North Star Games revealed new plans for two of its most popular games at Toy Fair.  In order to make Evolution more accessible to the casual gamer market, a decision has been made to reposition the game to a $40 MSRP, down from the current $55 price point.  Components will be retooled for a smaller box (which will carry the same art as the current version).  The new version, which will replace the current version, will be released June 1.

Evolution: Climate (at $60 MSRP, see “North Star’s ‘Evolution’ Gets New Expansion”) will remain at its current price and offer a more premium version of the game.   

Evolution has been getting great press from science magazines recently.  Science, the premier global science weekly, featured Evolution last month, lauding its ability to convey complicated science concepts to its players.  And last year, in a feature on evolution-themed board games, Nature called Evolution its “favourite by far.”

North Star will also release a new blue version of Happy Salmon in June.  It can be played on its own or combined with the existing version for up to a 12-player game (which would be a noisy affair!).  The original green version released last year (see “’Happy Salmon’ Arrives May 1”).