segment occupied the second largest market share in 2017, growing at a CAGR of more than 4% during the forecast period. Fantasy games are adventure-based games that incorporate a definite setting and players play as an individual. The growing popularity of TV series such as Game of Thrones is acting as a catalyst for rising traction and increasing revenues of this segment in the European market. The recent shift in game designs from tactical to strategical design types are helping companies to attract young adults and increase their Europe board games market share. The vendors are designing games that allow the players to finish the game in a certain duration and enables their need to interact with fellow players in a meaningful way. Such game designs will help publishers generate higher revenues in the European market during the forecast period.

Europe Board Games Market – By Distribution Channel

Price comparison ability through online platforms will increase sales in the Europe board games market during the forecast period

The Europe board games market by distribution channel is segmented into retail (specialty store, mass-market players, and other stores) and online stores. Online stores dominated a portion of the market share in 2017, growing at a CAGR of over 6% during the forecast period. The exponential growth of online platforms such as Amazon, eBay, Argos, and John Lewis are leading to the growth of this segment in the European market. The increasing availability of a variety of products and instant price comparison are two of the major factors attributing to the rising popularity of this distribution channel in the market. The leading vendors are promoting the concept and use of these games through social media and other digital platforms to increase their market share and gain a wide consumer base in the Europe board games market. The ease-of-accessibility and convenience afforded by such channels will increase the revenues generated through these channels of distribution in Europe during the forecast period.

Europe Board Games Market – By Geography

Popularity of family games in France to augment growth in the Europe board games market during the forecast period

The geographical segment in the Europe board games market is divided into France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Turkey, and others. France occupied the largest market share in 2017, growing at a CAGR of more than 5% during the forecast period. The growing demand for family games, strategic card games, and trading card games is attributing to the growth of this region in the European market. Monopoly, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, and Uno are the most popular games available in the French market. The French market for toys and games is growing at a moderate rate with tabletop games and puzzles registering highest growth among all the segments including plush toys, artistic activities, construction toys and games, and preschools toys, among others. The average expenditure on toys in France is 60% higher than the European average. Such factors will help in the growth and development of the French and Europe board games market.

Key Vendor Analysis

The Europe board games market is moderately concentrated and the top two players dominate the largest share. The top vendors are focusing on altering and refining their unique value proposition to sustain the intense competition in the European market. The market is also very fragmented due to the presence of various regional and international companies. The entry of various international players in developing economies such as Poland and Russia will intensify the level of competition in the European market. The players are using new business models and focusing on developing their franchises to gain a larger market share and attract new consumers. The shift towards digitization of games or developing supporting mobile applications to enhance customers’ experience will help transform the Europe board games market over the next few years.

The major vendors in the European market are:

• Asmodée Éditions (Group)
• Hasbro
• Mattel
• Ravensburger

Other prominent vendors include Asmadi Games, Bezier Games, BoardGameDesign.com, Buffalo Games, Clementoni, CMON, The Walt Disney Co., Fremont Die Consumer Products, Games Workshop, Gibsons Games, Goliath, The Grey Fox Games, IELLO Games, Indie Boards and Cards, INI, International Playthings, Kamings Trade, Learning Resources, Legendary Games, Loony Labs, Ludo Fact, Melissa & Doug, Mindware.com, North Star Games, Orchard Toys, Panda GM, Paul Lamond Games, Playroom Entertainment, Pegasus Spiele, Piatnik, Pressman Toy, RoosterFin, Reaper Miniatures, Rio Grande Games, Schmidt Spiele, Spin Master, Spontaneous Games, Surprised Stare Games, SunsOut, Talicor, The Haywire Group, The Regency Chess Company, ThinkFun, TREND Enterprises, Ultra PRO International, University Games, USAopoly, Winning Moves Games, WizKids, Wonder Forge, and Zobmondo.

Key market insights include

1. The analysis of Europe board games market provides market size and growth rate for the forecast period 2018-2023.
2. It offers comprehensive insights into current industry trends, trend forecast, and growth drivers about the Europe board games market.
3. The report provides the latest analysis of market share, growth drivers, challenges, and investment opportunities.
4. It offers a complete overview of market segments and the regional outlook of Europe board games market.
5. The report offers a detailed overview of the vendor landscape, competitive analysis, and key market strategies to gain competitive advantage.